The highly anticipated T20 Women’s World Cup match between India and Pakistan, which saw the former triumph convincingly by six wickets, may not have delivered an enthralling contest, but it did set a new record for the highest attendance in a group stage match of the global event at Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
Sixteen thousand fans braved the intense heat on Sunday afternoon to cheer for their teams, marking a significant milestone for women’s cricket. Initially, the 2024 edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup was planned to take place in Bangladesh. However, due to political unrest in the South Asian nation, the International Cricket Council (ICC) relocated the tournament to the UAE.
Although the tournament commenced on Thursday in Sharjah, all eyes were focused on the marquee match between India and Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday. The fans’ enthusiastic response, with large numbers filling the 25,000-capacity Dubai International Stadium, made it a memorable event. The state-of-the-art stadium celebrated its 100th T20 international match in grand style.
Subhan Ahmad, Chief Operating Officer of the Emirates Cricket Board, expressed his delight with the crowd turnout on Sunday. “It’s extremely encouraging, especially considering the short time we had to prepare and to see this crowd,” Ahmad told the Khaleej Times. “Having close to 20,000 people (16,000) attend this match is truly encouraging. It demonstrates how much people in the UAE support cricket and their teams.”
Ahmad, who previously served as COO of the Pakistan Cricket Board, hoped that Sunday’s record attendance would inspire more cricket-loving expatriates to visit the grounds in Dubai and Sharjah to support their teams in the ongoing World Cup. “This has generated interest for the rest of the tournament. People will now be aware that there are competitive matches and quality cricket being played. It will attract more people to the stadiums, which is exactly what we aim for,” he said.
“So, the appeal is to come and support your respective teams and cricket in general. If the highest form of cricket is played in packed stadiums, it builds the atmosphere, and the UAE has always been very accommodating. This country has hosted some of the best cricket tournaments in history, so we hope more people will come out and support the teams and cricket overall.”
