Pakistan’s Cricket Board (PCB) has rolled out free and affordable tickets for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa as it hopes to revive fans’ interest in Test cricket in several Asian countries, including India.
In the previous Pakistan series against England, which ended in a 2-1 defeat for visitors, only 1,000 spectators appeared in the first Test.
Pakistan ruled, but there was no difference between the second and third tests at Multan and Rawalpindi. The PCB scale comes from the ideology of luring audiences into the stadium. However, some games were the exception as the match between India A and Australia’s Kanpur attracted a large, lively audience.
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PCB will significantly reduce ticket fares for the two-match South Africa Test Series
Pakistan’s cricket has fallen to an all-time low, losing many of its home red ball matches in the past few years since the ICC World Test Championship began. The WTC was launched in 2019 and since then Pakistan has not been able to finish even in the top five positions in the WTC points table.
Due to their weak performance, they lost a crowd of people coming to the stadium for a red ball game. In a bold attempt to lure fans into the stadium, Pakistan’s Cricket Board (PCB) has announced free and low-cost tickets for a two-match Test series against South Africa.
The move, scheduled for October 12-16 in Lahore and October 20-24 in Rawalpindi, has made the empty stands a too-familiar sight as Pakistan Test cricket struggles to fill the seats.
Pakistan vs South Africa test ticket prices
First Test – Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore (October 12-16)
General, first class, premium, VIP (major enclosure): Free
VIP IQBAL & JINNAH END, Gallery: PKR 800-1,000 (~Rs 350-Rs 440)
Platinum Box: PKR 8,000 First 4 Days (~rs 3,520), PKR 10,000 Day 5 (~rs 4,400)
Second Test – Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (October 20-24)
General, first class, premium, VIP (major enclosure): Free
PCB Gallery: PKR 800 First 4 Days (~rs 350), PKR 1,000 Day 5 (~rs 440)
Platinum Box: PKR 8,000 First 4 Days (~rs 3,520), PKR 10,000 Day 5 (~rs 4,400)
Red Ball Match Empty Stands are an issue across Asia
Pakistan’s country, which has been underperforming in ICC World Test Championship history, is not the only aspect that has struggled to fail this empty stands in a red ball match.
India, a country of highly successful testing, has also seen low voter turnout due to home testing. The recently played first test against the West Indies in Ahmedabad is marked as emptying one of India’s biggest stadiums.
Some have argued that the absence of Virat Kohli, one of India’s greatest test stars, is the reason for the decline in the number of fans who have come to witness the legendary batter being active.
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