First of all there will be no issue of Zimbabwe Cricket Online next Friday, 31 December, but we will be back on 7 January as cricket prepares to start up again after a break of almost three weeks.

The busiest ten-week period, and in many ways the least successful, in Zimbabwe's cricket history has come to an end, mercifully with a token victory in the final one-day international against Sri Lanka to show for it. Six Test matches (four lost, two drawn) and eight one-day internationals (one won, six lost, one drawn) have passed into history. Lack of first-class preparation and injuries have played their part in Zimbabwe's failures, but at least a number of younger players will be much wiser as a result of their experience.

For Zimbabwe supporters, especially in Harare which hosted four of the Tests and five of the one-day internationals, there was more cricket to watch than ever before. The Australians and South Africans drew massive crowds, the Sri Lankans less so - in fact, the one-day series against the Sri Lankans drew very disappointing crowds, with the grounds being less than half-full at all matches.

Unreliable weather cannot be used as an excuse for Bulawayo, as fine weather in Harare failed to attract many spectators. There are several other reasons which probably combined to keep the numbers down. The sheer glut of cricket in such a short period of time and the poor form of the national side were two reasons. Furthermore Sri Lanka are not seen as attractive opponents in the same way as Australia and South Africa.

Another factor mentioned by a number of people was the high entrance charge to the one-day matches. $200 per adult may not seem exorbitant by international standards, but it is a lot more than many people in Zimbabwe will willingly pay, especially against less popular opponents and when there is so much cricket on the market in such a short period of time. The Zimbabwe Cricket Union, eager to attract more black spectators, probably missed a trick here. Potential black spectators who are not yet in the habit of attending matches were probably put off by the price, especially children.

It might well be worth considering, when England are here in February, making the mid-week matches in Bulawayo and Harare dirt-cheap for adults and free for children. Mid-week matches do not draw such large crowds anyway, and many who will only be able to attend for a short period of time, during the lunch hour or for the last period of play, will decide not to if the entrance charge is too high.

Schools will have afternoon activities and many children will only be able to attend if these schools decide to bring parties during the morning. A high entrance charge will put them off. It will be excellent publicity for cricket if the Zimbabwe Cricket Union actively encourages children and other spectators by going very easy on the charges and very heavy on the publicity. Spectators attracted in this way will, if they like what they see, be far more likely to attend the more costly matches as well.

There is one piece of good news about spectators, and that is the increasing proportion of women and schoolgirls in the crowd. One visiting reporter from South Africa was quite ecstatic about the number of 'beautifully dressed young women' present. Cricket seems to be catching on much more strongly among the female population - among the whites, that is. Few of them are black, and a more thoughtful policy by the administrators is probably necessary to attract blacks, both male and female, who do not usually attend cricket matches.