The Surfer

Empty stadiums a message for administrators

The recent one-day series between England and India in India drew surprisingly sparse crowds, especially for the last two games

Tariq Engineer
25-Feb-2013
The recent one-day series between England and India in India drew surprisingly sparse crowds, especially for the last two games. The site of half-empty stadiums in Mumbai and Kolkata suggest that perhaps there is a saturation point for cricket in the country and that the principle of if you play them, they will come, no longer holds true. In the Hindustan Times, Pradeep Magazine says the fans are sending a clear message to the game’s administrators.
One can’t remember in recent living memory seeing stadiums half-empty in a one-day international. To see vast empty spaces in Wankhede and then Eden Gardens only means that the overkill of cricket is having its effect and the spectators are finally saying enough is enough

Tariq Engineer is a former senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo