Cricket took over the city of Birmingham this weekend which culminated in the giants of the sub-continent, India and Pakistan, meeting in the ICC Champions Trophy Group B game at Edgbaston on Sunday. Not only did a record One Day International crowd of 24,156 pack into the refurbished Birmingham ground for the match, which ICC Champions Trophy holders India won by 124 runs, but also thousands more took to Victoria Square in the city to watch matches in the first ever ICC Fan Park.
Edgbaston, which was the first ground outside London to host a global final when India won the trophy in the ICC Champions Trophy final beating England in 2013, provided the perfect stage for one of the most eagerly anticipated matches.
Steve Elworthy, the ICC Champions Trophy Tournament Director, added: “Edgbaston is a ground for the big occasion and there are fewer bigger occasions in world cricket than when India and Pakistan meet in an ICC global event. Fans turned out in their thousands and we also were grateful for the thousands who supported the City Fan Park in the centre of Birmingham. It was a great weekend for cricket and everyone at Warwickshire County Cricket Club deserve our thanks for their efforts.”
Neil Snowball, Chief Executive Officer of Warwickshire, said: “It was an honour for Edgbaston to host this match for the third time. We have a large Indian and Pakistani community in and around the city. We have felt the excitement growing for months and when the day came records tumbled. Again, it is a privilege to be part of this ICC Champions Trophy tournament and now we look forward to Pakistan returning to take on South Africa on Wednesday, England playing Australia on 10 June and the semi-final here on 15 June.”
