I'd add two things:

Pakistan's recent indiscretions also mean that there's doubt in the mind of cricket followers about what we're actually watching. Did we thrash Pakistan in Saturday's one-dayer, or did they take a dive?

Secondly, 8 hours is still a long time to sit in those awful stadium seats. It nearly kills me at the Sevens every year. On the other hand, the Basin's grassy banks always look appealing on the telly...

I'd also put more emphasis on the light beer. Cricket fans are not league fans. When cricket fans get drunk they shout clever(ish) sledges at boundary riders, streak across the pitch and start mexican waves (all integral parts of attending an ODI). When league fans get drunk they shout obscenities, throw bottles at players and start fights. Please recognise that we're not troublemakers and give us our beer back.

Paul, blame Auckland for the fun police and the fact we're not allowed to take anything in to cricket any more or only allowed to purchase x amounts of booze. The fans at Eden Park play up - cases in point last year's rugby league match v Australia and a T20 game back in 2005/6 - and the rest of the country is punished. I well remember the backlash after that T20 game and the fact that in an the ODI in Queenstown a few weeks later there were serious restrictions on booze, mainly not being allowed full strength beer after the first innings (which in QT is usually well before 50 overs!). They play up and the rest of the country is punished. So blame Auckland

It annoys me that the media continues to try and talk the 50-over game out of existence.

But in Wellington the biggest problem for limited overs cricket in general is the contempt with which Cake Tin management treats paying patrons, notably:

* the loud speaker bawling out the riot act while you're lining up. What a buzz kill - we're clearly not to be trusted. * having your WATER bottle confiscated because it's too big - and you might spend less in the stadium. * the narrow range of overpriced food and alcohol options * the paranoia from security. At the gate the security guy had to call over his manager to check whether I was allowed to bring in two pieces of unopened pizza I'd bought from New World on the way in to the stadium.

I contrast this experience with a friend who has just returned from watching the Ashes at the MCG, where his overiding impression was the patrons were made to feel welcome. As he said, the Cake Tin wants you to have a good time but only on its terms.

Do they realise that with the lack of value they're providing, combined with the way they're killing the atmosphere, they're playing a big role in turning people away from live sport?

Cricket administrators need to realise that the crowds are not their enemies.

Most people want to go to the cricket to enjoy it, not cause trouble. They need to relax the entry restrictions when crowds are smaller and easier to manage.

Preventing people taking in items is cutting off their nose to spite their face. I generally don't bother going to the cricket because I can be more comfortable, eat better and pay less at home.

Not really a reason for the small crowd but the caketin is not a great place to watch ODIs unless the place is chocka and the atmosphere humming. Give me Seddon park or the Basin any day.

%0 over cricket is well and truly alive, it still makes the most money out of the formats because of the extended TV revenue & advertising opportunities.

NZ cricket just schedules cricket in a stupid way year after year after year. I mean come on a game on anniversary weekend, when most people leave Wellington ummmmmmmm hello? Just liek the stupid 20/20's in Auckland & Hamilton during the new year period when everybody leaves those cities, and today a DAY game on a Wednesday in Queenstown when most people ar e back at work.

Sort it out NZ cricket and have games in Queenstown & Taupo over the xmas/new years when there's lots of people around and you'll get proper crowds.

I think the fun police have perhaps done more damage to ODI attendance than any other factor over the last 10-15 years. Like the cricket in years gone by, people are still prepared to spend 8 hours partying at the 7s spending large amounts on over-priced, poor-quality food and drink because it's a bloody good time, but the cricket no longer appeals because at the first sign of boisterousness you're surrounded by a bevy of aggressive security guards and eager cops.

I'd thought that with so much space at grounds like eden park, the cake tin, etc, that one area could be roped off and set aside for those who wish to follow the game in a more animated manner - like the 'Redzone' at the 7s. The remaining 75% of the stands could be inhabited by those who wish to bring their families and enjoy the game in a more sedate fashion.

But perhaps this approach doesn't fit with the likes of this country's sports marketing 'gurus' and stuffy 50-something administrators...

Well first of all, I’ve only ever heard this “no-one likes one day cricket anymore” nonsense from the media or administrators. I’ve never heard an actual living, breathing cricket fan say that. Now; I AM an actual living, breathing cricket fan who still loves ODIs and tests and even though I’m severely lukewarm on T20 it’s still cricket and I would be just as likely to attend all three formats if the experience was up to it. But it isn’t.

Test cricket is now grossly overpriced at 30-odd bucks a day and I wonder why it now costs that much when a few short seasons ago it was $15 at the gate. T20 is the slutty sister that’ll sleep with anyone. I lost count of how many times the sponsor’s name was used in conjunction with the team’s idiotic nickname when I attended a domestic game at the Basin last month, but I can tell you how many times I heard the word “Wellington”. About zero.

As for the general experience: I attended the ODI at the Cake Tin on Saturday. From the beginning the you are harangued by that awful recorded voice at the gate telling you that you’re basically not allowed to do anything in the stadium except spend money. The food on offer is terrible. The beer is flat, sugary, bland and you have no choice of type. There is no eftpos, unless you have a particular type of credit card. You can get cash, but you must pay fees up the wazoo for the ATM or cash out unless you bank with the right company.

Then the icing on the cake: I left and returned to the ground during the innings break. There I had my sealed 1.5 litre bottle of water confiscated on the grounds that it was too big, even though I’d been let in with the exact same bottle for the first innings. I asked where the rules spelled out the size limit and was told “online”; and on that modest sign over there with writing a few millimeters high. I accused the security staff of being petty and was threatened with removal for being abusive. The irony is that earlier in the day I’d met a man who showed me his backpack with a hidden compartment and a dozen beers. There was also the couple with a 1.25 (ie. > 1) litre bottle of rum and coke.

And on finally making it to my seat I discovered that the innings break had been only ten minutes, after which New Zealand batted for five overs before going off again for tea, leaving the crowd to sit there and listen to ads and that inane bearded moron they had doing the PA.

tl;dr - Bollocks to the stadium, and bollocks to NZ Cricket.

You're right on the money, Holden. But I would firmly place the blame in Scheduling and Marketing. There's TOO much cricket being played internationally and now with PayTV, you can watch it all year round if you want (I get three Channels of it here!). So there's just too much cricket in general. When you have a choice of staying at home, warm (in the case of the Queenstown/Welly games) and watching Australia take on England or a disappointing NZ team take on Pakistan A - I know what my choice is going to be. Also, I don't think the Cake Tin has EVER sold-out a cricket game in Wellington? Someone might correct me, but logic would say if you're EXPECTING a smaller crowd, why not schedule the ODI's at the Basin, which is a vastly superior cricket ground either way. Marketing-wise, that damning image pretty much sums up the lackluster marketing department at NZC. Coupled with the TERRIBLE HRV Series "song" and campaign promoting NZ Cricketers as a bunch of nobodies and celebrating the international ring-ins... they've just lost the plot on how to market the game. There's simple solutions to all the above of course, Less Cricket scheduled by the ICC - better teams touring NZ (How many times have Pakistan visited? Bangladesh? Sri Lanka? Pffft) and focus on Cricket in the bloody marketing! Make the GAME the star, rather than rugby, or a cheesy jingle that calls our young upcoming stars 'the best of the rest'.