Huge crowds of fans attended the 2023 World Cup© AFP
The 2023 Cricket World Cup lived up to the hype as one of the biggest ICC events in the history of the game. The 13th World Cup completed on Sunday with Australia defeating hosts India to win their sixth title. A record 1.25 million spectators watched the matches, according to a report released on Tuesday by the international organization the International Cricket Council (ICC). Over 1,250,307 spectators witnessed the 45-day main event from the stands, breaking the previous record of 1.016 million established at the Australian and New Zealand 2015 edition.
Even though there were many vacant seats in the early matches that did not include India as the runners-up, the total number of spectators had already topped one million with six games remaining.
Chris Tetley, Head of Events at the ICC, declared the one-day international (ODI) competition to be a “great success.”
Tetley said in a statement that the tournament also smashed several broadcast and digital viewership records. “The staggering attendance demonstrates the enduring appeal of cricket and excitement the ODI format continues to offer,” the statement read.
“It has been an event that has not only entertained but also united cricket fans globally in a celebration of the sport.”
About 100,000 spectators attended the final alone, with the majority donning blue to show support for the Indian side. Support from the audience, however, had no effect on the outcome of the match, as Australia won by a margin of six wickets.
In pursuit of a 241-run mark, the Australians capitalized on a century from Travis Head to win the ODI World Cup for the sixth time in their history.
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