ENG vs NZ: Fans slam BCCI for empty stands in World Cup opener at Narendra Modi Stadium

The opening match of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023, featuring England and New Zealand, witnessed disappointingly empty stands at the Narendra Modi Stadium, renowned as the world's largest stadium with over 1,00,000 seats. The match is taking place at the colossal cricket arena in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, marking a rematch of the unforgettable 2019 World Cup final, where England emerged victorious via boundary count following a tied game.

3 things you need to know

• The ODI World Cup 2023 will be played from October 5 to November 19
• India will play their opening match against Australia on October 8
• The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad was opened in 2021

Also Read: ENG Vs NZ, ODI World Cup Live Scores And Updates

Fans slam BCCI for empty stands in World Cup opener

In response to the noticeable lack of spectators, cricket enthusiasts turned to the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) to express their dismay. Fans lashed out at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for its mismanagement of the marquee 50-over event. The BCCI is acting as the host board since the World Cup is being held in India. Earlier, the BCCI faced scrutiny for changing the official schedule multiple times and also for not conducting any opening ceremony. 

Almost all Non India matches will be played to empty stands. That's how it was in the 2011 WC and the 2016 WT20 as well. ENG are the only country that can provide a healthy crowd for neutral matches.

This 130k monstrosity holding the opener was always a recipe for disaster.

— TheTreeOfLife (@RedRiverCries) October 5, 2023

Sad to see empty stands in the World’s biggest cricket stadium..and these are not minnows playing….2019 World Cup finalists England vs New Zealand opening the 2023 edition. There was no opening ceremony either #CWC2023 #ENGvNZ pic.twitter.com/o8NKaioUrW

— Prem Mohanty 🏏⚽️ (@philipbkk) October 5, 2023

A World Cup ticket is not a walk-in purchase. People have to plan their day. When tickets were first made available on BMS (which was also last minute), you couldn’t buy a ticket even for non-India matches as everything showed sold out. Now we will have empty stands throughout. https://t.co/HL6JgKYeDm

— Whyte Knight (@whyteknight07) October 5, 2023

It wasn't just the fans who took notice of the sparsely occupied stands at the Narendra Modi Stadium during the World Cup opener. Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag also took to his social media platform to voice his concerns about the underwhelming attendance during the ongoing World Cup. He proposed the idea of offering complimentary tickets to school and college students for matches that don't feature the Indian cricket team.

Also Read: Cricket World Cup 2023: All The Records That Could Be Broken In 50-over Men's ICC Event

Hopefully after office hours, there should be more people coming in. But for games not featuring Bharat, there should be free tickets for school and college children. With the fading interest in 50 over game, it will definitely help that youngsters get to experience a World Cup…

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) October 5, 2023

Where’s the crowd !?🤔🤔

— Danielle Wyatt (@Danni_Wyatt) October 5, 2023

England vs New Zealand battle it out in World Cup opener

It's worth noting that New Zealand won the toss and elected to field first against the defending champions in the inaugural match of this grand event. Leading New Zealand in this contest was Tom Latham, with regular captain Kane Williamson and pace bowler Tim Southee sidelined due to injuries. Additionally, fast bowler Lockie Ferguson was unavailable due to a minor ailment.

Jos Buttler, the skipper for England, confirmed that Ben Stokes was unavailable due to a hip injury. Stokes had been selected as a specialist batter for the World Cup but was unable to bowl due to a longstanding knee issue. In the absence of Stokes, Harry Brook was included in the playing XI. Buttler mentioned that they would have chosen to bowl first had they won the toss.

Image: BCCI/Hotstar