Empty Gallery for West Indies Test in Mirpur: Only a Handful of Spectators Despite Free Entry, Almost as Few as the Security Personnel
The Test series against the West Indies is very important for Bangladesh. To stay in the race for the World Test Championship final, there is no alternative to winning this series. But the gallery did not reflect spectator interest in the series.
At Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Nazmul Hossain Shanto's Bangladesh side won the toss and batted first in the first Test of the two-match series. Openers Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Sadman Islam Anik made a careful start against West Indies pacers Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph.
Looking at the gallery alongside the play on the field, only a handful of spectators were present. The number was so low that the number of law enforcement personnel was almost equal to the number of spectators. This gallery picture greatly reduced the atmosphere of the match.
Yet the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had arranged free entry to watch the Dhaka Test. No ticket is needed to watch the match sitting in the north and south galleries. The match picture showed that this BCB arrangement had no effect on the gallery.
The sun was mentioned as a major possible reason for the low spectator turnout. Even in October, a summer-like scorching sun was all around. Only time will tell whether the gallery picture changes during the rest of the day.
This is Bangladesh's last home Test series of the year. With three wins and one draw in six Tests, Bangladesh sit fourth in the table, with India right behind them.
After being injured during practice in Mirpur yesterday, Mushfiqur Rahim was not seen in the XI for the first Test against the West Indies today. Yesterday's injury ruled the experienced Bangladesh batter out of the Mirpur Test XI.
