We have to remember, no member of an MCC or ECB committee ever has to pay to attend the major matches. If they had to pay then knowing what I know, most of them would not be there. They have done plenty of things for cricket, but the word FREELOADER comes to mind. The prices are too high, and for some considerable time to come, will deter people. The days of lavish corporate hospitality are over.

Prices to watch international cricket in this country are disgusting and take the mickey out of the consumer. I think once ticket prices get over the £40-£45 mark then it start to price out the working man, especially if he wants to take his kids.

To put it into context when I went out to NZ 7 years ago I watched a Test Match between NZ and SA at Hamilton for around £7 for the days play. My brother is going out to Oz this year with a couple of mates and watching a couple of days of Test cricket at both Brisbane and Adelaide and its costing £107 including the booking fees, so around £27 a day to watch the pinnacle of Test Match cricket.

We went to the Bear Pit for the ashes game last year and I think we paid about £60 a go. This for 7 ish hours of top class cricket did not to my mind seem overly expensive in context (about £10 an hour. HAving said that we had a very good absorbing day and it was curtailed only by 15 minutes due to weather and so We left feeling we had got what we had paid for.

It also compared to the tickets we paid to go to Wimbledon this year (especially bearing in mind you have to enter a draw to get to buy a ticket, you would thin that there would be the likely hood of profiteering there.

Whether this is too much depends. I do not go to international sporting events very often and so as it is a "Big Day Out" it does not seem that extortionate, not when you think you pay about £15 to go and see Worcester City fail to play football lasting only 90 minutes and they are in some league I have never heard of.

On top of gate prices it's the quanity of international cricket being played, especially this year. I used to be able to rattle off the summers fixtures ie 5 tests, a one day series and perhaps a touring side at the start. This year in England we have :

Bangladesh 2 tests
Aussies 5 ODI
Bangles 3 ODI
Pakistan 4 tests
Pakistan 2 T20
Pakistan 5 ODI

Aussies v Pakistan 2 T20
Aussies v Pakistan 2 Tests

Plus the three touring sides play various counties, add in the odd A team touring the country playing England A. Chuck in Ireland / Scotland / Netherlands doing their bit and hosting the tourists.

Going to an International used to be an event and something special.

As it still is for us maybe that is why we do not think it is excessive. However as I am sure there are many people like me who see it like that and think carefully about it (and to be honest would even if the price was half that with travel etc.) that is why we are seeing half empty grounds especially for the non aussie games.

Similar to the glut of domestic T20 anyone?

I need to rephrase that. They are still special days out, but when you're being clouted for gate money it's unlikely that watchers will fill all those matches.

I understand what you meant, my point was that if it is a trip once every 2-3 years to the test match then if you are seeing top quality opposition then you don't mind. If you are watching a jaded England play meaningless games against bangladesh and zimbabwe then you will not pay out top dollar.

When was the last summer that we did not have a home Test? Asia??

I presume that it was back in the 30s, when only ourselves and Aussie and South Africa played Tests. One summer in three 'blank' ?

I begrudgingly would pay 50 quid to see Eng v Aus, but I certainly wouldn't shell out 2 ponies on seeing Eng v anyone else.

1927

The Windies were playing as of 1928
New Zealand 1930
India 1932

1970

Discuss!

Alan Jones of Glamorgan played one "Test", scored 0 and 4, and never played again.

They are no longer regarded as proper Test Matches.