The new, quieter Caribbean

One of clearest signs of the decline in West Indies cricket has been the fall in attendances at Test matches. In years gone by the grounds would have been packed out with vocal home support, supplemented by boat and plane loads of English tourists to cheer on the visitors.

The latter still remain and there has been a steady stream arriving into Kingston over the last few days, but the home support is threatening to vanish – at least inside the ground. Of course this isn't a problem solely in West Indies, but it is because the passionate crowds were once such a part of the Caribbean experience that it is felt so noticeably.

"They are not very encouraging," was how Donald Peters, the chief executive of the West Indies cricket board, bluntly explained tickets sales during the series launch. He wouldn't give an exact figure, but the signs on the first day were that take-up hadn't been great. However, a few more filtered in during the day and pre-sold tickets have never been a big thing here, as the World Cup showed in 2007. People like to decide on the day and walk-up, but less are choosing to these days.

The board will let school children in free – and there are two schools behind the main scoreboard side of the ground, so let's hope they are allowed to bunk off early – but have not yet decided whether to drop the ticket prices which currently range from JAM$800 to JAM$2,400 (£10-£30) per day.

Since the ground was redeveloped for the World Cup there are now vast concrete stands at either end. They are impressive structures with excellent facilities, but it now means that it looks very obvious when there aren't many people in and it creates a poor image for the game.

On the plus side, the series sponsors have struck a deal to allow free radio coverage of the match. Listening to the action on headsets inside the ground has always been popular in West Indies, but in recent times some matches have not been given ball-by-ball coverage.

While it is important that West Indies continue to show improvement in their performances to attract an audience, the game also needs to be made as accessible to the public as possible.