Dubai: Cricket fans from the UAE will be able to travel to all the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 venues in Australia and New Zealand thanks to a special combined visa that will permit them entries to both countries.
With the UAE having qualified for the 50-over showpiece, a large number of fans from here are planning to watch the action live in Australia and New Zealand from February 14, 2015.
John Harnden, the World Cup’s chief executive officer, who is here as part of the Victoria Week celebrations, told Gulf News: “The governments of both Australia and New Zealand have announced joint visas for Australia and New Zealand and hence fans can travel to both countries.
“There will also be special rates for children under the age of 16. We want to give a very warm and welcoming feeling for all the fans coming to the event.
“Anyone who is under the age of 16, wherever in the world they are from, the ticket rate for matches is as low as five Australian dollars [Dh16]. For us it is about family participation because this is a once-in-a-generation event. People who were there when Australia and New Zealand hosted the 1992 World Cup are now being able to share that experience with their own children.”
For Harnden, who was also chief executive of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, preparing the stage for the World Cup has been a big challenge.
“Staging an event across two countries is a challenge — we have spread the tournament as far as we possibly can and have got everyone involved. We have 14 venues in 14 host cities, seven in Australia and seven in New Zealand, and all of the visiting teams are playing in both countries, so the logistics behind that is to give everyone their best possible chance to see every match.
“From the fans’ points of view, we have made every match a home game for every team. Australia is a very diverse and multi cultural community and so is New Zealand and we are lucky that, with all those different cultures there, we can mobilise the Sri Lankans, Indians, Pakistanis, the English and Scottish to watch their matches.”
When asked whether there will even be crowds for matches involving minnows like the UAE, Harnden said: “We are working with all the communities and encouraging the fans to adopt a second team and support them. We have also made sure that some of these matches are staged in some of the smaller venues to have full stadiums and a great atmosphere.”
On the expected turnout for the top matches, Harnden said: “We are expecting fantastic support for the Australia and New Zealand matches and the India-Pakistan match in Adelaide got sold out in 20 minutes. We have also had massive sales for the India-South Africa match at Melbourne Cricket Ground and we have enormous support for the Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh matches.”
