Indian and Pakistan cricket fans snap up Edgbaston tickets in three hours

THE first allocation of tickets to see two of cricket’s biggest rivals – India and Pakistan – clash at Edgbaston in the ICC Champions Trophy sold out in just three hours.

The game is the first of the 15 matches in the tournament to have sold out its initial allocation of tickets. Edgbaston said additional tickets for the match may be released to the public nearer the event.
 
The bitter rivals clash on Saturday June 15 and the game is one of five matches being staged at the Birmingham stadium during the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.

Steve Elworthy, Tournament Director of the ICC Champions Trophy, said: “The Champions Trophy is one of the biggest tournaments in world cricket, and with India v Pakistan meeting in the group stage at Edgbaston, we’ve seen a huge demand for tickets in this first day of sales.”
 
Cricket fans have been advised against purchasing tickets through secondary resale websites. The Edgbaston authorities said tickets appearing on these sites had broken the terms and conditions of the ticket, and would be cancelled leading to people being refused entry to the ground with no refund.

The demand for tickets for other games in the competition is also proving high, especially for the clash between old rivals England and Australia. Other games at Edgbaston include Pakistan v South Africa, Australia v New Zealand, and the Final.

Colin Povey, Chief Executive of Edgbaston Stadium, said: “Edgbaston is delighted to play such an integral role in hosting these marquee fixtures of the ICC Champions Trophy and having sold out this match between India and Pakistan, we’re sure that local cricket fans will turn their attention to the Final of the tournament as well as the mouth-watering clash between England and Australia, in what will be the rivals first meeting of an exciting Ashes summer.
 
“One of the main objectives of our £32m redevelopment of the stadium was to ensure that we can provide world class facilities and secure the biggest fixtures in international cricket in Birmingham for many years to come.
 
“We’re very excited by this initial reaction from India and Pakistan fans, and look forward to welcoming all fans to Birmingham in 2013.”