There was a lot to get used to: the 50% seating plan and no Mexican waves. But for cricket fans, this was more than they bargained for. “It feels a little different, of course. It’s still great to be here to support our team,” said Gurnam Singh, founder of a group called World cricket fans.
The planned seats were drawn up on a map: no one was to occupy the first two rows, each spectator separated from the other by two seats to the sides and a row in front and behind. “They asked us not to shout, it would mean that the saliva would fly. Neither dhols. The Mexican wave was not possible either,” Rakesh Jampala, founder of the Swami Army fan group, told TOI.
This year there were no paper tickets, no water caddies. “Instead, people walk around with hand sanitizers,” said Shiva Charan Kodur, a Sydney resident.
But after some changes to the game, the social distancing was lost. “After a moment, people started to move and take whatever seat that offered a better view,” Singh said.
In the seventh over of the first inning, there was a strange interruption: two protesters stormed the field. “Security didn’t know what to do. They had strict instructions to follow social distancing,” Singh said. “They were the ones who were yelled at,” Jampala added.
When Steve Smith He hit 100 of 61 balls in the first inning, the applause not as loud as, say, when Kohli hit a six with India chasing. “Well, 80% of the crowd was blue,” Jampala said. “Being able to watch a match for eight hours was a pleasure in itself,” said Abhishek Sharma of Sydney.
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