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Barbados should hosted this.

In reply to WalterWhite

Why?

In reply to WalterWhite

Please dont call Barbados name and get the anti-Barbados meangirl all riled up

In reply to imusic

A mini stadium virtually empty.

In reply to WalterWhite

These venues were chosen to accommodate the White Aussie tourists just like when England tours the region.

As long as the tourists show up CWI is happy.

In reply to SnoopDog

But, it’s a picturesque location and a nice wicket.
Wish I was there in the empty stands.

In reply to WalterWhite

It’s a Thursday. The demographic for test cricket, particularly in the West Indies, comprises mostly retirees.

How many retirees that into cricket you think Grenada has?

In reply to StumpCam

CWI have basically mandated only certain venues for touring teams like England, Oz, NZ - these teams get Bim, Antigua, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and sometimes, Jamaica. This is to accommodate all their tourist fans who want to watch cricket and go to the beach after.

Teams like Indian, Pak, SA, and Sri Lanka get venues like Guyana, Tittie, and sometimes, Jamaica. These teams don't typically have throngs of fans traveling for resort tourism and beaches.

It means we will probably never again see touring teams from Eng, Oz, or NZ playing a test match, or even white ball cricket, in Guyana or Tittie.

In reply to SnoopDog

I have no problem with the Aussie or the English coming to see cricket. Many of the Aussue I spoke with told me that they have a 45 day trip package.
This entails starting in Bim and ending in Ja.
Many were folks that look as if they were retired.

In reply to imusic

Exactly the point. Why schedule a match for a venue where the crowd is guaranteed to be poor?

It seems that once TV revenues are okay they don't give a damn about attendance. Images like this end up hurting the game in the long run though.

In reply to WalterWhite

Where in the Caribbean do you think that would generate a good crowd to watch test.

In reply to tc1

I hear you.

But it means that most of these venues are either going to be empty, or comprised of mostly tourist spectators, like in Bim where England are basically playing a home game in the Caribbean every time they play there.

And as your fren iTito rightly said, there is no culture in places like Grenada (I'm talking locals here) for Test cricket as opposed to places like Guyana, Tittie and Jamaica.

That being said, I was pleasantly surprise to see a lot of locals in Bim during the first Test of this series.

Nobody taking time off to watch Test cricket in the Caribbean these days.

In England and Australia, people plan their vacation days around Test cricket.

Empty stadiums are new?

In reply to tc1

I think you can answer that question yourself.

In reply to WIForever

TV

In reply to WalterWhite

As far as I know, CWI is the only cricket board which allows touring teams to dictate which venues they play when they tour the Caribbean.

I might be wrong, but there is no way in hell that the English and Oz boards would allow CWI to cherry pick the venues they want to play when they visit England or Oz.

In reply to SnoopDog

Tourists go to Grenada in droves? If they were trying to attract tourists then Antigua, Barbados and Jamaica would be better locations.

In reply to SnoopDog

When no one really wants to play against you, I guess you willing to do anything to get a tour.

In reply to natty_forever

Dude, the WTC requires teams to tour the Caribbean.

The Caribbean is still a top destination for the top teams.

#1 - WAGS love it!
#2 - Perceived “easy” wins
#3 - WAGS love it!
#4 - Easy points to pick up in WTC
#5 - WAGS love it!

Literally no downside.

In reply to SnoopDog
Dat simple

In reply to WalterWhite


Breds, no ground in the WI would have a considerably larger turnout for test cricket.
Even if entry was free.
You just wake up from a decade long slumber or wot? 2 decades in fact.

A schoolboy 20/20 game would draw a reasonable crowd quicker.

In reply to VIX

Barbados was tolerable. This is awful. Crowds show up in Dominica.

In reply to WalterWhite

They do show up in Dominica.

My theory for that is that international cricket is rare and still relatively new for Dominica.

So like back in the day in other territories, a test match is a big thing for the island. Some places used to declare a public holiday for cricket. Schools would close early to facilitate etc.

Once the “newness” wore off, it became less of an event.

In reply to WalterWhite

This is not a bad crowd for a Thursday but you can see they are spaced out a lot. The problem is a lot of these islands expended a lot of money either building or expanding their stadiums and now they cannot even get them half or 1/4 full at least not for Test cricket.

In reply to voiceofreason

Your best post. Grenada has a decent stadium too big for size of its sports public. The stands are far away from on field action so the stadium lacks atmosphere. Stands at the Mecca are on edge of park making patrons feel close to the action creating an exciting atmosphere.

In reply to Castled

I take that as a compliment from a Poster who is known for posting drivel. Yes Antigua made the same mistake moving from the ARG to a larger than needed Sir Viv stadium. Vincy's Arnos Vale and Dominica's Roseau park still has good vibes.

In reply to WalterWhite

Kind Sir this is not a new development. I was at Sabina in 2017 for the Windies versus Pakistan and the stands were empty. I was telling a friend in New York that the crowd for the finals of the Masters played at the Jerk center was probably ten times the size of the crowd for the Test match.

In reply to Castled

I agree that the size is too big for the population, however, not all the stands are far removed from the action.

Tickets were US$5 per day. THe lack of crowds has to do with the expected dismal WI performance, sadly.

In reply to voiceofreason

They do get the stadiums filled in other events, such as shows with top reggae and soca artists. The artists, through their creative talents and performances are able to draw huge crowds. The prices of the tickets to these shows are exorbitant, but the people are prepared to pay. Cricketers are responsible to draw their crowds through dominant performances. For those who like to say that governments do nothing for them, these stadiums were built at enormous costs just to facilitate these cricketers. Many locals never get a chance to use those stadiums. I learnt that the Grenada government just invested around $US13M to upgrade and have the stadium in proper shape for this game. What is the return? All the people of the Caribbean ask is that these players raise their levels and compete. Maintaining these stadia is a huge and continuous burden on tax payers in the region.

In reply to voiceofreason

This from a dottie skunt who endorses Allzharri J nonsense that Jewel Andrews is the best batsman in the region. That shyte comment is drivel on steroids from you and your idol Allzharri J. Don't wish to discourage teenager Andrews the fact is he's way off the pace for the big stage.

In reply to Castled

He was speaking to his potential but I don't expect you to understand that nuance. Jewel Andrew will be a West Indian great who will bring back fans to the stadium. Bookmark this!