MCC faces fresh ticketing dilemma following Lord’s empty seats embarrassment

Marylebone Cricket Club has been given another ticketing dilemma after last Sunday’s paltry attendance at Lord’s, with the International Cricket Council scheduling next summer’s World Test Championship final to take place over six days at the iconic ground. 

In a change from last year’s WTC final at The Oval, MCC has been handed responsibility for ticket sales, while the club will also have to give up space on the perimeter hoardings and sightscreen for adverts for the ICC’s commercial partners, including Saudi Arabian energy company Aramco.

The sixth day will only be used if bad weather means that more than 90 overs are lost which cannot be made up and no result has been reached by the end of day five, but the ticketing issue will still present a challenge for MCC. 

The inaugural World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand at Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl in 2021 went to a sixth day after the first day was completely washed out, although there were no spectators present due to Covid restrictions.

MCC’s ticket strategy has come under scrutiny after a crowd of just 9,000 attended the fourth day of England’s second Test win over Sri Lanka last weekend, with several stands at Lord’s closed completely. 

Adult ticket prices ranged from £80 to £150, although under-16 tickets were available for £15, with MCC chief executive Guy Lavender conceding afterwards that pricing would be reviewed for next summer.

India and Australia currently lead the World Test Championship table and are on course to reach the final. New Zealand and England are the only teams that can theoretically catch them, which would lead to strong demand for tickets – but filling Lord’s for five or six days would still represent a challenge. 

Last year’s final between the same sides at The Oval did not sell out, although the presence of highly partisan Indian fans made for a good atmosphere.

The 2023 final was moved from Lord’s to The Oval because of MCC’s reluctance to give ICC complete control of the ground, which would have meant them removing the branding of their sponsors including main commercial partner JP Morgan. 

That issue has been resolved ahead of next year’s final when Lord’s will be dominated by adverts for the ICC’s main partners, which include Aramco, Emirates and DP World.