Gibson 'disappointed' by lack of first-class crowds

Cape Town - New Proteas coach Ottis Gibson says he has been disappointed by the lack of supporters he has seen in attendance at Sunfoil Series matches this season.

For years now, South African cricket has been struggling to make the domestic first-class game an attractive product. 

The One Day Cup and T20 Challenge matches still enjoy decent support, but the four-day game seems to generate little to no interest from the country's cricket lovers. 

It may have been different in the late 1990s and early 2000s when the West Indian Gibson was plying his trade on the South African domestic scene, but it didn't take long for the new coach to realise that things have changed. 

"We want to start to really practice good habits ... time out in the middle can be better than having a few nets," Gibson said when asked about his Test players having featured in the first round of Sunfoil Series matches this season.

"The other thing is that if the Proteas are all playing first-class cricket in the Sunfoil Series, I would expect that more fans will be enthused by it and perhaps come out and watch.

"One of the disappointing things when I went to watch those games, especially at SuperSport Park, was that there was absolutely nobody in the ground at all.

"That’s disappointing, especially when you’ve got all the best players in the country playing."

The Sunfoil Series is currently in its fourth round of fixtures, with all nine matches so far this season having ended in draws.