By Oliver Brett BBC Sport Online

The one-day game is the opium of the cricketing public.

That being so, the England and Wales Cricket Board has every right to demand why Headingley was barely half full for the England-Sri Lanka match on Tuesday.

The murky weather did not help affairs, it should be said. It had rained most of Monday and the game was never going to start in time.

Furthermore, the fixture was mid-week, and the opposition were not India, who can draw on a large number of supporters in west Yorkshire.

Instead it was Sri Lanka, who were without their star performer Muttiah Muralitharan.

The rain meant a 32-over-a-side match

Yorkshire Post cricket correspondent Robert Mills says he was not at all surprsied when he turned up at the ground to see 6,000 empty seats.

"It's clearly worrying, but I wouldn't say it's part of a great trend," he says.

"Headingley has always been regarded as a Test match ground. Historically, they tend not to come for one-day matches."

"They will role up for the World Cup games but Sri Lanka in mid-week on a wet Tuesday... Quite frankly, it's not a great draw and I wouldn't have paid good money for a ticket.

"I'm afraid if the ECB are going to have more and more internationals they have to accept it's less of a novelty.

"They may be creating more opportunities to make money but they are also diluting the event."

Mills believes novelty is a key factor in attracting crowds to cricket matches.

"It's worth speculating that Headingley could become a specialist Test match venue, and that one-day games could be played on less-established grounds, like Southampton, Canterbury and Bristol."

Tendulkar's India are a bigger draw

What he does not accept is that Headingley's Test match future will come under pressure from the ECB.

That's despite the fact that Durham's up-and-coming Riverside Ground at Chester-le-Street gets its first Test match next year, and the Rose Bowl, in Southampton stages one-day matches from 20004.

The ECB has, in addition, hinted that the Rose Bowl could be considered for Test status in the longer term.

But Mills says: "I would be very disappointed if it's not a full house for the Test against India."

He feels that with the mass appeal of Sachin Tendulkar, returning to the county he represented in 1992, the fans will turn up in their thousands.

Headingley should have no excuses if that fixture is not extremely well attended, as it falls on August Bank Holiday weekend.

Oddly enough, the abolishment of the famous Western Terrace is not seen by Mills as a deterrent to fans - in fact, quite the opposite shold be the case.

"A lot of ordinary cricket punters were turned off by the Western Terrace. They are more inclined to go now than in the past. It's a better view and there more facilities.

The Rose Bowl is a fine addition to the rota

"Unless you are a hooligan it's a more attractive proposition."

Yorkshire's chief executive, Chris Hassell, in an interview for BBC radio, was forced to find further excuses for the poor show on Tuesday.

He said advance bookings were always slower in the northern grounds than at Lord's and the Oval.

"The northerners leave it nearer the time to see what the weather might be rather than commit themselves beforehand.

"Obviously the ECB want all of their matches sold out but we have to remind them the market will only stand so much.

"The market has changed tremendously in the past few years and there's only a certain amount in people's pockets."

Until it has inquired further, the ECB is keeping its cards close to its chest about the Yorkshire ground.

No speculation

A spokesman said: "We are not going to enter any speculation on Headingley's future as an international venue.

"We already have a draft schedule for the foreseeable future, and that schedule includes Headingley, both for Tests ane one-day internationals."

But there is at least a clear sign that the traditional grounds must not take anything for granted.

At least OId Trafford has put its house in order.

Sunday's match between England and Sri Lanka is an 18,500 sell out.