RAWALPINDI, March 16: As it was in Karachi last week, the chaos over ticket sales for Tuesday's second One-day International between Pakistan and India seemed to continue in Rawalpindi.
Officials said that tickets were sold out on Friday, the day the sales began. Sold out yes for the poor fans but not for the high and the mighty. Behind the scene sales continued on the eve of the match with the near and dear ones of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials and others with the right connections being sold tickets as late as Monday evening.
The PCB that messed up sales in Karachi for the opening match of the five-games series that led to frustrated fans clashing with police has indeed done it again. There has clearly been foul play.
The PCB is said to have given 100 complimentary tickets to a leading local hotel. Now that's people pleasing. But their act has surely denied 100 die-hard fans an opportunity to watch the first ever International between the two sides in Rawalpindi.
The PCB might not agree, but the fact is that the sale of tickets for the first two matches has been badly mishandled. To top it off all, the fans in Peshawar which hosts the third game this week, have already been baton-charged with the cricket circus yet to arrive there.
