September 21 Saturday 2002
Crowds are slim at Champions Trophy

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Organisers of the ICC Champions Trophy are realising the hard way that even in cricket-crazy Sri Lanka, good games can take a back seat to parochialism.

Except for the opener of the 12-nation tournament that had host Sri Lanka playing Pakistan, the stands have remained empty in matches where even top teams like Australia or South Africa have played. And the poor scheduling of the matches, with some teams having a one-week break between games, has also come under criticism. The gap of several days has left players with difficulty finding ways to occupy their time, except for remaining at the team hotel or shopping.

There is little night life in Colombo following a 19-year civil war. New Zealand lost their first match with Australia last Sunday, but are waiting in Colombo to play Bangladesh on Monday in what is a meaningless match because Australia have qualified for the semifinals.

To beat the poor schedule, seven Indian players, including star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, returned to their homes in India. The Australians have gone to the Maldives for a balmy break before next week's semifinal against Sri Lanka.

"The first game between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was a sellout, the local public would obviously want Sri Lanka to play if they are to come and watch," said Ranil Abeynaike, a member of Sri Lankan selection committee. "(But) there are so many games that some people can't afford to spend on every game. Some must be waiting in anticipation that Sri Lanka will play in the finals."

Nearly 40,000 spectators filled Colombo's Premadasa Stadium on September 12 to watch the curtain-raiser. Then the crowd turn-out dropped drastically in the following matches.

"It would have been good to see more people here," said Andy Brown, a cricket fan from England pointing at the near-empty stands. Most cricket fans in England were saving up to tour Australia for the Ashes series in November, said Brown.

International Cricket Council spokesman Mark Harrison said on Friday no match could be categorised as irrelevant given the unpredictable nature of the sport. "People think, a match between a stronger side and a new side is a foregone conclusion, it is not so all the time."

Lucian Merinnage, a member of Sri Lankan cricket board's interim committee, said matches being played on weekdays and television coverage had resulted in poor crowds inside the ground. He said that the ICC's decision not to give away free tickets to school children was also one of the reasons for the empty stands.