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The Melbourne Cricket Ground's (MCG) designation as the host venue for the Pakistan-India clash in the T20 World Cup is an absolute treat for all cricket fans around the world. The ground's capacity of 100,000 is set to do the ultimate justice to the gravity of the occasion.
It is the largest cricket ground in the world outside Asia, and poses as an ideal venue to host India and Pakistan, who unfortunately do not play bilateral series against each other anymore.
The match between the two rivals was so immensely popular across tournament sales, that tickets sold out in a matter of minutes.
Due to diplomatic tensions, which show no signs of abating, Pakistan-India clashes are now solely reserved for ICC-organised events. The 2022 T20 World Cup, to be hosted by Australia later this year, will be the scene for its next installment.
Thirteen years ago, the Indian government halted all bilateral series across the region of 1.6 billion people.
Australian rules football has been the main catalyst in fast-tracking the mega-development of cricket stadiums in the country, rendering them akin to those in South Asia.
This is significantly different to other cricket-playing nations, namely England, South Africa, New Zealand and the West Indies, who all house smaller, boutique cricket grounds.
Better still, the ground's capacity is reflective of the enormous commercial interest in this match from the Australian community. People of Indian and Pakistani descent make up nearly 3% of Australia's population.
In the 2015 World Cup (hosted by Australia and New Zealand), the MCG played host to India's group stage game against South Africa, which drew in a crowd of 86,000 people.
India played Pakistan in the same tournament at the Adelaide Oval, where tickets to match sold out in just 12 minutes.
Both of those events offer a mouthwatering preview of what is to come on October 23 at the MCG.
This momentous occasion at the beloved MCG, will be one of the best events on the sporting calendar in 2022. It is sure to be yet another moment when the cricket world stops in excitement and anticipation, cajoled into wanting more.
India's second group stage match has also been sold out, despite not yet knowing their opponent.
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