Cricket fans lathicharged in Nagpur over ticket sale

After Bangalore, it was the turn of the cricket fans in Nagpur to face the baton as ticket seekers were lathicharged outside the Vidharbha Cricket Association hereon Tuesday morning. The ticket counter has been closed after the police had to resort to lathicharge to control crowds who had gathered to buy tickets for the eagerly-awaited India-South Africa clash on Saturday. Ticket sales at this World Cup have come under a lot of scrutiny and criticism for the manner in which they have been made available to the fans. Just over 10 days ago, the ICC said blocked tickets will be sold through a ballot system for the remaining World Cup 2011 matches, especially the semifinals and the final, in view of the unprecedented demands from fans. Cricket's governing body has also admitted that there were fewer number of tickets for the public through general sales, as majority of the tickets were reserved for sponsors, channel partners, clubs, and associations affiliated to the BCCI.