US Ambassador in Pakistan hosts the Pakistan Cricket Team ahead of the T20 World Cup to be held in the USA and West Indies this year.
US ambassador to Pakistan Donald Bloom held a meet-and-greet session with the Pakistan Cricket Team in Islamabad to express support for the team ahead of the World Cup. The event will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA in June.
The ambassador welcomed the Pakistan Cricket Team and Chairman Mohsin Naqvi at his residence.
“In dual gestures of sports diplomacy, Ambassador Blome presented the team members with a commemorative embassy cricket ball and autographed softball bat,” the US embassy said in a statement.
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“The Pakistani team reciprocated by presenting the Ambassador with a signed cricket bat and team jersey,” the statement read further.
The ambassador later played cricket with the cricketers. Both Pakistan and US teams are in the same group and are slated to play on June 6th, 2024. Meanwhile, India and Pakistan are expected to play each other on June 9th, 2024.
Cricket fans in the United States are in a frenzy as ticket sales for the upcoming T20 World Cup matches have shattered expectations.
The highly anticipated clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in New York City has seen demand skyrocket, with the public ballot for tickets being oversubscribed a staggering 200 times, according to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
This overwhelming response has all but guaranteed a sell-out crowd at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Long Island. The temporary venue, with a capacity of 34,000, is expected to be packed to the rafters for the June 9th encounter. These figures show the high demand and popularity of the game in the USA.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Cricket Board is in search of the best team to participate in the World Cup. Pakistan, however, drew the home series against New Zealand.