It might be the biggest rivalry of all time: India vs. Pakistan. And this has nothing to do with politics; it’s all about cricket. The two rival nations are set to face off at the ICC World Cup in Adelaide, Australia, on Sunday and viewership is expected to approach 1 billion people. To put that in perspective, an estimated 114.4 million people tuned into Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 2. To be fair, 114.4 million people accounts for just about 9 percent of India’s population.
While the sport of cricket, which vaguely resembles baseball in that there’s a bat and ball involved, still confounds many in the United States, it’s reached a fever pitch (pun intended) abroad. One ad about a previous India vs. Pakistan run-in summarized it best in a scene that involves a gas leak and an impending spark.
The feeling of tension is one thing, but the acting out on it is another and, unfortunately, violence breaking out at India vs. Pakistan cricket matches is not unheard of.
At the 1999 World Cup, the match was disrupted by a fight that began after fans hurled insults at each other. Per the Associated Press at the time:
Fans ran onto the field at revered Old Trafford (in Manchester, England) and police said Pakistanis kicked and punched at least two Indians and burned Indian flags.
Dozens of police stormed onto the field to break up scuffles, handcuffing at least two Pakistani fans and dragging them away. Celebrating Indian fans set off fireworks in a crowd waiting for post-match presentations.
The field was cleared and calm restored within 30 minutes. Police said there were three arrests, two Pakistanis and one Indian. One man was injured by fireworks. Full story...
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While the sport of cricket, which vaguely resembles baseball in that there’s a bat and ball involved, still confounds many in the United States, it’s reached a fever pitch (pun intended) abroad. One ad about a previous India vs. Pakistan run-in summarized it best in a scene that involves a gas leak and an impending spark.
The feeling of tension is one thing, but the acting out on it is another and, unfortunately, violence breaking out at India vs. Pakistan cricket matches is not unheard of.
At the 1999 World Cup, the match was disrupted by a fight that began after fans hurled insults at each other. Per the Associated Press at the time:
Fans ran onto the field at revered Old Trafford (in Manchester, England) and police said Pakistanis kicked and punched at least two Indians and burned Indian flags.
Dozens of police stormed onto the field to break up scuffles, handcuffing at least two Pakistani fans and dragging them away. Celebrating Indian fans set off fireworks in a crowd waiting for post-match presentations.
The field was cleared and calm restored within 30 minutes. Police said there were three arrests, two Pakistanis and one Indian. One man was injured by fireworks. Full story...
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- In cricket scandal, revelations on India...
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