Empty Seats in Final Test Match In UK

For the third consecutive week, an England cricket match is at risk of being played in front of numerous empty seats, with day four of the final Test at the Oval expected to draw less than half its capacity crowd.

Following low attendance at the first two Tests of the Sri Lanka series at Old Trafford and Lord’s, Surrey is facing a similar challenge, with around 13,000 tickets still unsold for Monday’s dead-rubber game.

The lacklustre ticket sales at some of England’s most prestigious venues raise concerns for Test-hosting counties and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Selling tickets for matches against teams other than Australia and India has become increasingly difficult, reflected in the reduced prices for the Sri Lanka Test at the Oval, which are about 25 percent lower than those for last summer's Ashes.

Tickets for Monday’s game are priced between £75 and £145 for adults, and £25 to £45 for under-16s, similar to the prices for days one through three and comparable to those at Lord’s. Last week, Telegraph Sport reported that only 7,000 tickets had been sold for day four at Lord’s, leaving the venue less than a third full on Sunday, despite some members boosting attendance.

Surrey has sold approximately 14,000 tickets for day four at the Oval, barely filling half of the 27,500-capacity stadium. A source admitted that a sell-out was unlikely, describing the ticket sales as “a bit of a battle.”

Unlike the Marylebone Cricket Club, which manages Lord’s, Surrey can attribute the low turnout to scheduling issues, with day four falling on a school day rather than during a summer-holiday weekend. The three Tests in this series have been played back-to-back, with the first Test at Old Trafford starting on a Wednesday, the second on a Thursday, and the third on a Friday.

The lack of a week’s break between Tests is likely due to a congested calendar, further complicated by the introduction of The Hundred. Additionally, England’s aggressive playing style, which often leads to matches ending within four days, has been cited as a factor contributing to poor day-four ticket sales this summer.

However, fans attending Tests in England are entitled to a full refund if fewer than 15 overs are played on a given day, and half their money back if only 15 to 30 overs are completed.

Surrey has no plans for a last-minute ticket sale for the Sri Lanka match, with a source emphasising the “real value” of the tickets and noting that the club has historically had no trouble selling day-four tickets for a Test. The source added that the club would “analyse the data” to refine their sales strategy for future matches against teams other than Australia and India.

In response to the low turnout on day four of the Lord’s Test, the MCC announced a review of its ticket pricing strategy. Guy Lavender, the chief executive and secretary of MCC, stated that the organisation would pay close attention to the pricing structure for fourth-day tickets, given the current trends in Test cricket.

Lavender explained that under-16 tickets for weekend days of Test matches were priced at just £15, with group discounts available for day four. However, he acknowledged the difficulty of retroactively discounting tickets when many fans had already purchased them at full price through the 2023 ballot process.