New York (National Times) At the cultural crossroads of the world, New Yorkers will experience a thrilling first on Sunday \u2014 a World Cup cricket match hosted in a US city between Asian powerhouses: rivals India and Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIndia-Pakistan is the game everyone would like to watch, and\u2026 it\u2019s happening in our backyard,\u201d said Ajith Shetty, president of two local cricket leagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m very, very thrilled,\u201d the Indian native told AFP on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, roughly 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the pop-up stadium at Eisenhower Park on Long Island, fans interviewed in the bustling Little India neighborhood of Queens said they won\u2019t be able to attend the game in person.
\u201cI asked about it, but it\u2019s so expensive. I\u2019ll watch it on my mobile,\u201d 31-year-old Rajeet Krishna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPakistan against India is special\u2026 there\u2019s a long history there,\u201d he said, with the 34,000 seats in the stadium sold out for months.
This first Cricket World Cup hosted in the United States is in the T20 format, with games that last around three hours, as opposed to the five-day contests in the traditional test match format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tickets on the resale market are going for at least $800, with Indian Premier League (IPL) founder and former president Lalit Modi slamming the inflated prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tournament \u201cin the US is for game expansion & fan engagement, not a means to make profits on gate collections,\u201d he said on X.
New York prepares for \u2018high-voltage\u2019 India-Pakistan cricket match on Sunday
At the cultural crossroads of the world, New Yorkers will experience a thrilling first on Sunday \u2014 a World Cup cricket match hosted in a US city between Asian powerhouses: rivals India and Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIndia-Pakistan is the game everyone would like to watch, and\u2026 it\u2019s happening in our backyard,\u201d said Ajith Shetty, president of two local cricket leagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m very, very thrilled,\u201d the Indian native told AFP on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, roughly 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the pop-up stadium at Eisenhower Park on Long Island, fans interviewed in the bustling Little India neighborhood of Queens said they won\u2019t be able to attend the game in person.
\u201cI asked about it, but it\u2019s so expensive. I\u2019ll watch it on my mobile,\u201d 31-year-old Rajeet Krishna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPakistan against India is special\u2026 there\u2019s a long history there,\u201d he said, with the 34,000 seats in the stadium sold out for months.
This first Cricket World Cup hosted in the United States is in the T20 format, with games that last around three hours, as opposed to the five-day contests in the traditional test match format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tickets on the resale market are going for at least $800, with Indian Premier League (IPL) founder and former president Lalit Modi slamming the inflated prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The tournament \u201cin the US is for game expansion & fan engagement, not a means to make profits on gate collections,\u201d he said on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although both countries are cricket powerhouses, head-to-head matches are rare between the nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two sides do not meet outside of official competitions of the ICC, the international cricket federation, and the last test match between them was in 2007.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are going to take revenge, we are going to beat them,\u201d said Roop Sajnani, an Indian native who manages a sari store.
The 85-year-old recalled how his Hindu family was forced to move from what is today Pakistan into India, in the exodus that preceded partition in 1947.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of the businesses and restaurants in Little India are run by Bangladeshis, many of whom lined up behind Pakistan, from which Bangladesh gained its independence in 1971.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet\u2019s say we just like to see India lose against all the teams,\u201d said Mostakim Shahed, a 20-year-old student from Bangladesh, with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you look at Asia, yes, India is the best team,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are the richest cricket team\u2026 they already have support. Whereas Pakistan, they don\u2019t really have support.\u201d
Sunday\u2019s meeting is crucial for Pakistan, which risks elimination in the first round after a surprising loss on Thursday to the United States, ranked 18th in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New York-based Pakistani journalist Wajahat S. Khan said he had \u201cnever been more excited or terrified about a cricket match at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe data doesn\u2019t lie. Pakistan is likely to lose. It\u2019s likely to be a bloodbath. But you can never write off Pakistan\u2019s cricket team. Never.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The US win over sixth-ranked Pakistan has boosted interest in cricket in the country, where the sport remains well outside the mainstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAll the news channels are talking about it, people are explaining, what is cricket. People are understanding, what is cricket,\u201d Shetty said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the tournament, which concludes at the end of June, the local cricket organizer hopes it brings \u201cbetter infrastructure\u201d for players in the New York area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They will not, however, benefit from the Long Island stadium, which will be dismantled in July, leaving local leagues to continue their quest for a dedicated arena.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New York (National Times) At the cultural crossroads of the world, New Yorkers will experience a thrilling first on Sunday \u2014 a World Cup cricket match hosted in a US city between Asian powerhouses: rivals India and Pakistan. \u201cIndia-Pakistan is the game everyone would like to watch, and\u2026 it\u2019s happening in our backyard,\u201d said Ajith […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":83491,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n