Taxpayers have been caught out to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds after Bradford Council “gambled” on an international cricket event which flopped.

The Council stumped up £50,000 to help underwrite last summer’s Test match between Pakistan and Australia at Headingley, Leeds.

But the public failed to be bowled over by the match, with fewer than a quarter of the ground’s 16,000 seats being sold.

Yesterday Yorkshire County Cricket Club blamed the poorly-attended event for a £2 million loss in 2010 – after a record-breaking £8.4m turnover the previous year.

It has emerged that Yorkshire CCC had turned down the chance of hosting an England Test match at Headingley against Bangladesh. Instead, it plumped for bidding for the Pakistan-Australia clash against venues around the country.

A number of supporters, including Bradford Council, put in money to underwrite the event. That is now lost.

The club’s director of finance, Charles Hartwell, said: “They won’t get the money back.”

Mr Hartwell confirmed Bradford Council was one of Yorkshire CCC’s partners for the Test match played last July.

He said: “They organised a reception for the Pakistan team in Bradford and were one of a number of supporters. There was also a civic reception and an open top bus tour. They felt they were doing something for Bradford’s high Asian population.” Bradford Council leader Ian Greenwood last night blamed the decision on the authority’s previous Conservative-ruled administration.

As well as the £50,000 given to Yorkshire CCC, the Council funded a civic reception at Cartwright Hall for the Pakistan team.

Councillor Greenwood said he would be demanding answers on why Council taxpayers’ money was spent on the Test match.

He said: “I haven’t seen the business case that was put at the time, which we will have to look at. But, in the circumstances which we are in, it clearly isn’t appropriate to take gambles on sporting events.

“At some stage there was some sort of bidding process. I am not clear what that was. It was a decision taken by the previous administration.”

Coun Greenwood added: “I will be asking for an explanation of what took place. It’s perfectly reasonable for people to ask why we did it and people should have an explanation."

Keighley Conservative MP Kris Hopkins, who was Bradford Council leader until the local elections last May, said the Council had been approached by Yorkshire CCC.

He said: “They wanted financial support to make sure the match went forward. There was a discussion across the Council. The chief executive was approached. He had a conversation with our political leaders. There was a decision taken.

“It was a large significant event in close proximity. There was a sizeable number of people who might be interested in the community in a major sporting event involving significant cricketing nations. We thought it was the right thing to do.”

But Shipley Tory MP Philip Davies said: “People don’t pay their council tax in order to be sporting promoters. They pay to have their bins emptied and their roads gritted. I think it is absolutely outrageous and I would like a commitment from the Council that they will never indulge in this kind of activity again.”

Bradford East Liberal Democrat MP David Ward said: “It is the last thing Bradford Council needs when it is facing pretty awful cuts. It couldn’t have come at a worse time. Every single penny is important.”