Where’s the crowd?’: Fans deride empty stadium at Cricket World Cup opener

Where’s the crowd?

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** The Cricket World Cup opener between England and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, on October 5, 2023, was largely met with empty seats, prompting criticism and derision from fans around the world. Despite the large capacity of the stadium, which is the world's largest cricket stadium with a seating capacity of over 130,000, only a fraction of the seats were filled for the opening match of the tournament. This led to many fans taking to social media to express their disappointment, with some using the hashtag #wheresTheCrowd to voice their concerns. "Where's the crowd?mir This is embarrassing," tweeted one fan. "This is supposed to be the biggest cricket tournament in the world, and it looks like a club match," wrote another. "The ICC needs to do a better job of promoting the World Cup," said a third. There are a number of possible reasons for the low turnout at the opening match. One possibility is that the ticket prices were too high. Tickets for the World Cup are notoriously expensive, and this may have deterred some fans from attending. Another possibility is that the timing of the match was inconvenient for many fans.

The match started at 9:30am local time, which is the middle of the workday for many people. Finally, it is also possible that the lack of interest in the match was due to the fact that it was between England and New Zealand, two teams that are not considered to be among the favorites to win the tournament. Whatever the reasons for the low turnout, the empty stadium at the World Cup opener was a major disappointment for fans and organizers alike. It will be interesting to see whether the attendance improves for subsequent matches in the tournament. In addition to the reasons mentioned above, there are a few other factors that may have contributed to the low turnout at the World Cup opener: 

  * The COVID-19 pandemic may have made some fans hesitant to attend large gatherings. * The rising cost of living in India may have made it difficult for some fans to afford to attend the match. * The match was played in the middle of the week, which may have made it difficult for some fans to travel to the stadium. It is also worth noting that the World Cup opener was played in Ahmedabad, which is not a traditional cricket stronghold. 

*The city is better known for its business and industrial sectors than its cricket culture. Despite the low turnout at the World Cup opener, the tournament is still expected to be a success. The Cricket World Cup is one of the most popular sporting events in the world, and it is likely to attract large crowds for the more high-profile matches.