ST AUGUSTINE (Trinidad), March 11: A sell-out crowd was an important factor in the decision to continue the World Cup warm-up match between Pakistan and South Africa on Friday, opposing coaches Bob Woolmer and Mickey Arthur said.

Play was interrupted for seven minutes after the South Africans, who were put in to bat, expressed concern over what they considered was an unfit pitch.

Play resumed after umpires Peter Parker and Ian Gould decided the pitch was not dangerous.

“It was a tale of two pitches,” South African coach Arthur told a news conference. “It was pretty damp in the morning and had the coin fallen the other way the result may have been different.”

Arthur said the South Africans' objection to the pitch had been prompted by the risk of injury.

In the end, consideration for a bumper crowd, estimated by the organisers to number 5,000, carried the most weight.

“You couldn't just cancel it, it was a sold-out game and there would have been repercussions down the line if it was called off,” Arthur said.

Woolmer concurred with Arthur that the crowd's interests received top priority. “There were over 3,500 people in the ground and we felt we had a duty to continue with the game.”—Reuters