Dubbed as the pinnacle cricketing spectacle of the year, hosted within the sprawling confines of some of the world’s finest cricketers, and set against the backdrop of a nation renowned for its fervent adoration of the game, the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, 2024 unfolded amid much anticipation.

However, as the event commenced on Sunday, an eerie sight greeted onlookers: a stadium meticulously refurbished to accommodate upwards of 1,20,000 fervent spectators found itself sparsely populated, with only a fraction of its potential audience in attendance.