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The much awaited ICC T20 World Cup has begun, and T20 World Cup co-hosts and two-time champions West Indies kicked off their campaign on Sunday against minnow Papua New Guinea at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
However, empty stands and lack of buzz was quite evident in the Group C opener. The seats inside the stadium were partially filled with most of the stands being empty and isolated. Reacting to the lack of buzz in the Caribbean nation, fans on social media labelled it as sad and disappointing.
There was also a turnout in the opening game between USA and Canada in Dallas. There are still tickets available for the highly expected India-Pakistan game on June 9 in New York, particularly for the Diamond Club, Corner Clubs, and Premium Club Lounge (North) sections.
One of the biggest reasons for this lack of buzz has been the pricing of the tickets.
"I don't think there is enough buzz for the World Cup here as compared to India, because it hasn't been marketed as much. I feel they could have done a lot more in terms of build-up. But I am hoping that as the tournament progresses, it will gain more interest. When you travel through areas or via airports, there's not much buzz or hoardings." said Prasanna Balakrishnan.
What has also been astonishing is a release from USA Cricket earlier this week saying fans can now secure tickets for the co-hosts' three home matches (barring the one against India) at a remarkable 25% discount. The move hints at a lack of buzz for the tournament leading to empty seats in stadiums for the matches.