Dharamsala stadium hosts first ICC World Cup match
Lalit Mohan
Dharamsala, October 7
The ICC World Cup match between Bangladesh and Afghanistan today became the first international cricketing event to be organised at the Dharamsala international cricket stadium.
Around 300 fans of the Bangladesh team arrived in Dharamsala today. The match, however, failed to attract a large number of spectators. Even the free passes for local students failed to draw crowds to the venue.
Spectator rush missing
- The match failed to attract a large number of spectators
- Even free passes for students failed to draw crowds
- The roads in Dharamsala, which generally face traffic jams during IPL matches, did not have much traffic on Saturday
- Hoteliers also reported only about 30 per cent occupancy
The roads in Dharamsala, which generally face traffic jams during IPL matches, did not have much traffic today. The hoteliers in the region reported only about 30 per cent occupancy.
Meanwhile, English company Batfast increased the excitement for the World Cup matches by installing a virtual cricket pitch here. IPL Chairman Arun Kumar Dhumal said it was for the first time that such a state-of-the-art facility had been made available in the country.
He said, “This simulator-powered cricket pitch allows you to enjoy hitting fours and sixes on the balls of the world’s best bowlers digitally. The initiative aims at helping cricket lovers learn nuances of the game, besides increasing their engagement during the matches. The simulator recreates some of the greatest balls in the World Cup history.”
Batfast manager Mihika Barua said children were very excited about the digital initiative. The excitement for the India-New Zealand was high because of the simulator, she claimed.
