As international cricket in Long Island, New York, comes to an end there will be considerable reflection of what was a staggering logistical achievement to build a 34,000-seater stadium from scratch to stage eight matches in the T20 World Cup.
A vast investment was at stake, not just to recoup the $35m spent building the Nassau County venue but to attract a new audience in the US. So much of this tournament doesn’t make obvious sense, but the notion that any of the 34,028 spectators at Sunday’s match between India and Pakistan were “new” supporters was high on the list.
The cheapest seats in the two vast stands on either side of the ground cost $350 but that wasn’t where the real money was to be made. Each end of the ground was given over to VIP suites and Premium Club suites holding about 2,000 people each. The cheap tickets there started at $3,000, with the elite ones selling for $10,000.
That’s right, $10,000 for a T20 match. FBI agents were among the five divisions of officers providing security for these very special guests who were also treated to the company of tournament ambassadors Yuvraj Singh, Wasim Akram, Chris Gayle and Ricky Ponting.
Most of the Premium Club tickets cost $5,000 and offered an endless supply of food (cheese burgers and samosas) and drinks. Except, most of it did run out.
There will never be a shortage of people willing to exploit wealthy Indians’ desire to be associated with their national cricket team, nor a shortage of wealthy Indians entirely happy to be exploited. Most of the Premium Club tickets cost $5,000 and offered an endless supply of food (cheese burgers and samosas) and drinks. Except, most of it did run out.
Though it was as much about the status and prestige of being there, and being seen there, the match on the field was so compelling by the final few overs that grumbles about the fridges only stocking bottled water and gallons of Coca-Cola were forgotten.
Several, however, will wake up in the next few days wondering what they have done, and why, and how they will pay off their credit cards. I know this because I spoke to at least a dozen of them on match day.
“It’s like a drug; you just have to have that ticket, no matter what it costs,” was the general theme of their comments. Would they do it again if, say, India and Pakistan played a series here? “I’d like to say ‘no’ but ...”
There are about 4.5-million American citizens with Asian heritage, or expats, which doesn’t sound much in a population of 340-million. But measured by financial worth it is evidently a weighty 4.5-million who can be used to germinate a greater, even more valuable interest in the American public. At least, that’s the plan.
It may work; it may not. The Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise competition is extremely popular among the world’s best players, many of whom have gone out of their way to talk it up during the first week of the World Cup. Australia’s Pat Cummins has just signed a four-year contract to play in the league, ostensibly because of “the opportunities San Francisco offers for my life after cricket”.
Half a dozen of SA’s World Cup squad will also be staying on in the US after the tournament to play in the MLC. Their affection for the tournament is not disconnected to the fact that its fees are second only to the IPL, though there is also the enjoyable novelty of playing a sport mostly unknown in the country and where superstar cricketers can go shopping or buy a burger and remain unrecognised.
On the field the Proteas avoided a potentially horrendous slip-up for the third consecutive World Cup match against the Netherlands courtesy of a patient, mature, unbeaten 59 from David Miller after the innings had crashed to 12/4 in pursuit of just 104 for victory.
At the time of writing they had just posted a total of 113/6 against Bangladesh, which might well be enough for victory and a confirmed place in the Super Eight round. Many doom-mongers have decried the drop-in pitches and recently laid outfield. Not a good “advertisement” for the new market, they say. The variable bounce and long, slow grass have, however, produced riveting contests.
India beat Pakistan by six runs in Sunday’s game though, and — I’m not making this up — one prominent New York newspaper ran a feature on many aspects of the match and concluded by stating that India had, in fact, beaten Pakistan by 119 to 113. Which sort of makes sense, actually.
Much of the tournament doesn’t, but it’s been a helluva ride on Long Island, which is what T20 cricket should be all about, right?
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