West Indies cricket player Johnson Charles (centre) arrives in Napier.
West Indies cricket player Johnson Charles (centre) arrives in Napier.
Napier is sitting in the top spot as New Zealand's most prolific cricket-watching city during the Cricket World Cup, according to figures compiled by Statistics New Zealand.
Figures showed more than 10,000 people attended the Black Caps game against Afghanistan at Napier's McLean Park last weekend, which was about 7.5per cent of the city's population - the highest attendance proportionate to population of any city during the World Cup.
West Indies batsman Chris Gayle on the tarmac at Hawke's Bay Airport.
The next biggest contender was Wellington, thanks to the Black Caps-England game it hosted, which drew more than 30,000 people - or about 7 per cent of the city's population.
Meanwhile, the West Indies cricket team touched down in Hawke's Bay yesterday evening, ahead of their game against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at McLean Park on Sunday.
It is the final Cricket World Cup game to be hosted by Hawke's Bay and also the last match in New Zealand before the knockout phase of the tournament begins.
UAE is the city of Napier's official adopted team.
