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ICC T20 World Cup 2024: Crowd watch thread

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T20 World Cup 2024 attendance: How many fans are in stadiums?​


The 2024 T20 World Cup is being hosted across eight venues in the Caribbean and the United States of America, with ticket sales described as "well beyond" the tournament’s expectations.

Whether it’s the chance to watch T20 cricket in a carnival atmosphere in the Caribbean, or the novelty of seeing cricket played in the United States, ICC tournament director Fawwaz Baksh is on record saying that: "The response we’ve got is actually very, very exciting. Well beyond our expectations, actually."

Speaking in an interview with USA Today, he said, "Being a new market, you're not always sure what the response will be, but it was almost an easy job getting people in. They definitely want to see the magic."

It is good news for the ICC, after the ODI World Cup in India had numerous ticketing issues and low crowds plague the early stages of the competition.

The three venues in the United States are based in Nassau County, just outside of New York, Dallas and Miami.

In the Caribbean, all of Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Guyana are hosting matches.

All of England’s fixtures will take place in the Caribbean, with their four group stage matches split between Barbados and Antigua.

T20 World Cup 2024 attendance | How many fans are in stadiums? | Radio Times

Officials will hope cricket fever catches on in the USA.
www.radiotimes.com
 
Read some news that the USA v Canada in Dallas is not sold out and the capacity is just 7k!
 
About 7,000 seating capacity at Dallas for the first game and about 70% attendence. But fot the small turn out, the crowd is making a lot of noise...typical Americans loll
 
Looks like we got some Desi MAGA folks in the crowd today

aURdkFH.png
 
Quite a dead crowd so far in Guyana, let's see if it builds

IdPESEZ.png
 
jnaveen1980 said:
West Indies is the worst place to host ICC events. We had a lot of empty stadium for world T20, 2022 (except India matches). This is going to be even worse
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They have a few issues. WI's decline over the last 25 years has seriously dented the enthusiasm for cricket. Only a loyal core remain.

Another is that prior to the 2007 World Cup, they built several new grounds that are away from the city centres. For example, the Sir Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua and this ground in Guyana.

The old Antigua Recreation Ground and Bourda Ground (where famously pitch invasions abruptly ended 2 ODIs v PAK and AUS in the 90s) were closer to the heart of their respective capitals St Johns and Georgetown, and much more atmospheric as the old YouTube clips show.
 
Markhor said:
They have a few issues. WI's decline over the last 25 years has seriously dented the enthusiasm for cricket. Only a loyal core remain.

Another is that prior to the 2007 World Cup, they built several new grounds that are away from the city centres. For example, the Sir Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua and this ground in Guyana.

The old Antigua Recreation Ground and Bourda Ground (where famously pitch invasions abruptly ended 2 ODIs v PAK and AUS in the 90s) were closer to the heart of their respective capitals St Johns and Georgetown, and much more atmospheric as the old YouTube clips show.
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They are showing an aerial view, it seems like it’s not that far from the population.
 
cricketmania22 said:
They are showing an aerial view, it seems like it’s not that far from the population.
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Yeah if you really want to go, you'd make the effort.

But Bourda was closer to their city centre and shopping malls (Stabroek Market).

And their crowds were absolutely wild ! Those days are long gone unfortunately but perhaps a WI revival will help bring some of the support back.
 
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Guyana is the poorest country in the west indies. The average salary there is $200 us per month. Many are below this. (y)
 
cricketmania22 said:
Cricket cannot match other sports in popularity if the opening match of a home team would result in such a poor attendance. Shame!
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Well the foolish Caribbean Governments want to host games at ticket prices where the average man cannot afford. Hence the low turnouts for this "home" game. Many empty stadiums to follow. They are hoping Indians will come for the semifinals:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
Inswinging Yorker said:
Guyana is the poorest country in the west indies. The average salary there is $200 us per month. Many are below this. (y)
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That's true unfortunately. They're sitting on massive oil reserves though and are one of the fastest growing economies on earth so hopefully that wealth will filter down to the common man and not siphoned off by the elites.
 
