A dearth of spectators has marred the ongoing ICC Knockout Trophy tournament in the Kenyan capital. Only 2,000 fans, most of them school children, were on hand when Kenya's president Daniel Arap Moi tossed the coin for the opening match between the hosts and India in the 7,000-capacity Nairobi Gymkhana grounds on Tuesday.
The turn-out was even worse when the West Indies, making their first tournament appearance in Kenya, were thrashed all over the ground by Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
Empty stands - it is either lack of cricketing knowledge exhorbitant gate charges or outright apathy. Save for football, Kenyans are not known for their enthusiasm of other sports. The Kenya Cricket Association (KCA), with financial support from the International Cricket Council (ICC), spent about $500,000 on a major rehabilitation of the tournament venue to bring it up to scratch.
But this huge expenditure has forced the organisers to raise gate charges. Bureau Report