Not many came to watch the Pakistan-West Indies Test series that concluded in the UAE last week, except at Sharjah where the stadium gates were opened free for schoolchildren, and a few schools sent their students to watch the match.
Many in the UAE claim to be huge fans of cricket, but very few made the effort to actually come and watch a Test match. While work demands could be the reason during weekdays, what amazed me was the reluctance to turn up even on a weekend. Even though history was being written by the first day-night Test match, very few turned up for even a day!
Cricket is a sport in which everyone claims to be an expert. It’s common to hear people talk authoritatively on various aspects of the game; but for his views to have some value, there should be some initiative taken to watch matches, whether one-sided or not. Watching a Test match live at a stadium surely helps one to read a game or talk about the art of batting or bowling better. Those who talk on cricket without bothering to watch top class players in action are akin to those who claim to be well-read without having read any book for months.
The UAE has been fortunate to host so many international matches mainly due to Pakistan being unable to stage their home series in their country owing to security concerns. Hence, as a non-Test playing nation, the UAE could not have hosted so many matches. Cricket fans, especially from the subcontinent, may do well to remember that the day security in Pakistan improves, all these matches will be held in their country. And then one will have to fly to their home country should they wish to watch a Test match.
Talk to any cricket coach and he will tell you that the best way to learn the game is by watching top players in action. Nowhere in the UAE can one get to see a triple century being scored, but when Pakistan’s Azhar Ali reached this landmark there were hardly 300 people in the stadium to cheer him! Fans also missed seeing how a wrecking spell is bowled when West Indies spinner Devendra Bishoo took eight wickets to bowl out Pakistan for 123 runs. Pakistan’s leg spinner Yasir Shah took 21 wickets from the three Test matches, but no one came to watch his guiles. West Indies’ Kraigg Brathwaite created history by becoming the first opener to remain unbeaten in both innings, but it was in front of a near-empty stadium.
So for the fans here, before one compares Shah to India’s Ravichandran Ashwin or starts discussing qualities of an opener, it’s best to ask oneself whether their views are accurate, especially after having ignored watching them live from a stadium.
