It does not get any bigger than India-Pak World Cup semi-final: Roebuck
March 29th, 2011 - 4:16 pm ICT by ANI
Sydney, Mar 29(ANI): India against Pakistan- as far as sport is concerned, it does not get any bigger, noted cricket columnist Peter Roebuck has said.
Roebuck is referring to the Indo-Pak World Cup semi-final at Mohali’s Punjab Cricket Association Stadium on Wednesday.
“Bigger than Ben Hur. Of course it’s a cliché, but it fits the bill. All sorts of bigwigs are attending, more than can be found in Dame Edna’s closet. The governors of Goa, Nagaland, Pondicherry, Manipur and Pakistan Punjab have asked for tickets. The Gandhis are coming. Socialites, film stars and models are coming. Heck, the Pakistani Prime Minister has accepted an invitation sent by his counterpart to join him at the match,” Roebuck said in his syndicated column for the Sydney Morning Herald.
“One official said, ‘People I have not heard from for years have somehow managed to get my number and are asking for tickets. My phone has been going haywire’. Black-market prices have sky-rocketed. Tickets costing 100 rupees are worth 10,000. Fake tickets are flooding the market. Certainly it’s a mouth-watering prospect,” he added.
Roebuck further said that Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s invitation to Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is undoubtedly symbolic, but it’s also significant, as the two leaders will be meeting for the first time since the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008. (ANI)
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