We are a cricket crazy nation and we pride ourselves in that. No, wait a minute. We are a ODI crazy nation. Who cares about Tests? People hardly show up for Test matches even if theres international teams playing.
So why does this happen? Lets try to list a few reasons
People dont have time
People dont have money to buy tickets
People are simply not interested in test cricket
People are lazy and like to watch on TV instead
Number 1, people dont have time. I find it hard to believe because usually Pakistanis are the ones with the most time at their hands. Time has a higher premium in more developed nations like UK and Australia but crowds still manage to atleast half fill Test match stadiums.
Money. People dont have money to buy tickets? Okay so poverty is rampant in pakistan.. so is in India. But indian crowds show up for every test match.
Not interested? I dont believe this either because almost every pakistani is test cricket fan. There is no way they can not be interested. Test cricket is talked about just as much as ODIs are.
Laziness. Maybe this is it then. People are just lazy and cant get off their butts to go support their team?
I cannot single out one decent reason why pakis dont go to test matches. Every single factor that applies to Pakis can also be applied to Indians. But somehow Indians end up watching test matches in loud noisy packed crowds while pakis boast crowds you can count on your fingers.
And finally, what has the PCB been doing to combat this problem? And what should it be doing? Any suggestions fellas?
You are right..nobody loves the game more than Pakistanies, no one has more money to spend on entertainment than Pakistanies, there is a hell of a lot of time at hand and a test match is a lazy man's heaven. so where is the problem...
Bottom line is people want to be entertained and see results. You don't get results when you make flat pitches. (yes, they will cut the grass after the practice match)
As far as entertainment in the stadium is concerned, there is none other than the sport itself. We are living in a new era where the organizers need to 'create' an environment where families can come in and spend the entire day without getting bored. We can do it without the beer and music...all we need is creative people
One reason could be that most of the test played in Pak end up draw. They want results, victory or loss. And then Pak ain't that good of a test team either.
I think it's mostly the Pakistanis living in non-cricket playing countries who love Test cricket and follow it on internet, tv, discussion forums etc wherever they are. Pakistanis in Pakistan have been turned off by the Tests of eighties and nineties when almost EVERY test was a boring draw. On top of everything, Pakistan team is not a good Test team, our bowlers are decent, but the batsmen lack the technique for the longer version of the game. Naturally, not many people would like to spend time and money to watch a game that either will be a draw, or will result in home team defeat.
The game of cricket is meant to be enjoyed fully in the company of other fans. Going to a game is not just about watching cricket, it's about the whole experience of being there, being part of a crowd, cheering, screaming, yelling, applauding your team, etc. If people think no-one else is going, then they themselves would have less of an incentive to go.
Then there's the problem of the same 3-4 venues being recycled for all tests during the past few years, resulting in over-abundance of cricket for people living in those cities.
The reason India has such big attendences is because they think of their cricketers as superstars and demi-gods, and would do anything to catch a glimpse of them. Pakistanis, on the other hand, merely think of cricketers as entertainers (well, most of them anyway), and would shun them if better entertainment is to be had elsewhere.
Poor test performances by Pakistan, not to mention that we are notorious for losing in our backyards. Nearly all of our recent sucesses have been abroad.
Dull tracks resulting in boring drawn test matches.
Poor choice of avenues - come on Faisalabad and Multan are not the most happening cities in Pakistan. PCB's failure in bringing test matches consistently to Karachi and Pindi for whatever reasons has contributed towards this lack of interest.
Pathetic marketing by PCB. I know India always hypes up their series, I am here in Pakistan and believe me if you don't have access to the Internet, the only way you would know a series is even happening is from the odd news article in the paper.
Three men and a dog gathered in Rawalpindi’s dusty concrete bowl to watch the first day proper of England’s tour of Pakistan. Well, I exaggerate a fraction. The dog was barred entry (presumably it was deemed a security risk), and though the attendance was pitiful at first, it swelled a fraction after lunch as news of England’s discomfort filtered through the city.
There was never any danger that crowd would outnumber concrete, however. Pakistanis simply don’t get out of bed for anything more than 50 overs a side. Not even the seminal Test series against India last year was deemed historic enough to drag the punters through the turnstiles, and amid all the fuss about Karachi being deprived of a Test on this tour, it is generally forgotten that England’s victory in the twilight in December 2000 was witnessed by a crowd of approximately 12.
Why do you think we get so many laparoos coming through to play in the national side? One day cricket ne humari qaum ka dimaagh kharab kardiya hai! On top of that, we play allrounders like Razzaq in the test side and kids try to emulate them! The value of test cricket should never be forgotten. Test cricket is such a beautiful sport; too bad most Pakistanis (including many sheep on these forums!) like to see laparoos hitting sixes and fours in munnay munnay grounds.
Pinch hitters and 'laparoos' can be found in all test teams around the world these days. It is the norm. But its true our youngsters, in chasing the dream of being invincible, have lost sight of whats more important i.e. consistency.
ODI impact has some relevance, but the main problem has been "Security". Can u imagine the sense of fear and apprehension felt by common ppl when going to a high security risk area? Fear of bombs exploding, police brutality and then getting dull test matches with deadbeat players has really killed test cricket in Pakistan.
Another important reason has been the demise of domestic cricket. I remember in the good old days in Karachi, we used to go and see local club matches with great interests, but slowly and gradually things have changed for the worse. Culture of going out and relaxing with your friends has sort of mutated into going out and eating, period.
^^ Hopefully the domestic cricket scene will improve now that cities are also represented instead of just clubs.
And yeah maybe they need to set up more food stalls inside the stadiums. Security risk aside, i seriously think this idea could work. Nothing like having a hukka, eating tikka boti naan with friends while watching live cricket.. ahhh bliss. :D
Australians have a good strategy to bring crowds in the stadium.
They do NOT telecast the match LIVE in the state where match is played. Maybe we cna do something similar but then less prople will follow it on tv but this is something they can try at least for a year or so.
^ I'm sure they must do it for a fee.. like pay per view maybe? Anyway not telecasting a match in pakistan would be like taking every paki's birth right away from them. :p
School, college and university boys and girls should be the target audience. How do you attract this crowd? By offering what they want and like to see. First of all, they resent any kind of strong arm tactics, therefore this security blanket has to be improved for the ticket paying people. Second, offer a friendly environment which has all the modern facilties. Thirdly, match watching crowds need to relate with their players, this can be done thru public appearances by our cricketing stars.
Pcb must emphasize education for all professionally playing cricketers. They should have a proviso which requires players to complete atleast graduation/college level education.
lol…but I agree 100%. I have raised this point over and over that Razzaq and upto some degree (atleast after India/WI tours) Afridi should not be in the test team. We should play specialists only. One allrounder is enough for a test side, and for now this would be our new opener Malik, who can bowl too.