Cover Story: World Cup Pg 2

They are coming from all corners of the globe. From India, Canada, Belgium, Kenya and Zimbabwe. They are snapping up tickets, hotel rooms, private apartments and heading to London, Birmingham and a string of small English towns for a gruelling 12-team marathon that will be fought out on pitches across Britain, Ireland, Scotland and Holland.

Cricket has come a long way. Twenty years ago when the World Cup was barely a blip on the sporting calendar, eight teams played 15 matches in as many days. The profits added up to a not-so-eyepopping -- 350,000.

Cut to the 1999 World Cup. More than five lakh people from all corners of the globe will descend on 21 grounds, including Amstelveen on the outskirts of Amsterdam.

Revenues are hovering around -- 46 million (Rs 285.6 crore) and profits are expected to touch -- 30 million (Rs 204 crore). The global television audience will be close to two billion.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) claims this World Cup will be bigger and better. Around -- 675,000 (Rs 4.59 crore) is up for grabs. The winning team will pack $300,000 (Rs 1.28 crore) into their kitbags as they return home along with the -- 27,000 (Rs 18.36 lakh) Cup lovingly crafted by the Crown jewellers, Garrards. The four top teams will share -- 400,000 (Rs 2.72 crore). The next two teams which get to fifth and sixth place will take home -- 33,000 (Rs 22.44 lakh) and -- 17,000 (Rs 11.56 lakh). Even countries like Bangladesh and Scotland, which are likely to be at the bottom of the league, will get -- 10,000 each (Rs 6.8 lakh). By comparison, at the last World Cup winners Sri Lanka pocketed only -- 40,000 for their efforts.

Classes Apart: The hoi pollloi will get wet but those Indians who make up 15 per cent of hte premier ticket holders will not suffer such discomfort.

Don't blame the British for turning World Cup '99 into a sporting mega-event. Cricket has to be sold and marketed in the country of its origin. For the cricket-crazy fans who are flocking to Britain, especially from India, it's a different ball game. The statistics tell the story about who is really snapping up tickets. India's first match against South Africa at Hove, a genteel seaside town, was sold out a month in advance.

India's five early round matches -- even against cricketing minnows like Zimbabwe and Kenya -- were also pre-sold. By contrast, only four of England's opening round matches are sold out (tickets are still available for the contest between England and Kenya in Canterbury). Said The Times: "If backsides on seats are any indicator of support, it is not England but India who are on course to enjoy the strongest advantage in the World Cup." Adds Michael Browning, ECB's events manager: "India is absolutely central to the tournament."

PRIZE BONANZA

LG ELECTRONICS: LG has spent about $12 million worldwide and Rs 12 crore in India. As a major sponsor, it gets 60 per cent of the total advertising time during telecasts. It will reward Indians who score centuries or take six or more wickets. It has LG Champion's Galleries in all stadiums where winners of contests, suppliers and dealers will be hosted by 1983 veterans Madan Lal, Roger Binny and Mohinder Amarnath.

PEPSI: One of the 11 official sponsors of the tournament, Pepsi has selected eight Indians between 12 and 15 years as mascots for the Indian team who will be on the field before and after the matches as also during drinks breaks. Winners of the "It's My World Cup" contest get all expenses paid trips to the final at Lord's. They will also be given replicas of the World Cup trophy by the ECB. In all, the company will fly 100 Indians to watch different matches. Like LG and Hero Honda, Pepsi too has exclusive rights to use the World Cup logo on its products.

HERO HONDA: The only Indian official sponsor of the World Cup, the company sponsored the Hero Honda Cup between 1983 veterans and the 1999 team in Mumbai last month. It also financed a special "Good Luck India" song that was filmed with the Indian cricket team. Hero Honda is sponsoring a "spectacular catches" contest.

BRITANNIA: The company offered 100 tickets to the World Cup and other prizes through a series of campaigns. The lucky 100 will watch the May 29 India-England match while the company picks up the tab. Earlier, Robin Singh mobilised 5.4 lakh good luck signatures for the Indian team on a 2 km-long greeting card that has already entered the Limca Book of Records.

The Indian fans are planning their summer assault on Britain with care. Some are heading for Birmingham, where rooms are cheaper and which is within commuting distance of towns like Leicester where India will meet Zimbabwe this week. Many fans are convinced that the India vs England standoff at Edgbaston in Birmingham will be a pivotal match for both the teams. One diehard fan, Sanjeev Bhatia, has booked a hotel room overlooking the Edgbaston pitch.

How many Indian cricket fans will be in Britain this summer? Sky TV, which is broadcasting cricket for several hours each day, estimates that more than 40,000 will be arriving on these shores over the next fortnight. Airline executives reckon that at least 10,000 fans have already flown in for the opening round matches. Among those who will be in London are Sharad Pawar, Madhavrao Scindia, Manohar Joshi, Murli Deora, Arun Jaitley, Deepak Parekh and Naseeruddin Shah. More than 1,000 newspapers, magazines and television channels have requested accreditation to the World Cup matches and events. Inevitably, Britain leads the way but India is sending a battalion of around 150 journalists, photographers and broadcasters. The Australians, by contrast, have only 44 accredited journalists. The media rush can cause problems for small English grounds. At Hove, the press box had room for only 30.

Likewise, a corporate jamboree is taking place in the high-priced seats -- many Indian companies are joining in the race to wine and dine their prize clients, bankers and distributors. Keith Prowse, an agency selling "hospitality seats" and boxes is reporting brisk trade. Says Sales Executive Richard Price: "We have exceeded our targets. For us this is the biggest event since Euro '96."

Keith Prowse is still taking orders after the first round matches started. It is selling around 100 tickets priced on an average at -- 150 (Rs 10,200) for the early-round matches. The agency is getting strong orders for matches where the key countries like England, India, Australia and South Africa are on the field. For the final and semi-finals the charges climb to around -- 350 to -- 450 per head. For -- 450, top-ranking fans are offered champagne and a silver service lunch. A cheaper package brings sandwiches and drinks. Indian companies are reckoned to have snapped up about 15 per cent of the hospitality tickets sold in the past few weeks.

One problem which can't be helped is that English county grounds -- even the biggest Test grounds -- are much smaller than those in India. Lord's, the Mecca of cricket, seats around 30,000 and Edgbaston can pack in 20,556. Lower down the line, grounds like Hove can seat 6,418 and Leicester's Grace Road, where India meets Zimbabwe, can hold only 4,613.

Despite this limitation, England's cricket authorities have gone to new lengths to win new fans and turn the game inside out. In the past year the ECB organised four events to whip up publicity. Last September, it held a catwalk at the Fashion Cafe in London to show off the new multihued uniforms which players will be wearing for the tournament. Led by supermodel Caprice -- who shot to fame as the Wonderbra woman -- players like Adam Hollioake and England captain Alec Stewart paraded down the catwalk in their colourful new outfits.

The ECB wants to replace cricket's village green image with a carnival atmosphere. "We're calling it a carnival of cricket," says Browning. There will be big changes. No longer will policemen crack down on flag-waving spectators. Police will be told to allow flags and musical instruments. Says Browning: "You don't have a carnival and 12 international teams without people registering their support."

This facelift is part of a wider plan to rebrand cricket and lure English spectators back into the stands. Says Browning: "The World Cup won't return to Britain for at least 20 years. This is the best opportunity to promote the game." Last month, the ECB called in a host of celebrities to launch a song called All Over the World written specially for the tournament by pop star David Stewart. Says Browning: "The song has a strong carnival theme which will appeal to a wide audience. We hope it becomes an anthem for the World Cup."