Chris Gayle had done his best to give his side a good start but even Brian Lara couldn't manage 40. As Charles Colville (bless him he finally has said something that makes sense) noted on Sky's coverage;
1 partnership of 50 isn't going to win you matches.
It certainly didn't for the West Indies. Scott Styris made 80 not out in a century partnership with Craig McMillan to ensure a comfortable 7 wicket win for the Black Caps.
Lara had apparently commented on the lack of support that the hosts were getting at the grounds. The debate about ticket pricing for this World Cup has been ongoing for some time. The general gist is that entrance to the ground is $16US which is supposed to be far too expensive for the average West Indian supporter to afford. Depending upon who you speak to prices allegedly vary from $40US to $100US but I cannot find any official information to support those claims.
During the coverage I heard that not only were ticket prices a problem for the locals but car parking too was an issue. For some time now West Indian cricket has been in crisis; be it politics amongst the team and those that run it or just the fact that the youth of that part of the world are paying more attention to games like basketball.
This competition was a chance to rejuvenate the game in the Caribbean yet with so many empty seats in what are clearly big cricket matches it seems that the ICC have missed a great opportunity. Shame on them.
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