Venkatesh Prasad questions Indian Cricket Board amid World Cup ticket mess

Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad has raised questions over the Indian Cricket Board amid the Cricket World Cup 2023 ticket mess. The former pacer believes that the Men in Blue have a good squad, but will need the support from the fan base.

He urged the Indian Cricket Board to ensure that the experience of the fans should be easy and smooth in comparison to previous years. The Board has released 400,000 tickets in the second round of ticket sales. On Wednesday, August 6, the Board stated in a statement that the “general sale of tickets” for all the matches of the World Cup will commence at 8 pm IST on September 8.

We need genuine fans inside the stadium cheering for the team: Venkatesh Prasad

The 54-year-old bowler stated on Twitter, "We have a good team and are strong contenders for the World Cup but we need genuine fans inside the stadium cheering for the team and their experience needs to be far smoother and easier than what it has been, and for that the Indian Cricket Board needs to do far better than they have done so far. It is a reflection of the country as a whole and we as a nation should not be let down at any cost."

He previously questioned, the Asian Cricket Council's (ACC) decision to have a reserve day only for the match between India and Pakistan in the Super four stage of the Asia Cup 2023. He said, "If true this is absolute shamelessness. The organisers have made a mockery and it is unethical to have a tournament with rules being different for the other two teams. In the name of justice, will only be fair if it is abandoned the first day, may it rain harder on the second day and these malicious plans not succeed."

The Indian Cricket Board has faced a lot of criticism from fans and other stakeholders for releasing the schedule only 100 days before the start of the tournament, and then making further changes to it, which further delayed the release of tickets.