Inswinging Yorker said:
Guyana is the poorest country in the west indies. The average salary there is $200 us per month. Many are below this. (y)
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Yeah but now with all the oil and gas depoits that have been discovered and recently exploited, i'm hopeful things will change for the better (if they manage it well)
 
Markhor said:
Yeah if you really want to go, you'd make the effort.

But Bourda was closer to their city centre and shopping malls (Stabroek Market).

And their crowds were absolutely wild ! Those days are long gone unfortunately but perhaps a WI revival will help bring some of the support back.
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Those were the golden days.

WI has won back to back T20 WCs but unfortunately nothing changed!
 
Inswinging Yorker said:
Well the foolish Caribbean Governments want to host games at ticket prices where the average man cannot afford. Hence the low turnouts for this "home" game. Many empty stadiums to follow. They are hoping Indians will come for the semifinals:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
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Didn’t we have the same issue in 2007 ODI WC as well? Nothing learnt from the past.
 
Markhor said:
That's true unfortunately. They're sitting on massive oil reserves though and are one of the fastest growing economies on earth so hopefully that wealth will filter down to the common man and not siphoned off by the elites.
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Right now exxon are stealing royalities, then the crooked politicans their freinds and family....Do you really think the common man will get any benefit? :ROFLMAO: :unsure:
 
cricketmania22 said:
Didn’t we have the same issue in 2007 ODI WC as well? Nothing learnt from the past.
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Correct I remember going to the matches then. it was $100 usd or $630 trinidad dollars. Then the exhorbitant fee they charged vendors made their prices unaffordable. example a pack of nuts which was sold for $1 tt was sold for $6tt , a regular soft drink which was $2 tt sold for $15. The only positive and happy moment was watching Sri Lanka beat India and knocking them out of the tournament and their fans crying and cursing. :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO: I could not help laughing.
 
Asad T said:
Yeah but now with all the oil and gas depoits that have been discovered and recently exploited, i'm hopeful things will change for the better (if they manage it well)
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The only people wo will benefit are the politicians friends, family and financiers(y):ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
Inswinging Yorker said:
Right now exxon are stealing royalities, then the crooked politicans their freinds and family....Do you really think the common man will get any benefit? :ROFLMAO: :unsure:
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Some Caribbean governments seem similar to their subcontinental counterparts in that regard unfortunately !

Are you local ? Do you think the Brisbane Test win and a decent run at the T20 World Cup will revive interest in cricket or is it too late to reverse the trend ?
 
Markhor said:
Some Caribbean governments seem similar to their subcontinental counterparts in that regard unfortunately !

Are you local ? Do you think the Brisbane Test win and a decent run at the T20 World Cup will revive interest in cricket or is it too late to reverse the trend ?
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That was a flash in the pan and Australia clearly underestimated west indies, They will remain at the bottom for a long time perhaps beating ony pakistan, srilanka and afghanistan in tests. :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:
 
WI losing will not help the crowd situation
 
Which genius thought the opening weekend will only include games like USA-Canada, PNG-WI, and Namibia-Oman?

What a brutal lineup of games to start a tourney.

At least one major game should have been scheduled between the top teams.
 
West Indian crowd is lively but in the USA small grounds with low attendance are making this World Cup really boring.
 
Disaster of a WC with no hype.

Should not have been held in USA and the Carribbean.

Tournament is not going to start until the next round when the minnows have been knocked out.
 
Aman said:
Disaster of a WC with no hype.

Should not have been held in USA and the Carribbean.

Tournament is not going to start until the next round when the minnows have been knocked out.
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Actually there is a lot oh hype amongst South Asian American population in the USA.
 
cricketmania22 said:
Actually there is a lot oh hype amongst South Asian American population in the USA.
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That means very little. We know Indians love cricket, this experiment would only be justified if it was amongst Americans so we don't see teams packed with Singh's and Patel's in future. And so far the Americans have showed very little interest.
 
