New Delhi, Nov 21 (EFE).- More than 1.25 million spectators visited Indian stadiums to watch the Cricket World Cup matches, surpassing all previous records, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Tuesday.
Australia claimed their record sixth title in the tournament, beating hosts India in Sunday’s final in front of a sea of cricket fans, who were silenced by a six-wicket defeat at Narendra Modi Stadium in the western city of Ahmedabad.
The ground also saw record attendance for any World Cup opener when England faced New Zealand in a repeat of the 2019 final on Oct. 5, according to the global cricket oversight body ICC.
“Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 has made history by being the most attended ICC event ever, after 1,250,307 fans passed through the turnstiles to witness the biggest Cricket World Cup,” the ICC said in a statement.
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2015, held in Australia and New Zealand, witnessed a little over 1 million spectators, while the 2019 edition in England and Wales saw 752,000 fans come through the turnstiles, it said.
Despite semi-empty states in some matches, the record for in-person spectators was surpassed in India, a country of 1.4 billion residents where cricket is the top sport and some cricketers are worshipped like demigods.
The match involving India and Pakistan on Oct. 14 was the most attended World Cup match between two South Asian rivals at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad, according to the ICC.
Thousands of cricket fans wearing India’s blue shirts also attended Sunday’s final against Australia at the same ground to leave dejected after the home side lost, missing out on its third World Cup title.
Beyond the spectators present in the stadiums, those who followed the matches from their screens also broke records, with 59 million people watching the final between Australia and India alone on the Disney+Hotstar platform. EFE
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