Test matches lose big $$

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) are desperate for the seven-match one day series between the West Indies and Australia to be a success.

The officials are praying for packed crowds this weekend with the final two mantches in Grenada. This follows dismal crowd attendances in the four-Test match series which Australia won 3-1. Poor attendance means severe losses from the Australian tour. “There is always a lot of expectancy about one-day matches, because that is where the crowds come out in support of the West Indies team, and for that reason the West Indies Cricket Board are very hopeful that the team gets going before the end of the series,” a source from Jamaica said. “After the thrilling Test victory in Antigua, there is again an upsurge in interest because people now believe that Australia, even though they are the world champions, can be beaten,” he added.

It has also been learnt that the WICB experienced heavy losses from the four Test matches. “The crowds in Guyana and Trinidad were very disappointing for the West Indies Board and in particular in Trinidad, it was clear that even when the crowds were close to 10,000-odd on the first day, over 3,000 were non paying persons who are members of the club. “It is a similar situation in Guyana where crowd attendance was below generally members attendances,” he noted. “In fact, Barbados will, when all the final figures are released by the WICB, show the best returns  with Antigua, because of how close the matches were. In the end the West Indies did very well, so the WICB are counting on the the money from the one-dayers to even break even on this series,” he declared. “These tours are very costly for the West Indies despite the TV rights which are a major help for the Board,” the source said.

Over the weekend when Australia won one match and the West Indies took the other at the Queen’s Park Oval, the venue was sold out but the final figures may tell another story. It is also understood that Trinidad and Tobago were not given any matches for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour because there was a belief that rain was a major threat.