New Delhi: Poor turnout marked the beginning of the Champions Trophy in Karachi as hosts Pakistan took on New Zealand on Wednesday, leaving for England skipper Michael Vaughan to wonder if proper efforts were made to fill the stands at the National Stadium.
Pakistan is hosting a major global cricketing event for the first time in 29 years but as they went in to bat after New Zealand won the toss and opted to chase, only a sparse crowd greeted the home team’s batters.
Pakistan Cricket Board has spent millions of dollars to refurbish stadiums at Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi, the three venues where a section of the group stage matches would be held.
But those efforts haven’t quite warmed up the fans to embrace the home team. When national anthems of both teams were played, empty stands proved a sore sight and Vaughan expressed his surprise at it.
Great to see the champions trophy being played in Pakistan .. First major event since 1996 .. Have they forgotten to tell the locals it’s on .. Where is the crowd ?? #ChampionsTrophy2025
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) February 19, 2025
“Great to see the Champions Trophy being played in Pakistan .. First major event since 1996 .. Have they forgotten to tell the locals it’s on .. Where is the crowd?? #ChampionsTrophy2025,” he wrote on his X handle.
Vaughan’s comment sparked sparked discussions about possible reasons for the lack of spectators, with poor marketing and a general disinterest from the local people.
Root the main man for England
Speaking about England’s chances in the top-bracket event, Vaughan picked Joe Root as the key player for then, emphasizing on his overall impact on their batting line-up.
He identified Root as the glue that sticks the batting together, particularly in spin-friendly conditions of Dubai and Pakistan.
“The key player for England uh across 50 overs is Joe root. Joe Root’s got to be that glue that one player that the rest can kind of bat around and if he can get two 300s within that this space of a few weeks in Pakistan Dubai England will be very very competitive,” Vaughan told Cricbuzz.
Pakistan are hosting a major global cricketing event for the first time in 29 years but as they went in to bat after New Zealand won the toss and opted to chase in Karachi, only a sparse crowd greeted their batters. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
