The opening Test of the summer between England and New Zealand could see thousands of empty seats at Lord’s.
The season opener – the first game of the new Stokes–McCullum era – will also see special celebrations at Lords’ to honour the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
According to a report in the Telegraph, as many as 20,000 seats were still unclaimed on Monday, three days ahead of the opening clash between the two sides, with ticket prices at the ground coming in for criticism.
According to the Lord’s website, the cheapest remaining tickets for juniors on day one are priced at £110 with others going for as high as £160 for both adults and juniors.
There was significant criticism of the high ticket prices on social media, including tweets from Michael Vaughan, who called the situation “embarrassing for the game”.
Lords not being full this week is embarrassing for the game .. Try & blame the Jubilee if they want but I guarantee if tickets weren’t £100 – £160 it would be jam packed !!! Why are they so expensive ??? #Lords #ENGvNZ
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) May 31, 2022
How about working out a way to get the tickets remaining at Lords to kids with a parent for £40 to make sure it is full .. it’s the school holidays and lots of kids will be around to go to the Test match ?? @HomeOfCricket ??? #Lords #ENGvNZ
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) May 31, 2022
So disappointing & yet again after all the empty words over the last year the game is too expensive to experience
Seriously and quickly need to find a way to reduce ticket prices across the game so more people can come and enjoy it
https://t.co/vwIUsSlcwR
— Azeem Rafiq (@AzeemRafiq30) May 31, 2022
Lords say it’s the jubilee bank holiday that’s caused low ticket sales. But I also believe cost of tickets is a significant factor. Not just at Lord’s but across all of cricket. Buy tickets or pay your leccy bill? Not much of a choice is it.
— Elizabeth Ammon (@legsidelizzy) May 30, 2022
@HomeOfCricket are not bothered about loss in revenue for this test. They have @BCCI at home for an ODI this summer where they have sold out selling General Tickets up to almost £200 a ticket – scandalous! https://t.co/kwJXBdtpWD
— The Bharat Army (@thebharatarmy) May 31, 2022
Chris Millard, the managing director of the Barmy Army, told The Telegraph that the high ticket prices weren’t making the game “accessible” for the public.
“We do not get tickets at Lord’s as a group, but speaking to a lot of people who go every year they have been put off due to price and the cost of living crisis,” he said.
In a statement, the MCC said that while they “recognise that the top price tickets available are at a premium price”, there were still a range of pricing points available to watch cricket at Lord’s throughout the year. While admitting that there have been a reduction in sales from the expected attendance numbers, – in their view down to the double bank holiday – the statement stressed that there was plenty of demand for the first two days of the Test, and other fixtures in 2022.
“Whilst we recognise that the top price tickets available are at a premium price, we believe that across the whole ground, this represents good value to watch top-class international cricket at one of the world’s most iconic sporting venues, with many pricing points available,” the statement read. “Furthermore, there are opportunities to watch cricket at Lord’s to suit many budgets in 2022. Adult tickets in The Hundred begin at £10, with tickets for Under-16s priced at £5. The England v India Women’s One-Day International sees all adult tickets priced at £25, and Under-16s also at £5, whilst Vitality Blast tickets begin at £20 for adults and £10 for Under-16s.”
The complete schedule for the England v New Zealand Test series can be found here. Here are details on where you can watch the series on TV channels and live streaming outlets.
