Pakistan's journalist questions poor turn-out for England's first Test in Karachi in 22 years, gets mocked by fans

For the first time in 22 years, England are currently playing a Test match at the iconic National Stadium in Karachi. After suffering a defeat in the first and second Test of the series, Babar Azam and company are currently eyeing to finish the year on a high note. 

Batting first, the team started in a poor fashion once again as Abdullah Shafique was quickly dismissed by Jack Leach. Shan Masood and Azhar Ali took control and gave Pakistan a decent start while skipper Babar Azam accelerated that to help Pakistan put up a decent score on board. However, the 28-year-old was unfortunate as he failed to convert his start into a triple-digit figure. He was dismissed on 78 after getting involved in a run out. Meanwhile, batting at number seven, 29-year-old Agha Salman scored a sensational half-century to keep Pakistan afloat.

However, when it comes to the support from the crowd, Karachi seemed to disappoint. While talking about the game, Saj Sadiq, a famed journalist from Pakistan pointed out the empty seats of the National stadium. He believes that Test cricket is losing its appeal in some parts of Pakistan and if that indeed is the case, it’s a huge matter of concern for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

“First time England are playing a Test match in Karachi for 22 years yet we are seeing so many empty seats in the stands. It seems like Test cricket is losing its appeal in some parts of Pakistan,” the journalist tweeted.

Am still not interested to watch this match even on TV: Twitter reacts to Sadiq’s tweet

However, the fans on Twitter quickly pointed out the reason why they prefer not to go to the stadium. Few fans cited the incompetence of the Pakistan team while others spoke about the poor facilities for fans in the Karachi stadium.

Some even didn’t shy to call the Test match to be boring while others completely remained away from spending any of their money on a dead rubber.

I won't blame Karachiites. I, as much being a spirited cricket fan, am still not interested to watch this match even on TV. How can you expect fans to stay intact when you are giving zero results, flat motorway pitches and non defendable performances? Some drastic measures reqrd.

— AINY 🇵🇰 || #INDvAUS (@AINYways) December 17, 2022