/ 1 April 2007

Lara puzzled by small crowds

West Indies captain Brian Lara is not buying into the debate about why crowds have been smaller than expected at the first World Cup in the Caribbean.

Critics are blaming the high price of tickets compared with local household incomes, or a sign of local malaise in cricket.

”I can’t say — I don’t know what’s going on with the psyche of the people of the Caribbean,” Lara said.

He said the small crowd for the West Indies match against defending champion Australia at Antigua was disappointing. But he expected a full house for Sunday’s match at Guyana against Sri Lanka because of the must-win situation for the hosts.

Lara was adamant that the protracted contract dispute between the West Indies board and the players’ union had nothing to do with the size of the crowds or the performances of the team.

”That’s not a major factor. Even if it’s an empty stadium, even if we’ve got no contracts, it’s still a World Cup,” Lara said. ”And we’re professional players.” – Sapa-AP