• ‘Electric’ atmosphere anticipated at Old Trafford on Sunday
• Some 800,000 fans applied for 26,000-capacity match
It is a match that – on the surface at least – is just one of 48 at this rain-splattered Cricket World Cup. But when India and Pakistan face off in Manchester on Sunday the sporting contest will be magnified and warped by so much else: the 70-plus years of shared history and antipathy between the two countries, the recent political tensions in Kashmir, and the stultifying pressure that comes when several hundred million eyeballs are watching on.
Few sporting contests carry as much baggage – or interest. Organisers are hoping that close to a billion people will be watching, with a Cricket World Cup source telling the Guardian that it will have “the biggest reach of any cricket match in history when you take into account people viewing it on digital”.
Written by Sean Ingle Chief sports reporter
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jun/14/india-pakistan-cricket-rivalry-world-cup-old-trafford under the title “Not just cricket: India and Pakistan prepare to renew rivalry at World Cup”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
