MOHALI – Around 3,000 police will patrol Wednesday’s high-profile India-Pakistan World Cup semi-final, the first match between the two arch-rivals on Indian soil since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Some 2,000 security personnel are expected to be deployed in and around the 30,000-capacity PCA (Punjab Cricket Association) Stadium on matchday.
An estimated 1,000 police have already descended on the luxury Hotel Taj in nearby Chandigarh where both teams are staying, a force which includes Indian army commandos. The game, which takes place in the border state of Punjab, has already sparked a flurry of diplomatic activity.
India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh engaged in a little “cricket diplomacy” on Friday by issuing an invitation to the match to his Pakistan counterpart Yousuf Raza Gilani and President Asif Ali Zardari. The invitation comes while relations between the two nations are still tense following the attack by Pakistan-based Islamist militants on Mumbai in 2008 that left 166 people dead. “I propose to be at Mohali to watch the World Cup semi-final match,” said Singh in his invitation. “There is huge excitement over the match and we are all looking forward to a great game of cricket, that will be a victory for sport,” he added.
“It gives me great pleasure to invite you to visit Mohali and join me and the millions of fans from our two countries to watch the match.” Pakistan opener Mohammad Hafeez insisted he no qualms about the security situation. “We have no fear or a feeling of (any) shortcoming when it comes to security,” he said on Saturday. “That’s not our job; our job is to play cricket. To provide security is the responsibility of the ICC (International Cricket Council) and the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India). “We are very happy and we are enjoying ourselves very much.”
Elsewhere, the race was on to secure scarce tickets and hotel rooms. Fans continued to queue at the ground on Saturday even though the PCA had insisted as early as Tuesday that the 14,000 available tickets at the 30,000 capacity stadium had been sold, with the rest in the hands of the ICC. But some supporters simply refused to believe tickets were no longer available. “I have been coming here since Monday, but have not been able to get any ticket,” Vikas Sharma, a businessman, told the Press Trust of India. However there have been numerous reports of a thriving black market in tickets for the showpiece encounter with prices rocketing 10-fold.
