News Biggest sports event in world history happening right now

[Belisarius]

The World Cup cricket semi-final between home nation India and Pakistan is happening right now in Mohali.

The Prime Ministers of both countries are to watch it together and over the 8 hours that the game is expected to last, may talk about peace between these two conflicting countries. Hopes are high that some form of peace process could come out of it.

According to the BBC:

The match in Mohali is expected to be watched on television by more than a billion people.

By comparison, the 2010 World Cup soccer final

FIFA estimated that around 700 million viewers would watch the World Cup final.

And the Beijing Olympics (a two week event)

According to Nielsen Media Research, 4.7 billion viewers worldwide tuned in to some of the television coverage

Because only those from the British Commonwealth play the sport, it's generally ignored by media from other countries. But it's massive in India, Pakistan, England, Australia, NZ, SA and the West Indies.

Sources
BBC, Wiki World Cup 2010, Wiki Olympics 2008

 

[tl8]

Don't we have an Ashes thread for cricket related news?

Anyway I can't say I care too much.

Though Ricky Pointing has stepped aside and Michael Clarke is now the Australian Cricket Captain...

 

[Belisarius]

I'm not a cricket fan either - I find it boring, frankly - but this is not the Ashes. It's a major cultural and political event, way beyond the quaint little Ashes competition.

 

[tl8]

Quaint!!!!

Little!!!!!

Blasphemy!!

I don't care about this match or the result of the World Cup....

Australia was knocked out at the quarter finals for the first time in 11 years...

I don't think it is as big as you say it is (culturally anyway). There is little pride in the World Cup. Series results are much more important (Like The Ashes or India v Pakistan etc). IPL is starting next month, and that is going to make the World Cup look like small fry.

 

[Urwumpe]

I still wonder since when every Indian and Pakistani owned a TV set and likes watching Cricket...

 

[T.Neo]

I think there are a relative large amount of public viewing venues being set up.

Other than that, you can pretty much expect large amounts of people being huddled around a single old, small, fuzzy TV screen...

 

[SiberianTiger]

Pakistani owned a TV set and likes watching Cricket...

I heard from travelers that Cricket is as popular in India as football in Europe. Wasn't there to be able to confirm that myself, though.

 

[Urwumpe]

I heard from travelers that Cricket is as popular in India as football in Europe. Wasn't there to be able to confirm that myself, though.

Even if it is: Just leave the English territory and Cricket is only known to exotic sport fans. In Scotland or Wales, Cricket isn't really popular at all.

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_International_Cricket_Council_members"]List of International Cricket Council members - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

Scotland or Ireland have both the same representation there as Germany... and I know more Lacrosse teams than Cricket teams here.

I think the number is more a "So many people can theoretically watch it, if they would like to and have the equipment".

 

[T.Neo]

No, it is really is popular in India and Pakistan, I would say it is comparable to football-soccer in Europe.

India and Pakistan are always involved in cricket events, and on the news people seemed to be very enthusiastic about it... in India, people even play cricket in parks as a passtime.

It is far more popular there than it is in South Africa, for example, where cricket is somewhat popular, but historically mostly with Anglo-Africans, and Asian Muslim and Indian communities (though the latter were not able to compete at top-level during apartheid).

 

[MikeB]

Is this more like the World Series or the Super Bowl?

Just kidding - I hope it turns out to be like [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ping_Pong_Diplomacy"]Ping-Pong Diplomacy[/ame].

 

[Belisarius]

My uncle Padraig was actually an international cricket player with the Ireland team. Nobody except the team members knew it existed.

 

[tl8]

My uncle Padraig was actually an international cricket player with the Ireland team. Nobody except the team members knew it existed.

Funny that...

Ireland beat the English at the World Cup earlier. Biggest upset in cricket history!

Oh and the Indian's and Pakistanis love their cricket. More than Football in Europe

 

[dumbo2007]

Yep....its crazy in this part of the world and the intensity and build up to a India-Pakistan clash is phenomenal. Now that we are through to the finals its going to get even wilder.