Ashes tickets up for sale for England fans
Even though there has been a decrease in ticket sales compared to the 2006-2007 Ashes series, a whooping 25,000 tickets were sold in the first 30 minutes of sale. In the end, a total of about 160,000 tickets were sold to Australian cricket fans who were given a preference and a chance to buy the tickets first, ahead of the official ticket sales. As a result, the English cricket fans will be given a chance to buy tickets first on the official sale on Tuesday. The tournament which starts in November still has tickets available for public release.
“We're not expecting the same extraordinary numbers. That series was one out of the box, probably an all-time record. The UK-Australia exchange rate is also very different this time, making it more expensive for UK visitors,” Cricket Australia's Public Affairs General Manager, Peter Young claimed in a press conference. Four years ago, a record crowd of 42,000 English supporters attended the series in Australia, only to watch their country lose 5-0 against Australia. It is highly unlikely that there will be a repeat of the same performance by England down-under and the crowds are expected to pick up.
British cricket fans, commonly known as the Barmy Army, had booked 20,000 seats for the last series in Australia. Due to this reason, a block of seats at each of the venues in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Cooper-c51561 was banned from playing the instrument in the last series because people found it annoying. However, Young said, "He is coming into venues on an agreed basis to work within our guidelines." Young stressed that Cooper would not do anything that would annoy anyone, saying that he would entertain the fans but mostly watch cricket.
Shane Warne, the retired Australian cricketer has said that the upcoming Ashes Series will be the most competitive of them all. Along with that, England will be aiming to become the second team ever to win a Test series in Australia. England seemed to have been warming up for the Ashes with a 3-0 victory in the series. However, the Australians stepped up their game and won the remaining two matches of the series, which ended at 3-2.
“I think 3-2 is a pretty true reflection of both sides. I don't think that either team, England or Australia, is dominant right now. In years gone by, you used to think Australia would win, but that England might have a chance if they played really well. Now you think that England can win, but both sides are really even. And that's the case in world cricket. The top three or four sides are all very even,” Warne told reporters earlier this month.
The Ashes is by far the most eagerly anticipated and competitive competition with both team on an equal footing. “Australia has not been quite as dominating since then, but they are through that transitional period now. The majority of the players have played 15 or 20 Tests, and though England are playing exceptional cricket, it's a tough ask to go to Australia and win. They've probably got the advantage right at the moment, but in my time, we lost one home series in 17 seasons, and two in 20 now. I think it's going to be a h**l of a series.” Warne claimed that Australia’s younger generation would not disappoint in the Ashes.
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