England should excite to draw stayaway followers, says Stuart Broad

England should produce a model of cricket to excite supporters, quick bowler Stuart Broad mentioned, with the group’s first Test match below new management failing to promote out any of its opening 4 days at Lord’s.

With two days remaining earlier than the beginning of the primary check of a three-match collection towards New Zealand, seats had been nonetheless extensively accessible on the dwelling of cricket. More than 16,000 seats are unoccupied throughout the primary 4 days of what’s considered the marquee match of England’s worldwide summer season.

Two Kings of their fortress 🏰@StuartBroad8 | @jimmy9 👑@HomeOfCricket 🏏 pic.twitter.com/ZeG8SxuiHK

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 31, 2022

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There are numerous components at play, from cost-of-living pressures to tickets costing as a lot as 160 kilos ($200) per day to occasions happening elsewhere to have a good time Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.

England’s Test group can also be in poor type, having gained simply one in every of its final 17 matches, though the group has new management in captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum.

Broad, again in England’s squad after lacking the latest tour of the Caribbean, mentioned the “style of cricket” was essential to grabbing followers’ consideration.

“To attract the fans, we have to build on that style of cricket and have a style that people want to watch,” Broad mentioned.

“Trent Bridge (for the second test in Nottingham) has sold out for the first three days, so there is still that support for the team. From a player’s point of view, we have to make that commitment that we want to be exciting and draw people through the gates.” Marylebone Cricket Club, the proprietor of Lord’s, mentioned tickets gross sales stay robust throughout England’s different worldwide fixtures on the venue this yr, with the ODI towards India being offered out.

The Cricket Supporters’ Association underlined what it described because the “astronomically high” worth of tickets.

“The MCC would have known ticket sales were down weeks ago and so could have opened up the ticket sales with a different pricing structure for this particular game,” the affiliation mentioned.

“It isn’t rocket science but this could have been a great opportunity to showcase test cricket to a wider audience at one of the best grounds in the world.”