As many as 1.2 million tickets have been sold for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games commencing on July 28, the coordinators have said, adding that the Women’s cricket match among India and Pakistan has “really caught the interest” of the local public.

Women’s cricket is making its debut at the Commonwealth Games, and India and Pakistan will be facing off at Edgbaston on July 31. The city is home to a significant number of Indian and Pakistani-origin people.

Addressing PTI, Birmingham Games CEO Ian Reid said the semi-final rounds and final tickets have previously been taken while he expects a housefull crowd even for the India-Pakistan fixture.

“I am a big cricket fan myself. India is in the same group as Pakistan so that has really caught the interest here in Birmingham. It is an iconic venue, your men’s team recently played here over the last few weeks. So it would certainly be one of the highlights of the Games,”

Reid said

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More than 5000 athletes will take part in the Games which will be the biggest sporting event in the UK since the London Olympics in 2012.

“The semifinals and final tickets have already been sold out, probably with the expectation that India and England will be there. India and Pakistan will be close to capacity. We will see an uptick in ticket sales much closer to the event. So I expect that India-Pakistan game to be sold out soon.”

He added

Reid further added that 1.2 million tickets have been sold for the event. They anticipate that that number should go up as they draw nearer to the Games. So by a wide margin the greatest game in the UK since London 2012. They will have around 45,000 workers and paid staff dealing with the occasion. It is a huge event for the region and the city.