The warning signs were there by the time the first ball was bowled in the first Test between South Africa and Australia in Durban earlier this month. <\/p>\n
The reigning and previous world Test champions<\/a> were facing off once again, with wounds from the ball-tampering saga<\/a> from the previous visit still not full healed.<\/p>\n And yet, barely anyone turned up for the opening Test. Or for the second match in Gqeberha.<\/p>\n Former Australia<\/a> opener, and a central figure in the ball-tampering scandal of 2018, David Warner put it rather bluntly.<\/p>\n “We keep hearing how important Test cricket is, but where are the fans in South Africa? Empty stands, no atmosphere, and we\u2019re supposed to believe the format is thriving? You can\u2019t keep calling Test cricket the pinnacle of the game if no one turns up to watch it. Harsh reality, but someone has to say it. Pathetic,” Warner posted on social media.<\/p>\n Warner was a batter who started his career almost exclusively as a T20 batter, and then forced his way into Test cricket. He ended up playing over 100 Tests. A lot of it got taken away from him<\/a> after the sandpaper saga, with Warner losing any hopes of a future leadership position. <\/p>\n He knows how high the stakes are for players. And what it means if there is no one to witness their battles.<\/p>\n After the opening Test, a Cricket South Africa official said they will look into the reasons for low attendance for a marquee home series.<\/p>\n “A Test match of this quality, featuring the Proteas and Australia, deserved greater support in the stands,” Heinrich Strydom, chief executive of KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union, said in a statement. <\/p>\n “While we recognise that supporters face competing demands on their time and finances, we must also understand better what influences their decisions to attend and what more we can do to make live cricket an attractive and worthwhile experience.<\/p>\n “This is something we will reflect on through a thorough internal review.”<\/p>\n Former South Africa batter Daryll Cullinan had already warned that the series had many factors going against it.<\/p>\n In his piece for Cricinfo, Cullinan said that hosting a series in South Africa in October, when heavy rains are commonplace, and on underprepared surfaces was inviting trouble.<\/p>\n Fewer patrons <\/p>\n