Edgbaston turns solemn after noisy Sunday

In contrast to Sunday the Australia-England game was watched by a solemn, smallish crowd, writes Amrit Mathur.

The contrast to the scene at Birmingham two days ago could not have been more stark. Then, cricket was a massive, noisy celebration, the battle between bat and ball fought before screaming fans, accompanied by balle-balle, bhangra and beer.

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Today, cricket was on the backfoot, the Australia-England game watched by a solemn, smallish crowd more keen on protecting itself from chilly winds than warming up to the action unfolding in the middle. This indifference left many, specially in the ICC, redfaced with embarrassment.

They did put up a feeble defense: Cricket season normally concludes in August, people have gone back to work, schools have opened, summer is over.

All this, perhaps, is valid but despite the clever words there is no escaping reality that cricket here is a poor (and below the poverty line) cousin of football. In England, soccer is king. September is football season, to schedule a cricket tournament is the equivalent of scoring a self goal or conceding a penalty.