Aman said:
That means very little. We know Indians love cricket, this experiment would only be justified if it was amongst Americans so we don't see teams packed with Singh's and Patel's in future. And so far the Americans have showed very little interest.
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What’s wrong with having a team full of Patels and Singhs? Indians are employed in all areas of life in the USA, and the IT industry is full of Indian Americans. There are over 6 million South Asians in the USA, enough to make a significant impact. Additionally, there are many Caribbean immigrants. More than 70% of NBA players and over 50% of NFL players are Black Americans, so there is nothing wrong with one ethnic group being well-represented in a sport.

Cricket is still in its infancy in the USA and cannot yet be compared to the popularity of these sports, but it has grown significantly in the last twenty years. While cricket doesn’t necessarily need players with names like John Smith or Will Smith on the American national cricket team, to become a truly popular sport, it would eventually need people like John Smith and Will Smith sitting on their couches, drinking beer, and watching cricket. For now, however, cricket is developing well in the USA.
 
'It's disgraceful and sad': ICC fumed at over empty stands in West Indies' T20 World Cup opener vs PNG at home

Lack of spectators and empty stands in Guyana for West Indies' T20 World Cup opener left fans on social media fuming as they lashed out at the ICC.

After the USA's impressive win against Canada in the 2024 T20 World Cup opener at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Saturday, co-hosts West Indies kicked off the Caribbean leg of the tournament on Sunday as they hosted Papua New Guinea at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. However, the lack of spectators and empty stands at the venue left fans on social media fuming as they lashed out at the ICC.

Despite a decent turnout at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, as New York hosted international cricket for the first time, albeit with India playing a warm-up game against Bangladesh, West Indies, the two-time champions of the T20 World Cup, were welcomed by a sparse crowd in Guyana.

Amid the low turnout at the venue, ICC was severely criticised, with fans on social media highlighting that the increased ticket price could be the reason behind home crowd showing less interest.

 
Aman said:
Disaster of a WC with no hype.

Should not have been held in USA and the Carribbean.

Tournament is not going to start until the next round when the minnows have been knocked out.
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From a cricketing perspective the matches have been pretty decent.

US v Canada was good. PNG did well against the Windies and Namb V Oman somehow resulted in a super over.

The sad fact is that cricket rarely gets bums on seats. A world cup football match between between two minnows in football still attracts some attention. In comparison cricket gets nothing.
 
Aman said:
Disaster of a WC with no hype.

Should not have been held in USA and the Carribbean.

Tournament is not going to start until the next round when the minnows have been knocked out.
Click to expand...
The matches have been excellent. Nothing wrong with the World Cup.
 
THE AVERAGE PERSON IN THE WEST iNDIES CANNOT AFFORD THOSE TICKETS. SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENED IN 2007.
ICC ALREADY GOT THEIR MONEY FROM THE CARIBBEAN GOVERNMENTS FOR HOSTING THE TOURNAMENT. sOME COUNTRIES STILL PAYING FOR THE LOANS THEY TOOK TO BUILD CRICKET STADIUMS FOR 2007 WORLD CUP. ☹️
 
cricketmania22 said:
What’s wrong with having a team full of Patels and Singhs? Indians are employed in all areas of life in the USA, and the IT industry is full of Indian Americans. There are over 6 million South Asians in the USA, enough to make a significant impact. Additionally, there are many Caribbean immigrants. More than 70% of NBA players and over 50% of NFL players are Black Americans, so there is nothing wrong with one ethnic group being well-represented in a sport.

Cricket is still in its infancy in the USA and cannot yet be compared to the popularity of these sports, but it has grown significantly in the last twenty years. While cricket doesn’t necessarily need players with names like John Smith or Will Smith on the American national cricket team, to become a truly popular sport, it would eventually need people like John Smith and Will Smith sitting on their couches, drinking beer, and watching cricket. For now, however, cricket is developing well in the USA.
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You see it for so many affiliates,, basically little interest in the sport in those countries only south eastern expats playing the sport which isn't a good look for the sport. CI posted a picture of all the players and country of birth for the USA vs Canada and it was packed with Indians and Pakistanis. May as well been a Z tier India vs Pakistan game,
 
Nikhil_cric said:
The matches have been excellent. Nothing wrong with the World Cup.
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Schedulihg is definitely bad. 3 days in and still no game between top teams. Way too many minnows are involved in this tournament. No one has heard of these players before nor do they care.
 
