ICC Cricket World Cup: Final And Semi-Final Tickets To Be Sold Through Ballot

ICC Chief Executive Mr. Haroon Lorgat announced today that the tickets for the finale and semi-finals of the world cup will be distributed through a ballot system that shall be channelized through ICC’s official ticket partner www.kyazoonga.com.

Earlier when the ICC had decided to sell the 4000 odd tickets for each of the matches through kyazoonga .com the number of people wanting the tickets were so many that the site crashed in a matter of few minutes from the time the tickets started selling.

The semi-finals are going to be played on 29th in Colombo and on the 30th in Mohali, while the finals are going to be played in Wankhede on the 2nd of April.  The ballot will start on the 28th February (Monday).

ICC Chief Executive Mr. Lorgat said: “It was most unfortunate and no blame should be directed at Kyazoonga, the ICC’s official ticketing partner, as no one could have anticipated that tens of millions people would be trying to access the site an hour before it went live. In truth Kyazoonga have been an innocent third party in all the issues we have had with ticketing.

“In conjunction with the hosts, we have now agreed that a ballot system is the best means of releasing any available tickets for the semis and final. The high demand clearly proves the massive attraction of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and format of 50 overs cricket.”

In dismissing media perceptions about a letter addressed to ICC President Mr. Sharad Pawar, Mr. Lorgat added: “To help resolve our ticketing challenges we have also engaged the offices of the ICC President Mr. Pawar to assist us as he has done with several other issues related to World Cup planning.”

The tickets selling process can be summarized in six steps:

Step 1: You can apply for the ICC CWC Ticket Public Ballot from the 28th February to the 6th March. The public ballot application form is to be filled in at http://cwc2011ballot.kyazoonga.com. Only two tickets per applicant is allowed and only one application per person shall be considered. In case you do fill up another application the second application shall be automatically avoided.

Step 2: You will receive a Ballot Confirmation Number once you complete and submit your application form. No upfront payment is required at this stage.

Step 3: Try to follow all the instructions and rules myopically. If you break any of the rules then the tickets offered to you shall be immediately cancelled. All Ballot applications must be submitted no later than 6 March 2011.

Step 4: The draw will be made by computer on 10 March 2011 and successful applicants will be informed by email on 11 March 2011. If you have not heard from Kyazoonga by 12 March 2011, please assume that your application was not successful in the ballot.

Step 5: Successful applicants will be able to pay for their tickets through Kyazoonga’s secure payment processing website where they will be shown the transaction amount and asked to pay online using credit card/debit card/net-banking. If your transaction is not successful, your place in the draw will be offered to the next polled applicant from the draw.

Step 6: Upon successful payment completion, you will receive a confirmation page and email. Please print the page and keep the email. You will receive your tickets from the third week of March 2011.

How to Get Your Cricket World Cup Tickets

The Cricket World Cup is just 17 days away, but there’s still a chance to get tickets for many of the first round matches, provided you don’t mind watching some of the less fancied teams.

Unsurprisingly tickets for India’s key games have been snapped up, though the shifting of India vs. England on Feb. 27 from Kolkata’s Eden Gardens to Chinnaswamy Stadium might free up a few, since some people won’t be able to change plans and travel to Bangalore.

The only India match for which tickets are still available is the Ireland game on March 6, also in Bangalore. It’s unlikely to be a classic, but you never know, bearing in mind Ireland dumped Pakistan out of the World Cup in 2007.

If you’re looking for tickets, check on the official World Cup Web site. There is a tickets section, which takes users through to a page run by Kyazoonga.com, the official ticketing partner for the World Cup. Hopefully they’ll have an easier time handling online traffic than the Commonwealth Games ticketing partner, IRCTC, the state-run railways reservations portal, did.

A quick hunt around the site shows that there are still tickets for some exciting clashes, including South Africa vs. England in Chennai on March 6 and Australia vs. New Zealand in Nagpur on Feb. 25. Tickets for the semis (in Colombo and Mohali) and final (Mumbai) are not on sale yet, but it’s possible to sign up on the official website so you can be alerted when they become available.

India is hosting the World Cup with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Tickets for matches in Sri Lanka can be bought on the official website, while Bangladesh has designated a number of City Bank and Agrani Bank branches as retail outlets.

For online purchases, local customers can use credit or debit cards, while those buying from outside India will need to use a valid international credit card. Tickets are delivered by courier, although the site FAQs don’t say whether they courier to international addresses. Tickets can also be picked up at the venue. If you’re in India already, I’d go for the courier option to avoid extra hassle at the stadium.

Fans can also buy tickets directly from the venues, though be prepared to queue and be wary of the dangers that seem to crop up whenever India hosts a major sporting event.

According to a NDTV report, a wall at Chennai’s Chepauk Stadium collapsed today as hundreds of people waited in line to buy tickets. Two people were injured, the report said. For the second time in as many weeks, the World Cup preparations veered along worryingly similar lines to the mess seen in the run-up to last October’s Commonwealth Games.

So much for learning the lessons from that debacle, and all the more reason to book tickets through the relatively safer Internet route. What could possibly go wrong? Actually, forget I asked that.