Empty ZACS gallery not a surprise
One could easily finger-count the number of people present at the gallery in the first few hours. It looked like a desert which is quite surprising considering Bangladesh vs England is a pretty big match and Chattogram doesn’t usually get more than a match or two in a series. Even Test cricket or domestic matches probably attract more people than what ZACS had on Monday.
Shazzat Abdullah, a university admission candidate from Cox's Bazar, came to the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) for his first international match from the gallery. He arrived at 1 pm, an hour after the match began. One would probably expect a full house by then but the Eastern Gallery was as empty as space.
One could easily finger-count the number of people present at the gallery in the first few hours. It looked like a desert which is quite surprising considering Bangladesh vs England is a pretty big match and Chattogram doesn't usually get more than a match or two in a series. Even Test cricket or domestic matches probably attract more people than what ZACS had on Monday.
But Shazzat wasn't surprised. Bangladesh have already lost the ODI series to England and are on the verge of getting whitewashed at home for the first time since 2014.
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"It was not a surprise to me. Bangladesh vs England is a big game, true, but we've already lost the series. So, it was expected " Shazzat said.
A number of spectators were asked the same question regarding the gallery being such empty and they all echoed Shazzat's words. They also mentioned the match being played on a weekday may also be a reason for an empty gallery. And not to forget the scorching summer heat.
Mirpur also saw an unusually less and quiet crowd last Wednesday during the first ODI between the two sides.
"To see such an empty gallery is shocking, of course, but you also have to understand the match is being played on a weekday, and that too at 12 pm. Also, the series is already decided," Abu Hamza, another fan said.
There was miking in the 500-600 meter radius of the ticket counter to bring people to the gallery. But it failed big time. Are people less interested than before?
"The performance of the team is making people less interested. It's not just about the home series wins. The overall environment of the team is alarming. Also, the combination between the board and players has downgraded in recent times and it surely has affected the fans. The quality of our cricket needs to improve," Hamza said.
Eastern gallery's ticket price rose from 200 Tk to 300 Tk for this series. The gallery has no shield in the scorching and it also played a crucial role in people not choosing this side of the gallery. The Western Gallery, now priced at 200 Tk, was too empty at the beginning. More people started coming in the second half of the game, but still, it was only half-filled. The International gallery also had fewer people than usual.
More people are expected to come in on Wednesday's T20I clash, but the surprisingly empty ZACS gallery was not a surprise, after all.
