Event Notes: England-Pakistan Test Draws Crowd Of 54

England "got back to business" after a 29-day break from competitive action "and still fresh" from their Ashes heroics in front of a reported 54 fans this morning in Abu Dhabi. On the BBC's Test Match Special, Graeme Swann claimed that he had counted 54 supporters at the start of play, "although that number had grown to a few hundred by the time the first session ended" (London TELEGRAPH, 10/13). Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan said that Pakistan's Test series against England "should have been moved from the UAE to Australia." The first day of the first Test at Abu Dhabi's Zayed Cricket Stadium was "marked by poor attendance." Vaughan: "You have to get people watching and they aren't here" (BBC, 10/13).

AIBA MEETS IN QATAR: Hamburg, Germany has been successful in its bid to host the 2017 Int'l Boxing Association (AIBA) World Boxing Championships (AIBA).