While the Pakistan-Australia one-day series attracted a great deal of interest among cricket fans in the UAE, it may not match the kind of hype the one-off Twenty20 clash has created. Tickets for the entire series went on sale last month but the T20 match was the only sell out, that too well before the day of the encounter.

Spectators could be seen buying tickets for the ODI matches outside the stadium while the match was underway and still empty seats could be seen during the match. This has not been the case with this match. It has been heard that people are even going to the extent of buying overpriced tickets or ‘black tickets’ to get a glimpse of the action.   ‘I want to see Brett Lee bowl to Shahid Afridi..or anyone, for that matter,’ one cricket enthusiast was heard saying. The sight of such one-on-one encounters, big hitting players like Afridi, Symonds and Haddin, and pacers roaring in to bowl, make the match a mouth-watering prospect for many a cricket fan. Office discussions revolve around which seating area will be best, who will make more runs and most importantly, where to get last-minute tickets from.   The interest is not limited to Pakistani and Australian fans, but in fact a number of Indian, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi and English cricket fans are also looking forward to this match. Will it live up to the pre-match banter or will it be yet another dull, one-sided affair? We’ll find out in less than two hours...