Darwin crowds disappoint Nielsen

Australia's coach Tim Nielsen has told Darwin cricket fans they risk losing their already infrequent international cricket fixtures if they do not turn out in greater numbers. The first two ODIs between Australia and Bangladesh attracted about 4000 fans each and while the figures have pleased Northern Territory Cricket, Nielsen believes it will be hard to justify continually playing in front of such small crowds.

"I'd probably like to see a few more people here to support the games and really come out and show that, even if they aren't necessarily cricket people, they're willing to support international sport [in Darwin]," Nielsen said. "If that can't happen it's going to be more and more difficult I think for Cricket Australia and international teams to keep coming here."

Darwin fans have one more chance to see Australia take on Bangladesh, on Saturday. The three games have been the first full international matches held in Darwin since 2004, which was the second year that Cricket Australia experimented with the Top End tours.

The crowds have not been helped by the fact that the games are being televised live into Darwin. Andrew Ramsay, the chief executive of Northern Territory Cricket, felt 4000 per match was a good result despite the Marrara ground having held up to 17,500 spectators for Australian rules football games.

"We have a population of only 100,000 here in Darwin," Ramsay said, "and you can only squeeze the orange so much." Ramsay is hopeful that Darwin can host its third Test in 2010, when Bangladesh are scheduled to return.

The Northern Territory climate allows Australia to squeeze in out-of-season home fixtures against sides that would struggle to draw big crowds in the major Australian centres in summer. The ICC's future tours programme requires regular home-and-away clashes between all the full member nations and Nielsen said if games in northern Australia remained viable, the players would be happy to play there.

"Darwin is a good location for us at this time of year," Nielsen said. "It's obviously cold and wet down south. It's nice for our blokes to get some sun on their backs and run around and be playing international cricket at this time of the year. Normally we're overseas, so it's nice to be doing that in Australia."