RAWALPINDI, April 14: Virender Sehwag cracked an Indian record 309 and newcomer Umar Gul produced an unlikely golden spell of five for 31. Inzamam-ul-Haq struck a masterly century and Sachin Tendulkar was left stranded on 194 by a surprising declaration.

India's historic Test tour of Pakistan, tied 1-1 with the ongoing decider looking likely to produce a result, has not been short on excitement. But the stands have still been deserted. The reason? All of the above.

India's first full series in Pakistan in over 14 years, accompanied by strong political overtones, has produced such superlative cricket that the general consensus in Pakistan is that it is being played to a script.

There is no tangible evidence to prove the charge, nor is there any indication that it might be true. But it is the major reason for Pakistanis, who normally wear their hearts on their sleeves during encounters with India, staying away from the grounds in the Test series.

The "fixing' allegations, which players from both sides have taken exception to, were first made by former captain Rashid Latif in a television interview during India's 3-2 one-day series win in five thrilling encounters.

Though the Pakistan board condemned his comment and denied the charge, it seems to have struck a chord with the public. In Multan, where India won the first Test following Sehwag's heroics, a senior bureaucrat openly highlighted the impact of the charge on the low turnout at the stadium.

"One big reason for people not coming for the match is because there is a feeling among the people that the matches are fixed," Mohammad Ejaz Chaudhary, Multan's district coordination officer, told reporters. "Not for money, but in order to build goodwill among the countries."

People repeated the sentiment across the country, right from Karachi carpet-seller Shakeel Ahmed to Lahore businessman Junaid Mian to Rawalpindi bookseller Abdul Shakil. India and Pakistan have fought three wars against each other since 1947 and were close to a fourth conflict two years ago.

Relations have thawed over the last year and the current tour is seen as the biggest symbol of the stuttering peace process between the nuclear-armed neighbours. "The two countries have already decided the result of the matches to make each other happy. India won the one-day series and I'll be surprised if Pakistan don't win the tests," said Multan taxi driver Abdul Karim.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) says a bigger reason for the crowds staying away is that the more popular one-dayers were played before the Tests. After packed stadiums for the one-day series, only a few thousand turned up for the Multan Test and there were sometimes only a few hundred at Lahore.

At Rawalpindi, the scenes were more encouraging but the stands on the first two days were, at best, only a third full. India won the first Test by an innings and 52 runs but Pakistan hit back with an emphatic nine-wicket victory in the second and the attitude on the field, however, has been of "no quarter given and none asked for".

"If I wasn't playing the matches, I wouldn't have missed them for anything in the world," said one Indian player. "The Tests have been intense, charged and have produced some great cricket. If you don't come to the ground, it's simply your loss." -Reuters