Kochi: Cricket fans in Kochi had a unique opportunity to get up close to the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Men's World Cup Trophy on Wednesday. With the upcoming World Cup scheduled to be held in India in October and November, hundreds of cricket aficionados made a beeline to catch a glimpse of what all 10 teams will be playing to lay their hands on.
Apart from fans, members of the cricket fraternity and people from different walks of life jostled to take a selfie and get up close and personal with the ultimate prize in men's cricket, which was on display at the Malayala Manorama office in Kochi.
As part of the three-month-long Trophy Tour, which commenced on June 27, the iconic trophy will visit all 18 countries around the world. The trophy, which will be lifted by the champions at Ahmedabad on November 19, reached Kochi following the Thiruvananthapuram leg of the tour. From Kochi, the silverware will travel to Lucknow before being taken to New Zealand, the next destination on the Trophy Tour.
The tour was officially inaugurated at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where the prestigious trophy made a dramatic entrance after being launched 12,000 feet above the earth using a balloon.
The event in Kochi was attended by Hiby Eden MP, Kochi mayor M. Anil Kumar, DIG (central zone) Dr A Srinivas, Fort Kochi sub-collector P. Vishnuraj, Malayala Manorama editor Philip Mathew, chief associate editor Riyad Mathew, chief resident editor Harsha Mathew, editorial director Mathews Varghese, filmmaker Abrid Shine, former BCCI international panel umpire S Dendapani, former Ranji player and coach P Balachandran, Rajasthan Royals player Abdul Basith, former Kerala Ranji players S Manoj, K A Sunil, M P Sorab, P Manoj, C M Deepak, K J Rakesh, Kerala Cricket Association former secretary N Ajith Kumar, journalist and cricket analyst K Pradeep, and Kochi corporation councillor Malini Kurup.
Malayala Manorama sports editor Sunish Thomas delivered the keynote address. Members of the Ernakulam district U-15 and U-19 women's teams were also present.
