Andrew Strauss's team and the remnants of the Barmy Army look lost in the desert
More than 23,000 vacant blue seats made this an underwhelming start to an intriguing Test series, but Pakistan are very good at playing in front of empty houses.
They are unbeaten in five previous Tests in the desert against Sri Lanka and South Africa over the last 15 months, and there may not have been that many more than the estimated attendance of 1,500 had this game been played in Lahore or Karachi – although the return of Test cricket to Pakistan might generate some rare subcontinental enthusiasm for the longer form.
For those scoffing at the deserted stands, it is also worth noting that England's first day of Test cricket in the United Arab Emirates attracted a bigger crowd than their last day in Wales – when 900-odd turned up in admittedly chilly conditions to witness their unlikely win against Sri Lanka last spring.
Haroon Lorgat, the chief executive of the International Cricket Council, may have cut a lonely figure as he sat in the Gold Area for VVVVIPs staring out at those empty seats, but this bad look for Test cricket was unavoidable given the security situation in Pakistan.
It is a shame the Sports City development had to be built so far out of town, and especially that the schedule did not allow for the game to begin on a Friday or Saturday, when the many expatriate Pakistanis in the Emirates will not be working and may therefore have been able to attend. Now there is a danger that the match may be over before the Dubai weekend, although the previous two Tests played at this ground suggest that wickets will be harder to take as the match develops.
Those who attended, the majority of them supporting England, were determined to make the best of it – despite having their water bottles confiscated at the turnstiles by zealous security guards. Even with this sparse attendance, there were queues at the gates when play began at 10am, so perhaps it was a good job the game did not start on a Friday.
Most of the Brits sat in the premium seats – possibly because they were in the shade, possibly because they afforded the best view from behind the bowler's arm, or maybe because the consumption of alcohol is permitted only in those pricier areas. "It's still pretty good value," said Ian Ross, who had travelled to Dubai with his old Bolton school-mates Dan Lees and Imran Sadiq, to watch his first live cricket since witnessing all four days of Lancashire's County Championship triumph in Taunton last September. "These tickets were 100 dirhams, which is about 20 quid."
A cup of Fosters, the only alcohol available, cost 30dms, cheaper than in most hotel bars where most Dubai drinking is conducted. And if you had a sudden attack of conscience, there was a signpost to the Prayer Room just outside the bar.
The Bolton boys are heading down for the second Test in Abu Dhabi, about an hour's drive south through the desert, next week, when a bigger crowd is expected at a smaller and less flashy stadium, helped by the offer of free admittance. "We've actually paid to go in a corporate box," added Lees. "It only works out at 30 quid each, with food and drink included. It's in the shade too, although that isn't as big an issue as we thought it would be, because it's not all that hot."
"I've never been out here watching Pakistan before," said Imran. "But I reckon if they keep playing here for a while they could make it a bit of a home from home, and I'd come again. It makes more sense for Pakistan than playing in England, like they did in Australia the other year. It's a shame there aren't more people here, but they reckon there will be on Friday."
Billy Cooper, the Barmy Army's long-serving trumpeter, split his day between the premium area and the cheap seats in the sun on the other side of the ground. "Quite a lot of the lads have bought two tickets," he explained, which might also explain why the official attendance figure approaches the pre-play estimate of 2,500. "I think tomorrow we'll start off in the sun, because we discovered today that the bar doesn't open until 11."
However, this was a poignant day for Cooper and the other Army regulars, as midway through the afternoon session they led a minute's applause to coincide with the funeral in Sunderland of George Summerside, a well-known and popular member of England's travelling band who died at the age of 53 last week. Cooper played a rousing Last Post, but shortly after being interviewed by Jonathan Agnew for BBC Radio's Test Match Special during the tea interval, he had his trumpet confiscated.