Michael Vaughan, the former England captain has slammed Lord’s for the “astronomical prices” charged for tickets to the first Test against New Zealand, saying fans were being priced out amid a cost-of-living crisis.
The first Test of the English summer at the ‘Home of Cricket’ begins on Thursday but hundreds of tickets are still up for grabs for the first day. Tickets for adults are priced from 50 pounds ($63) up to 160 pounds ($201) and Michael Vaughan said it was ‘scandalous’ that Lord’s could get away with charging the same price as a season ticket for England’s domestic competition, the Hundred.
Michael Vaughan Criticizes Steep Ticket Prices For The 1st England-New Zealand Test At Lords
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has questioned England and Wales Cricket Board for keeping an exorbitant ticket price for upcoming England vs New Zealand Test match at Lord’s starting from June 2 Thursday. There are thousands of unsold tickets for the first match between England and New Zealand.
“It drives me bonkers when I read about ticket prices and Lord’s has not sold out the first Test of the summer,” Michael Vaughan, who captained England in 51 Tests, said.
“If Lord’s is going to continue to charge these astronomical prices then they should be under threat from other grounds who will not charge as much. You can’t keep saying, ‘we are Lord’s, we need two test matches a year’ and then charge over 150 pounds in the holidays, during the (Queen’s Platinum) Jubilee and during a cost-of-living crisis.”
Michael Vaughan blamed the administrators for not being “streetwise enough” and said it was time to give back to the fans, especially as they look to return to normal life after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are the one country that generally sells out Test cricket,” Michael Vaughan added. “One of the reasons we are successful at selling test cricket is because people want to watch it. So, don’t out-price them. Just read the room.”
Lord’s owners, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), said they recognized that the most expensive tickets were available at a “premium price” but believe it “represents good value”.
“With the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee double bank holiday weekend also taking place, we have seen a reduction in our usual expected attendance numbers,” the MCC said.
“However, sales remain strong for the opening two days of the match and across our other international fixtures this year, with our India ODI being sold out.”
Ahead of England’s home series against New Zealand, the tickets for the first Test match at Lord’s remain unsold regardless of the fact that Ben Stokes starts his new chapter in his career as the captain of the red-ball format. Though the match has been dubbed as “Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Test”, the stands are likely to remain empty.
England’s recent form in the Test format has been very poor, and the team is placed in the bottom-most position of the World Test Championship rankings. Barmy Army mentioned high ticket prices as the cause for poor ticket sales.
England Will Begin A New Era Under New Test Coach And Skipper
England has managed only one win in the last 17 Tests and will begin a new era under newly-appointed skipper Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum. Brendon McCullum’s first assignment as a coach will be against his own country New Zealand as England begin a new journey in red-ball cricket with Ben Stokes being the leader.
England and New Zealand will lock horns in a three-match Test series starting on June 02, 2022, in Lords’ London. The second and the third Test matches will get underway on June 10 in Nottingham, and June 23 in, Leeds respectively. Interestingly, former New Zealand player and captain Brendon McCullum has been hired as England’s red-ball cricket coach and his first assignment straightaway will be against his own country.
After Joe Root stepped down from the captaincy role, the England and Wales Cricket Board wasted no time in appointing their premier all-rounder Ben Stokes as their new skipper. Coincidentally, New Zealand’s last year’s tour of England began on the same date June 02, and at the same venue.
Devon Conway will be having fond memories of that game as the classy left-handed opener had smashed a double century on his Test debut. New Zealand ended up that series of 2021 as the winners by a margin of 1-0 in 2 Tests.