Absent test fans set alarm bells ringing

By N.Ananthanarayanan

MOHALI, India (Reuters) - Empty seats at last weekend's test between India and Australia have alarmed cricket's administrators, who were already worried that the runaway success of Twenty20 could spell doom for the classic, five-day game.

"All of us were concerned when we came here and saw the lack of spectators," said International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat, who was in Mohali. "We want to promote and protect this form of the game and we are looking at it very seriously."

Organisers in Mohali brought in bus loads of schoolchildren to fill the stands after the second test began last Friday with barely a hundred fans scattered around the ground.

There was little noise when India won the toss and opted to bat and the volume swelled only slightly when Sachin Tendulkar overtook West Indian Brian Lara as the highest test-run scorer.

The third test, in New Delhi, starts next Wednesday, a day after Diwali, the biggest Hindu festival, and officials fear fans may stay away again.

The crushing nature of India's second-test defeat of Australia, by a record 320 runs, and security fears following a series of blasts in the Indian capital last month could also dampen enthusiasm for the test, they feel.

"We get evidence of interest in test matches from attendance of spectators at the ground," said Lorgat. "Bangalore (the first test venue) had a great crowd but we are certainly disappointed by the crowd numbers in Mohali."

The same Mohali stadium had attracted full houses when it held Indian Twenty20 franchise league games earlier this year, with fans regarding the three-hour contests as a perfect family outing.