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[PICTURES] Will spectators attend the ICC Champions Trophy 2025?

Asad T

Asad T

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This will be Pakistan's first ICC event since the 1996 Cricket World Cup, and we are the defending champions of this particular trophy, but will it attract spectators?

  • The event will be held from 19 February to 9 March, so the weather will be good and conducive to attracting people.
  • Some stadiums are being renovated, so perhaps the spectator experience will be better.
But...

  • It's a 50-over format: A format that is no longer as fun to watch live.
  • Our team sucks, which doesn't encourage spectators. If Pakistan gets knocked out in the group stages, I can't imagine Pakistanis attending other games.
  • In most games around the world, there are plenty of Indian fans. There won't be any Indians coming to Pakistan for this.
  • I can't imagine many foreign fans visiting Pakistan for this, except perhaps a few from the Barmy Army. So when there are neutral games, forget about the crowd.
  • I also can't imagine the PCB doing a good job with the renovations, to be honest. I expect they won't even be able to complete the work in time.
What do you guys think? I think this could look embarrassing for us.

UPrgP7J.png
 
It will be like the recent T20 world cup where we saw brilliant crowds for NY and Dallas but empty stands for the WI leg.

In the same way for the CT, UAE games will be jam packed for the Indian games and the Pakistan leg will be a sorry sight especially for non-Pak games.
 
I can guarantee that it will be a jam-packed event in Rawalpindi and Lahore for sure. The crowd there like limited over cricket.
 
BouncerGuy said:
I can guarantee that it will be a jam-packed event in Rawalpindi and Lahore for sure. The crowd there like limited over cricket.
Click to expand...

I would agree hands-down if it was T20.

But do you think they will come for ODI's? And for non-Pakistan games?
 
ODI is still quite popular among many cricket fans. I expect big crowds to arrive for Pakistani games at least.
 
Odi is my favourite format by far. Not a huge fan of t20. I'm a fan of test though. But nothing beats odi.

However when it comes to CT, just jost the whole damn thing in UAE.

Pakistani stadiums are in zero condition to host a tournament and India ain't coming anyway so you'll have to make it hybrid lol, so just move it to the UAE.

Pakistan is acting like they'll defend CT. The team is getting knocked out in group stage even though ICC has done everything by giving Pakistan Bangladesh and NZ
 
Yes people will come. Many overseas will attend to, Barmy Army also wants to set up a tour, which is why schedule needs to be confirmed soon.

Cricket administrators always put spectators last.
 
Asad T said:
I would agree hands-down if it was T20.

But do you think they will come for ODI's? And for non-Pakistan games?
Click to expand...
People just need to look at recent Asia Cup matches in Pakistan. That's the best sample to compare with
 
mominsaigol said:
Odi is my favourite format by far. Not a huge fan of t20. I'm a fan of test though. But nothing beats odi.

However when it comes to CT, just jost the whole damn thing in UAE.

Pakistani stadiums are in zero condition to host a tournament and India ain't coming anyway so you'll have to make it hybrid lol, so just move it to the UAE.

Pakistan is acting like they'll defend CT. The team is getting knocked out in group stage even though ICC has done everything by giving Pakistan Bangladesh and NZ
Click to expand...
Pakistan should definitely beat Bangladesh, Nz are their perennial bunnies in ICC tourneys so Pak is favourite there, there should be one more team, which one is that?
 
jeeteshssaxena said:
Pakistan should definitely beat Bangladesh, Nz are their perennial bunnies in ICC tourneys so Pak is favourite there, there should be one more team, which one is that?
Click to expand...
India, Bangladesh, NZ and Pakistan are one group, the rest are in the other
 
jeeteshssaxena said:
India, Pakistan are favourites from this group for sure. Pak beat Nz in last wc too.
Click to expand...
Because of Fakhar Zaman's once in a generational performance.

Against C team NZ pakistan Tied lol, even though NZ was so bad, Afghanistan marked their A side.

And the c team odi series which pakistan won 4-1 excludes the fact that Fakhar performed in 2 games with match winning performances especially his 180 against NZ in the 2nd odi. Pakistan would have lost both games without Fakhar and the overall result would have been 3-2 NZ to Pakistan and this was their C team.

To top it off pakistan did not face full strength NZ, their bowlers got injured and the likes of Satner got replaced with sodhi who fakhar really loves to exploit.

Pakistan vs full strength New Zealand is really Fakhar zaman vs NZ lol. Heck even in 2023 Jan, Pakistan lost 3-2 to NZ in odi when they played their full strength team.

They also lost to full strength NZ in January in t20?


Pakistan vs Full strength NZ is just Fakhar vs NZ, when we played their full strength side they've beaten us in odi's easily and even their C team has kept the competiton tight.
 
Yes, if it's conducted in Pakistan, I'm sure Lahore and Rawalpindi will light up the tournament.
 
mominsaigol said:
Because of Fakhar Zaman's once in a generational performance.