I found the commentary to be quite bland for WI-PNG game. There's no way you can hype up that game though.
 
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Aman said:
Schedulihg is definitely bad. 3 days in and still no game between top teams. Way too many minnows are involved in this tournament. No one has heard of these players before nor do they care.
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You simply can't please all cricket fans. People have issues with 10 team ODI World Cup and now have issues when they increase the number of teams. When England v NZ opened the last World Cup, they said the host nation should have started. With USA v Canada opened this time, now fans are crying that there are too many minnows.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
You simply can't please all cricket fans. People have issues with 10 team ODI World Cup and now have issues when they increase the number of teams. When England v NZ opened the last World Cup, they said the host nation should have started. With USA v Canada opened this time, now fans are crying that there are too many minnows.
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There has to be a balance, this is at the completely other spectrum.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
You simply can't please all cricket fans. People have issues with 10 team ODI World Cup and now have issues when they increase the number of teams. When England v NZ opened the last World Cup, they said the host nation should have started. With USA v Canada opened this time, now fans are crying that there are too many minnows.
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What is the issue with 10 team World Cup?

Imagine minnows in a 50-over game, which goes for over 6 hours.
 
Aman said:
There has to be a balance, this is at the completely other spectrum.
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The only question is whether the matches have been competititive or not and they have been. This platform is important to give exposure to smaller teams at this level . And they have acquitted themselves really well so far. I don't see what the issue is.
 
Energy said:
What is the issue with 10 team World Cup?

Imagine minnows in a 50-over game, which goes for over 6 hours.
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Minnows are fine in a 20 over tournament.

I like this format. It feels like a proper "world" cup, the same as it does for football.

Many of these minnows can throw up a surprise and play havoc with the group stages.
 
Aman said:
You see it for so many affiliates,, basically little interest in the sport in those countries only south eastern expats playing the sport which isn't a good look for the sport. CI posted a picture of all the players and country of birth for the USA vs Canada and it was packed with Indians and Pakistanis. May as well been a Z tier India vs Pakistan game,
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I'm still not sure why it's considered wrong. The US team looked competitive, and shouldn't that matter more than having white faces in the team? Diasporas have helped to grow cricket in the US. There are now many leagues started by diasporas, where you see some white players too. If cricket continues to grow, you'll eventually see more non-colored players. For now, there is nothing wrong with having only Indian or Pakistani Americans in the team.
 
Aman said:
You see it for so many affiliates,, basically little interest in the sport in those countries only south eastern expats playing the sport which isn't a good look for the sport. CI posted a picture of all the players and country of birth for the USA vs Canada and it was packed with Indians and Pakistanis. May as well been a Z tier India vs Pakistan game,
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NZ team too has at most one real islander. Trent is the only real newzealander iirc.

Aussies don't have any native player in their line-up. All off them are relatively recent immigrants or their children. :tb
 
cricketmania22 said:
I'm still not sure why it's considered wrong. The US team looked competitive, and shouldn't that matter more than having white faces in the team? Diasporas have helped to grow cricket in the US. There are now many leagues started by diasporas, where you see some white players too. If cricket continues to grow, you'll eventually see more non-colored players. For now, there is nothing wrong with having only Indian or Pakistani Americans in the team.
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We have age fudging and now we have nationality fudging :ROFLMAO: . This is not how you grow the game.
 
Flat_Track_Bully said:
We have age fudging and now we have nationality fudging :ROFLMAO: . This is not how you grow the game.
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So you’re saying white American one day would wake up and decide, “Hey let’s start playing cricket. No need to play baseball, basketball or Football anymore. Cricket is the way forward.” Somebody has to develop the game, Somebody has to create the infrastructure, somebody has to make a market for it and get the interest going and that somebody are diasporas. You think Nassau county built a 32,000 capacity stadium out of love? It’s a result of all the cricket development and advancement that have happened in past 20 years.
 
cricketmania22 said:
So you’re saying white American one day would wake up and decide, “Hey let’s start playing cricket. No need to play baseball, basketball or Football anymore. Cricket is the way forward.” Somebody has to develop the game, Somebody has to create the infrastructure, somebody has to make a market for it and get the interest going and that somebody are diasporas. You think Nassau county built a 32,000 capacity stadium out of love? It’s a result of all the cricket development and advancement that have happened in past 20 years.
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You start at the grassroots and get children interested at a young age. This is a long process.

You don't create an ubereats delivery driver 11 and slap on a USA badge on them :ROFLMAO:
 
Flat_Track_Bully said:
You start at the grassroots and get children interested at a young age. This is a long process.

You don't create an ubereats delivery driver 11 and slap on a USA badge on them :ROFLMAO:
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Andy why would children get interested? When there is no money, no fame, no sport scholarship? You need a foundation first and then build on it.
 
NY has a capacity of 35,000, and the stadium is probably at 50%
I expected Ny to do better

uxYCcpA.png
 
Flat_Track_Bully said:
We have age fudging and now we have nationality fudging :ROFLMAO: . This is not how you grow the game.
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You mean the ICC is trying to grow the game with this WC? That is a very big accusation. A false one at that.

Why are the games so early in the morning? Who are the new people that they are trying to draw towards the sport? You want to take this opportunity to grow the game, have all games prime time local. Then market it. See if people bite.
 
Where are the crowds in Guyana? I know there are two smaller teams playing, but still you'd think there would be a bigger turn-out

YvM8yJb.png
 
cricketmania22 said:
What’s wrong with having a team full of Patels and Singhs? Indians are employed in all areas of life in the USA, and the IT industry is full of Indian Americans. There are over 6 million South Asians in the USA, enough to make a significant impact. Additionally, there are many Caribbean immigrants. More than 70% of NBA players and over 50% of NFL players are Black Americans, so there is nothing wrong with one ethnic group being well-represented in a sport.

Cricket is still in its infancy in the USA and cannot yet be compared to the popularity of these sports, but it has grown significantly in the last twenty years. While cricket doesn’t necessarily need players with names like John Smith or Will Smith on the American national cricket team, to become a truly popular sport, it would eventually need people like John Smith and Will Smith sitting on their couches, drinking beer, and watching cricket. For now, however, cricket is developing well in the USA.
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I'm interested in the metrics you've used to claim that cricket has grown in the USA beyond catering to a small desi expat audience that has always existed. Is the game now being played in colleges? Are there cricket clubs in areas without large desi communities?

Most first-generation Caribbean Americans are not even aware that cricket exists, so that point is moot.

While the NBA and NFL are dominated by African Americans, the lower levels of football and basketball have plenty of white players, and the majority of the paying, viewing audience is white.

Growing cricket in the United States is a futile exercise. Baseball is dwindling in popularity due to its slow pace, and even a T20 cricket game takes longer to complete than a baseball game. Furthermore, cricket has never had, and likely never will have, an internationally marketable athlete on the level of Ronaldo or LeBron to entice the average American to watch a cricket game. Instead, the ICC should direct funds towards countries that already have established audiences, like Zimbabwe and Ireland.
 
Great turnout in Dallas for Nepal v Netherlands. It was pretty much all Nepalese fans but still it was great to see such a loud and passionate crowd even for a match between two associate nations.

Dallas has had a great atmosphere in both matches. But I don't expect big crowds in New York unless its India or Pakistan playing.
 
How can anyone not want expansion of this sport ? Look at the passion of Nepali passions when Levitt was caught .
 
Chip32 said:
I'm interested in the metrics you've used to claim that cricket has grown in the USA beyond catering to a small desi expat audience that has always existed. Is the game now being played in colleges? Are there cricket clubs in areas without large desi communities?

