ENG vs NZ, World Cup 2023: Narendra Modi Stadium empty despite free tickets and food coupons to 40,000 women

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ENG vs NZ, World Cup 2023: Thousands of vacant seats were seen during the England vs New Zealand opener of the World Cup 2023 on Thursday, October 5.

The opening match of a global event like the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 usually witnesses a lot of fans turning up at the stadium, however, that was not the case in the first match between defending champions England and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Both sides are full of white-ball superstars. The likes of Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Trent Boult, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran and Devon Conway are part of the tournament opener which is also being considered as the re-match of the 2019 World Cup final by many.

Considering the craze for cricket in India, foreign commentators including Nasser Hussain expressed disbelief at the empty seats as England were asked to bat first by New Zealand stand-in captain Tom Latham. Even the foreign media houses took note and highlighted the lack of enthusiasm among fans.

Ravi Shastri, who was on commentary duty alongside them, opined that there were 40,000 people present but the massive size of the stadium was giving a feeling that there were not enough fans.

"This is such a massive stadium. You will feel it's empty, there would still be 30,000 to 35,000 people," he said.

However, he later agreed that hosts India should have featured in the first match to get the fans going and set the tone for the competition. During the mid-inning break, commentators and presenters suggested that more fans would turn up in the evening due to cooler weather conditions.

Reportedly, the tickets for the England versus New Zealand opener went unsold and the organisers offered free tickets to roughly 30,000 to 40,000 women from Ahmedabad along with free vouchers for tea and lunch.

“Around 30,000 to 40,000 women from Ahmedabad will be watching the game in the stadium tomorrow. Our volunteers have been asked to send the names and the tickets were handed to them today. These women will be reaching the stadium on their own and will be given tea and food coupons,” Lalit Wadhawan, the BJP vice-president of the Bodakdev neighborhood, was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.

Narendra Modi Stadium, the largest cricket stadium in the world, which has a capacity of 132,000. It was earlier reported that tickets for the England vs New Zealand match were sold out.

England were restricted to 282/9 in 50 overs after being asked to bat first. Joe Root top-scored for the defending champions with 77 off 86 balls.