Last Updated on 3 months by Charbel Coorey
Lord’s, the home of cricket, painted a bit of a sorry picture on the fourth day of the England-Sri Lanka, with low crowds the big talking point on a day of glorious sunshine in London.
The hosts produced a dominant performance, headlined by twin centuries to the great Joe Root and Gus Atkinson’s incredible all-round performance. However, the push for victory on day four was played in front of a plethora of empty seats, with an estimated crowd figure of just 9,000 according to ESPNcricinfo.
“It was kind of weird,” said stand-in captain Ollie Pope. “A few of us have been strolling in each day, and we were like, ‘Jeez, it seems quiet today.'”
“I’m not sure if people expected the game to be done by day four or what… It’s a shame it wasn’t a full house: it was obviously a good day’s play where we had to work hard for those eight wickets.”
According to the BBC’s Henry Moeran, the cheapest adult ticket was £95, or roughly US$125.
Lord’s low crowd: Fans take aim at administrators
Fans and pundits have taken to social media to share their views on the decision making of the administrators. Many rightly state that it’s day four and the match can end early, and asking fans to pay such a price will keep them away.
Also, Sri Lanka have largely struggled to be competitive in the second Test.
Also, there is a lot of competition from other sports. It was a big day of football with Manchester United vs. Liverpool, Newcastle vs. Tottenham and the Old Firm Derby between Rangers and Celtic encouraging fans to either watch at home or at a pub. The Italian Grand Prix is also on currently.
Speaking on BBC Test Match Special, Jonathan Agnew said “there’s no point people banging on about Test cricket and how wonderful it is when this is the scene. If the Home of Cricket on a day like this is virtually deserted, then what’s the message?”
England sealed 2-0 series lead after winning by 190 runs. With victory, the hosts will keep their hopes alive of an appearance in next year’s World Test Championship Final.