Most first-generation Caribbean Americans are not even aware that cricket exists, so that point is moot.

While the NBA and NFL are dominated by African Americans, the lower levels of football and basketball have plenty of white players, and the majority of the paying, viewing audience is white.

Growing cricket in the United States is a futile exercise. Baseball is dwindling in popularity due to its slow pace, and even a T20 cricket game takes longer to complete than a baseball game. Furthermore, cricket has never had, and likely never will have, an internationally marketable athlete on the level of Ronaldo or LeBron to entice the average American to watch a cricket game. Instead, the ICC should direct funds towards countries that already have established audiences, like Zimbabwe and Ireland.
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NYC schools have their own league, comprising 30 schools, that holds an annual tournament. Additionally, UCYSA has introduced cricket to over 2,500 schools, providing them with basic training, cricket sets, and other equipment. I read that hundreds of schools have integrated cricket into their physics education programs. Over 90 colleges and universities have cricket teams, with an annual inter-college tournament held in Florida. The National Youth Cricket League organizes U10, U12, U14, and U16 matches across the USA. Moreover, numerous other youth leagues operate in various tournaments.

I believe so much needs to be done but a lot has been accomplished, and to say otherwise is an understatement. Most of these initiatives have been funded by private individuals and resources, not ICC money. All of the things I mentioned above and there is much more which can be mentioned amplifies significant grass root development of cricket in the USA.
 
Fans will come good. Wait for india Pakistan game andcwe will see what crowd is.
 
Markhor said:
They have a few issues. WI's decline over the last 25 years has seriously dented the enthusiasm for cricket. Only a loyal core remain.

Another is that prior to the 2007 World Cup, they built several new grounds that are away from the city centres. For example, the Sir Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua and this ground in Guyana.

The old Antigua Recreation Ground and Bourda Ground (where famously pitch invasions abruptly ended 2 ODIs v PAK and AUS in the 90s) were closer to the heart of their respective capitals St Johns and Georgetown, and much more atmospheric as the old YouTube clips show.
Click to expand...
Crowds are pretty good in the CPL.
 
Not a great crowd today, i thought it would be a full house. Have they closed the straight stands?

B2DqzXv.png
 
Good turnout of pak fans in Dallas. A lot of us in Texas

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ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Fan Park in New York

It’s incredible to witness the love and passion India & Pakistan supporters have for their teams


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India-Pakistan Cricket World Cup Match Brings 34,000 Fans to Long Island​


Normally at this time of year, the grassy southeastern corner of Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, N.Y., is a place for softball games, family picnics and a few cricket players enjoying a warm weekend afternoon. On Sunday, that space was transformed into a stage for one of the most-watched global sporting events of the year.

More than 34,000 fans and cricket dignitaries squeezed into a temporary stadium built in the last three months in the Long Island park to watch the most anticipated match of the T20 Cricket World Cup: India versus Pakistan.

For about three hours, fans in blue and orange India shirts mingled with their (vastly outnumbered) rivals in the dark green of Pakistan, producing a festive and vibrant atmosphere.

They roared at every big play, shouting and waving signs and flags. They ate South Asian food sold at the concession stands, jumped, chanted, high-fived with fellow supporters and — after a bit of rain — soaked up the sunshine on a historic day at the usually quiet park.

“It was electric,” said Chandu Talla, an India fan and entrepreneur from Tampa, Fla., who came to the match with his son Aryan, a high school junior. “We paid $2,500 per ticket and no regrets,” he added. “It was a dream come true to see India here.”

After a slow start, India came back strong to win, 119-113, and when Pakistan’s Naseem Shah hit the last ball from India bowler Arshdeep Singh, the India fans erupted in cheers.

“It was pretty good,” said India bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who was named the player of the match. “Always, when India and Pakistan play, a lot of emotion does come in. It did feel like we had a lot of support.”