Against C team NZ pakistan Tied lol, even though NZ was so bad, Afghanistan marked their A side.

And the c team odi series which pakistan won 4-1 excludes the fact that Fakhar performed in 2 games with match winning performances especially his 180 against NZ in the 2nd odi. Pakistan would have lost both games without Fakhar and the overall result would have been 3-2 NZ to Pakistan and this was their C team.

To top it off pakistan did not face full strength NZ, their bowlers got injured and the likes of Satner got replaced with sodhi who fakhar really loves to exploit.

Pakistan vs full strength New Zealand is really Fakhar zaman vs NZ lol. Heck even in 2023 Jan, Pakistan lost 3-2 to NZ in odi when they played their full strength team.

They also lost to full strength NZ in January in t20?


Pakistan vs Full strength NZ is just Fakhar vs NZ, when we played their full strength side they've beaten us in odi's easily and even their C team has kept the competiton tight.
Click to expand...

We all know if it wasnt for rain eventually Fakhar would have holed out and rest of PCT batting wouldnt even have chased 6 rpo let alone 8 rpo
 
pratiktc said:
We all know if it wasnt for rain eventually Fakhar would have holed out and rest of PCT batting wouldnt even have chased 6 rpo let alone 8 rpo
Click to expand...
That doesn't matter, you're going on hypothetical on what ifs.

Be 100% honest with me can anyone in pakistan

- Win ct especially by scoring 114 against India with the likes of Bumrah in the unit

- Get 193 against sa in a losing cause batting with tail enders

- Score a double 100 for pakistan

- Score back to back 100's including a 180 against NZ

- Go bang bang against NZ

- Smack 91 of 46 against australia with all their ace guns like stark, zampa, Hazelwood bowling?

Even if fakhar got out like you're proclaiming ,how is pakistan losing his fault?

When you have such a talented batter in your ranks you try your absolute hardest to make him more consistent so that he can keep producing such knocks more consistently.

You don't Shove him at 4, remove him from tests and also boot him out for multiple games for Abdullah shafiq and Imam ul haq of all people.
 
FearlessRoar said:
Yes, if it's conducted in Pakistan, I'm sure Lahore and Rawalpindi will light up the tournament.
Click to expand...
but for Karachi chances are 50/50.... management needs to ensure that all the matches are scheduled on weekends if they want public to turn up and watch the game.
 
Only plus point spectators should come for CT is that it will not be too heavy on their pockets given how much devaluation our currency has faced, may be they can dovetail it with visits to Northern Areas etc otherwise on field experience has nothing to offer knowing the state of our stadiums
 
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is commencing on February 19 in Karachi. But the renovation ceremony of it was marked by overwhelming crowds that breached security, including the VIP entrance, causing disarray at the National Bank Stadium. Thousands of fans flocked to the venue, creating excitement and mayhem. Despite security checkpoints, the sheer number of spectators made control difficult, leading to VIP lanes being flooded by the general crowd.

To ensure better management, the PCB and local authorities have announced they would increase security measures for the remainder of the tournament.

The tournament will be broadcast in over 80 territories, with fans able to watch on TV, digital platforms, and radio. In Pakistan, PTV and Ten Sports will provide television coverage, while Myco and Tamasha will offer digital streaming.

And the main thing that remains to be seen are which venues could turn up more houseful crowds: Pakistan ones or UAE
 
Time has come for the opening game of the ICC Champions Trophy. Crowd is building atm

AZ3aPK5.png
 
Dull atmosphere at the moment but crowd is buliding as match progress at the evening.

:kp
 
Dubai is soulless & even India cannot fill this stadium & if they can't, no one can.

An Ind vs. Pak, or a very high context game is the only one that should be played in this stadium.
 
Karachi has been more like this

Wait for Lahore and Rawalpindi they will be much better

Then make a conclusion
 
Aang_The_last_airbender said:
So far the crowd has been abysmally low, If someone can get actual numbers. It would be nice
Click to expand...
In which match?
Pakistan - Nzland match was 95% full, if not house full.
India - Bangladesh match in Dubai was 20% full, not our problem or headache. Its your guys problem.
Afghanistan - South Africa, 60% full, as expected.

I have seen completely empty stadiums in India during WC 2023, there was a lot of noise on that.
 
Karachi shouldn't host games with the crowds that they get. I would much prefer Multan, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi as alternatives.
 
BouncerGuy said:
Crowd as expected for a non-Pakistan game...


qea6TRe.png
Click to expand...

They should just open up free seating for school students and reach out to nearby few schools to arrange day off for match visit.

At very least kids will enjoy outing and maybe it will be memorable experience for them
 
During WC 2023 Hyderabad hosted all neutral non India matches.

The local cricket association (HCA) is an equally corrupt and useless body same like PCB, but among rare good thing they did is reached out to various coaching centres and some of the schools with free tickets so that these centres/schools could arrange a match trip for students.

