Record crowds are expected at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test between India and Australia. Tickets for the general public has been sold out for the first day of the match over two weeks in advance and nearly a week before the start of the third Test in Brisbane.
The Boxing Day Test is the fourth match in India's five-Test series in Australia. And yet, tickets are unavailable already on Ticketek, the Australian company that is facilitating ticket sales for summer's cricket matches. The message displayed on the website states: "General public tickets for Day 1 are currently sold out. If any further tickets become available from operational holds these will be released for sale on Tuesday 24th December (please monitor the website for the time closer to the date). Please note there is no guarantee tickets will be released."
Record attendance in first and second Tests
The series is tied 1-1 after two Tests with India winning the first match in Perth by 295 runs and Australia winning the second by 10 wickets. There have been quite a few on-field flare-ups, as is usually the case in Test matches between the two sets. The most notable thus far has been the one between India pacer Mohammed Siraj and Australia batter Travis Head, with the crowd in Adelaide booing the former after the incident.
Crowd attendances have been consistently strong in the two Tests. The total attendance of 135,012 in three days in Adelaide exceeded the previous record of 113,009 for a Test against India, which was set over five days in 2014-15. The single day attendance record for a Test against India in Adelaide was also smashed both on day one and two respectively, with 50,186 and 51,642 at the ground – the third and fifth highest attendance for any day of Test cricket at Adelaide Oval. The first two days of the first Test at Optus Stadium in Perth also broke the record for the highest attendance for any Test played at the venue. Day 1 saw 31,302 spectators flocking the stands and 32,368 spectators on the second day.
{{/usCountry}}Crowd attendances have been consistently strong in the two Tests. The total attendance of 135,012 in three days in Adelaide exceeded the previous record of 113,009 for a Test against India, which was set over five days in 2014-15. The single day attendance record for a Test against India in Adelaide was also smashed both on day one and two respectively, with 50,186 and 51,642 at the ground – the third and fifth highest attendance for any day of Test cricket at Adelaide Oval. The first two days of the first Test at Optus Stadium in Perth also broke the record for the highest attendance for any Test played at the venue. Day 1 saw 31,302 spectators flocking the stands and 32,368 spectators on the second day.
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