The good news just keeps on coming for English cricket – with the feelgood factor generated by England’s stunning triumph at Lord’s last summer now precipitating a boom in T20 ticket sales.
The competition got underway on Thursday night, with a sell-out crowd watching AB de Villiers cart Essex’s bowling around the Home of Cricket.
Further south in the capital, Surrey announced that ticket sales for their group stage matches in this year’s competition were already well ahead of last year’s figures. Given that 110,000 poured through the Oval turnstiles for seven T20 matches in 2018, that’s an impressive indication of booming interest in the summer game.
A spokesman said that Surrey’s sales were up 18 per cent year-on-year, with more than 80,000 advance tickets having been sold before the county have even begun their campaign.
The county also reported that 6,000 tickets have been shifted since England thrashed Australia in the semi-final at Edgbaston to claim their place in a first World Cup final since 1992.
It’s a similar tale at Warwickshire, with 4,000 tickets for the Blast having flown out of the door since England’s Lord’s win.
“We’ve seen an incredible response to Sunday’s events at Lord’s,” said Warwickshire chief executive Neil Snowball. “Earlier this week we accommodated more than 600 school children over two days for tournaments on the main outfield at Edgbaston, and it’s all that they are talking about.
“However, there has also been a noticeable commercial surge as well.
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Denne historien er fra July 21, 2019-utgaven av The Cricket Paper.
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