People in the New York area may have been mostly oblivious to it, but any match between India and Pakistan, two of the greatest cricketing nations, is a monumental event, at least in South Asia and other cricket-loving parts of the world. The previous time the teams played, last fall, viewership reached 398 million in India alone, according to the International Cricket Council. (This year’s Super Bowl had 123 million viewers.)

Sunday’s attendance (34,028) constituted the largest at an international cricket match in the United States, according to the I.C.C. Attendees included such cricketing legends as Yuvraj Singh of India, Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and Australia’s Ricky Ponting.

For Omar Minaya, the Yankees’ special adviser and the former general manager of the Mets, the cricket match was his first.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “The atmosphere is great. It’s like the World Baseball Classic, or the Dominican Baseball League.”

The T20 World Cup, held every two years, is a 20-nation tournament featuring a shorter form of cricket. This year, for the first time, the event is being held in the United States and several Caribbean nations where cricket is revered. The U.S. matches are also being held in Dallas and Lauderhill, Fla., but New York was designated for the marquee matchup.

Cricket is part of the cultural fabric in both India and Pakistan, but political tensions over the decades have forced the countries to play each other in other places.

“Oh, it’s contentious, a real battle of sentiments,” said Narinder Kapoor, 84, a retired U.S. Treasury Department agent, originally from New Delhi. “When these countries play, it’s a real hot potato.”

A former amateur cricket player who emigrated to Syosset, N.Y., in 1972, Mr. Kapoor had not seen a cricket match live since 1974, although he watches the sport constantly on TV. He went to the game between Ireland and Canada on Friday and had hoped to attend Sunday’s big encounter, but his knees were ailing him, so he stayed home, according to his son, Sandeep Kapoor. The elder Mr. Kapoor said that he enjoyed the sparsely attended match on Friday, but added that the temporary stadium did not have enough accommodations for people with disabilities and that it was difficult for older people to ascend the steps.

“But once you are inside, the field and the view is excellent,” he said. “World class.”

Security was tight for the match, especially after a website purportedly affiliated with the terrorist organization ISIS called for attacks on the event. Mounted police, SWAT units, sniffer dogs, helicopters and large numbers of police officers swarmed the area, and long lines formed at entrances as people went through security scanners. Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, said that the I.C.C. had defrayed some of the cost of the security, which he said included local, state and federal agencies, including the F.B.I.

“I want to commend the fans,” Mr. Blakeman said, adding, “Everybody has been so polite and respectful, and they followed instructions so they could be safe and healthy.”

There was at least one exception. An airplane trailing a sign that said “Release Imran Khan” breached restricted airspace over the stadium before the match. (Mr. Khan, a former Pakistani cricket star and former prime minister of Pakistan, is serving a prison sentence there.) Mr. Blakeman said the plane was eventually intercepted.

The mood at the park was generally upbeat, even for Pakistan fans on the losing end.

“India-Pakistan is a very big deal,” said Temu Martin, an airfreight transport official from New Jersey and a Pakistan supporter. “But it’s not war. It’s a game.”

He said that after Pakistan lost to the United States last week in a major upset in Dallas, ticket prices for Sunday’s match in East Meadow plummeted from over $2,000 to $600. He said he was planning to travel to Barbados for Pakistan’s next match and then to attend a knockout-stage match in Antigua.

There are three more matches scheduled in New York, with the final one on Wednesday between India and the United States. The stadium will then be dismantled and the pieces sent out to other sporting events around the country. Mr. Blakeman predicted that Nassau County would make $150 million on the eight New York games of the tournament — 10 times what the county spent on infrastructure, planning and security, he said. Cricket officials had told him that there could be as many as 600 million viewers worldwide for Sunday’s match, he added.

He said that he had heard from investors who want to bring the sport, perhaps with New York’s franchise in Major League Cricket, to Nassau County.

“The way things have gone here these last couple of weeks, I think cricket has found a home,” Mr. Blakeman said.

www.nytimes.com

India-Pakistan Cricket World Cup Match Brings 34,000 Fans to Long Island

Security was tight, but the mood was jubilant in the temporary stadium in Nassau County, where India won a highly anticipated nail-biter.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
 
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