More Than 1 Million Spectators Attend Cricket World Cup In Australia, New Zealand

The Int'l Cricket Council said that more than 1 million people "packed into stadiums across New Zealand and Australia, making this year's Cricket World Cup the most popular in the history of the tournament," according to Patrice Dougan of the NEW ZEALAND HERALD. A total of 1,016,421 people "flocked to 49 matches over 44 days across the two host nations," and an estimated 1 billion people "watched across the globe." More than 93,000 fans "crammed" into Melbourne's MCG stadium on Sunday night, "setting a new record in Australia for one day international match attendance" -- surpassing the 87,182 fans who flocked to the last world cup final at the MCG in '92. ICC Local Organizing Committee CEO John Harnden: "Overall, we have sold out 20 of the 49 matches in this World Cup. Perhaps most satisfying of all, eight of those sold out matches did not involve Australia or New Zealand" (NZ HERALD, 3/30).