By Apurva Bhatt

Offices in the city and suburbs may wear a deserted look on Thursday as India take on Australia in the second semi final of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Remarks Sandeep Gupta a employee of a CA firm, “Although it is year ending and there are a lot of pending work, but I will take a day’s off, as matches like these don’t come every day.”

"Cricket fans will not let work get in the way of them enjoying the much-awaited World Cup tournament. Sixty-two per cent said they will miss work at some point. When it comes to what excuses they would use to skip work, the time-tested method of calling in sick appeals more to the younger fans," said an ESPNcricinfo survey, for which 6,000 respondents were interviewed. "Seventy-five per cent of fans over the age of 30 are open to skipping work in order to watch a match," it added.

With the financial-year closing at the month's end, though, many corporate houses, racing against deadlines, have refused their employees leave. In an aggressive attempt to limit absenteeism on the big day, several companies will themselves screen the match.

Ramesh Kumar, head of ESPNcricinfo, said, "While people in India are rushed by their daily deadlines, financial targets and boss's demands at work, especially during February and March, the daily action provided by the cricket World Cup offers them unique excitement."

Since fans are always connected during work hours, browsing the internet (89%) and checking for updates on phones (55%) is the most common way to get a quick update, said the survey.