LONDON. Aug 7: Yorkshire said on Tuesday that lack of interest in the Pakistan tourists was the reason for disappointing ticket sales leading up to Thursday's second cricket Test against England at Headingley, reports AFP.

Just 7.000 tickets were sold by Monday with advance sales for Sunday only 2,500 as England attempt to level the three-Test series against the formidable tourists.

But Yorkshire chief executive Chris Hassell claimed the slow ticket sales were because the tourists, despite the pres ence of exciting fast bowling duo Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, had failed to capture the public's imagination.

Only 53,817 watched Pakistan at the Headingley Test of 1992, even though England* won It, compared to 70450 against Australia the following year and 67,500 for the South Africans in 1994 and 64.500 for WestTndies last summer.

"The figures suggest that Pakistan Tests are not that popular," said Hassell. "We do nave a large Pakistan’community down the road in Bradford but they are obviously not cricketminded because that is not Ixirne out in the figures."