A probable all-Asia World Cup final at the Wankhede stadium will result in making that seat for the April 2 an even more coveted property than what it is right now,with the high and mighty expected to fly in from neighbouring nations. Offices of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse have sent in a request for 30 seats in the ICC presidents box should the Lankans line up for a second successive World Cup final at Mumbai. The Sri Lankan government had sent in a request to Mr Sharad Pawar after the team booked a semifinal berth in the likelihood of them reaching the final, a BCCI source said on the condition of anonymity. The President might travel with an entourage of 30 and theyll be seated in the 200-seater presidents box at the Wankhede. Should India also make it to the final,the number of dignitaries will obviously be many more,and it is going to be quite a task for the hosts to accommodate all the local requests, he added. With a mere 4,000 tickets out for sale,it was believed that entry to the final would come at a premium but now with three Asian teams India,Pakistan and Sri Lanka competing in the semis,even the VVIP seats will see a mad scramble. Sheikh Hasina invited Earlier,ICC president Sharad Pawar had also extended an invitation to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when the Indian politico met the premier at the last Cup game in Dhaka. Should Lanka make the final,with all the high-profile dignitaries,it will also mean a multi-fold increase in the security arrangements which are already very tight besides the crunch for seats, the source added soon after the issue was discussed in the Mumbai Cricket Association meeting on Saturday. And if India beat Pakistan in the semifinals at Mohali,many Indian dignitaries will also be expected to come to Mumbai. The presidents box usually seats the ICC president and officials as well as senior officials of the national cricket boards in the 33,000-capacity stadium.
