Oz gears up for 'Indian summer' leading to World Cup

MELBOURNE: Slowly but surely, sports-mad Australia is gearing up in style - along with co-hosts New Zealand - for cricket's showpiece event, the 50-over World Cup in February-March next year. The tournament begins with a bang on Valentine's Day (Feb 14) when the hosts take on England at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The event will involve 49 matches spread over 44 days.
The Cup was last held in this part of the world 23 years ago, when Pakistan beat England in the final at the MCG to record their maiden triumph. "It's been a while since we last hosted the event, and it may be 2030, for all you know, before we host the next one, so we are all excited to make use of this opportunity in the best possible manner," said John Kent, general manager (communications and community engagement) for the World Cup.
Naturally, tickets vanished from the counters for the marquee clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in Adelaide on Feb 15. "That game was a sellout in record time," said Kent.
Cricket Australia, in fact, is looking at the forthcoming season as an 'Indian Summer.' "Before the World Cup, we have India playing four Tests and a tri-series (with England being the other team). So this should be an exciting time," said former Australia fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz, who is now on the board of directors in Cricket Australia (CA).
The South Asian diaspora here is excited at the prospect of watching their cricket heroes in action. "We have the tickets for the India-South Africa game (at the MCG on February 22).We now want tickets for the final," said Smriti Mathur, an NRI who lives in Melbourne.
The only worry for organizers could be if India get eliminated at an early stage, like in the 2007 World Cup. "In 1992, the Aussies couldn't make the semis, but still, almost a lakh turned out to watch the final at the MCG. So we have few worries on this count," said Kent.
Ticket rates vary from AU$5 for children to at least AU$20 for adults in the group games, while for the final at the MCG, the minimum a ticket will cost is AU$125, while the most expensive seats in the stands can be bought for AU$395.
In a country where a kid has the option to pick up any sport, cricket faces stiff competition from the likes of swimming, tennis, soccer, rugby, netball, hockey, and of course, Aussie Rules Football (AFL), which tops the popularity charts.
Interest in the willow game, however, has seen a welcome surge in recent times. "More than 1.1 million Australians were involved in playing cricket in some capacity during the previous summer, which means that the number of people playing organized cricket grew by 16% than the previous year," said Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland.
The World Cup will involve both Australia and New Zealand hosting almost an equal number of matches in seven venues each.
The venues, meanwhile, are being dressed up in their own way. Australia boasts of multisport stadiums, which are 'converted' according to the demands of each discipline in a unique manner. The MCG, which will become the first stadium in the world to host two World Cup finals on March 29, recently staged the AFL final.
Post that event, the entire turf on the ground has been relaid, with games supposed to be played on 10 drop-in pitches. "Just about a month back, the entire ground resembled a sand pit," exclaimed Sutherland, while staring at the lush green outfield at the 'G' which boasts of a crowd capacity of 100,024.
Curiously, a yellow seat stands out in the blue seating area in the third tier of the Great Southern Stand in the ravishing stadium. It marks the biggest six ever hit at the ground, by former Australian all-rounder Simon O'Donnell off Greg Matthews in a Sheffield Shield game on March 21, 1993.
"lt was approximately around 105 metres," says one of the guides who takes you around the great sporting amphitheatre. Even in the age of IPL, that must count as a big 'hit.' Come the World Cup, and someone may just push that yellow seat further!