I believe only some 700-800 such tickets were given out which is drop in ocean. I wish the number was more like 15-20% of all available seats.

We know generally neutral matches won't attract crowd in most places. So why not atleast use them to make a fun experience for young audience.
 
“Oh, look at the empty seats, Pakistan is a terrible place to host a major event”.

You can’t blame PCB or Pakistan for the empty seats when ICC only just released the tickets a couple of weeks ago.

How many fans from South Africa, Australia, England, New Zealand and Bangladesh do you expect to travel to Pakistan with 2-3 weeks left for the tournament to start and you have no visa, no hotel bookings, no work leave etc.
 
Just 3 matches in and people are jumping to conclusions already. A lot of self made thekedars of ODI cricket who are so worried about the game.
 
AamchiMumbaikar said:
Odi is a dying format. Those crowds are expected.
Click to expand...

It has nothing to do with ODI. Attendance in Pakistan is always low due to the horrible fan experience and the dying nature of Pakistan cricket. Even psl and Pakistan matches witness this horrible low attendance rates.
 
Every game has been one sided and boring.

Most exciting thing yet is NZ fielding.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
“Oh, look at the empty seats, Pakistan is a terrible place to host a major event”.

You can’t blame PCB or Pakistan for the empty seats when ICC only just released the tickets a couple of weeks ago.

How many fans from South Africa, Australia, England, New Zealand and Bangladesh do you expect to travel to Pakistan with 2-3 weeks left for the tournament to start and you have no visa, no hotel bookings, no work leave etc.
Click to expand...
So now the blame is on ICC and not the host. How come the same scheduling issues were blamed on BCCI for WC23?
 
Itachi said:
The stadium looks small and not in the calibre of international stadiums to be honest.
Click to expand...

Bhai on one hand our people are crying about lack of attendance and on the other hand we are saying the ground is small and needs to be double triple decker.

We need to settle for something called common sense. Pakistan doesn’t need mega stadiums right now. They need home cricket, they need a winning team, they need peace stability and a growing economy. All this will come.

Every country has its own journey like we all have in real life.
 
AamchiMumbaikar said:
Odi is a dying format. Those crowds are expected.
Click to expand...
ODI format sucks. You can predict the outcome at the halfway stage, or after the first PP of the chasing team, more often than not. Rarely do we see an ODI still in the balance after 80-90 overs.

It was painful watching the first three matches of this tournament dawdling to its inevitable conclusion, much like many matches at the last World Cup.

The lack of shock results is another issue. Even in Tests we've seen surprises. I can hardly recount any shock ODI results in recent times.
 
The crowd is ok
One must understand Pakistani cities are not over populated like indian cities where you can expect full houses.
Also Pakistani crowd have to go through extra securities.

At best Pakistan should look to build stadiums with maximum 20k capacity.
 
Bhaijaan said:
Bhai on one hand our people are crying about lack of attendance and on the other hand we are saying the ground is small and needs to be double triple decker.

We need to settle for something called common sense. Pakistan doesn’t need mega stadiums right now. They need home cricket, they need a winning team, they need peace stability and a growing economy. All this will come.

Every country has its own journey like we all have in real life.
Click to expand...
I don't see lack of attendance. It's pretty much ok for Pakistan. But stadiums are just boring and seems like from the 80s
 
rpant_gabba said:
So now the blame is on ICC and not the host. How come the same scheduling issues were blamed on BCCI for WC23?
Click to expand...

Blame the host for what?

The same scheduling issues? Tickets for the World Cup were released on 25 August, the first game of the WC was over a month away. Only the Indian games had tickets being sold in different phases.

The tickets for the Champions Trophy were released on 4th February, just 2 weeks from the start of the tournament. Before the release of tickets, there were reports of the tournament being moved away from Pakistan, that could’ve been another factor in people not looking to travel to Pakistan for the event.

You need to come back with a better argument.
 
Markhor said:
ODI format sucks. You can predict the outcome at the halfway stage, or after the first PP of the chasing team, more often than not. Rarely do we see an ODI still in the balance after 80-90 overs.

It was painful watching the first three matches of this tournament dawdling to its inevitable conclusion, much like many matches at the last World Cup.

The lack of shock results is another issue. Even in Tests we've seen surprises. I can hardly recount any shock ODI results in recent times.
Click to expand...
Huh? Afghanistan beating England and Pakistan in the last World Cup

Netherlands beating South Africa and BD. SL beating England
 
Don't expect a big turnout for New Zealand v Bangladesh in Rawalpindi and England v Afghanistan in Lahore.

England v South Africa will be okay. Last match in Karachi so maybe fans will turn up.

Australia v South Africa, Pakistan v Bangladesh and Australia v Afghanistan will be sell-outs. As will the semi-final.
 
Since the 2019 World Cup, a score of 350 + in the first innings has been chased down only once in a full game without DLS.

PAK vs RSA in the tri series 2 weeks back.
 
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