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Cricket fans have attended in unprecedented numbers to start the season, with day one of the first NRMA Insurance Test between Australia and South Africa at The Gabba to mark one million fans through the gates for men’s international games*.
Limited public tickets remain for day one, while tickets are still available in all categories for the remaining days of the Brisbane Test, which is the first match of a three-Test series between the two top-ranked teams on the ICC World Test Championship table.
The 86,617 that attended the Adelaide Oval last week was the highest attendance for an Australia v West Indies Test match at the venue in 40 years.
Over 991,000 fans have already attended men’s international matches across Australia for the 2022/23 season, which commenced with Australia’s three-game Dettol ODI series against Zimbabwe in August.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup saw 751,775 attend matches, with Australian residents making up 89% of those ticket holders. In a further boost to the future of the game, over 150,000 children’s tickets were sold to World Cup matches.
All three of cricket’s formats continue to resonate, with the latest Nielsen research poll showing Test, ODI and T20I cricket all feature in Australia’s top five sporting competitions.
Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer Nick Hockley said:
“The response from fans to what has been an action-packed start to the season has been exceptional.”
“The success of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has provided an incredible platform for the season and we’re delighted to see men’s international crowds trending upwards as we move into peak summer for our national sport.”
“The critical three-Test series against South Africa starting this Saturday will be played between two of the best teams in the world, adding to a long history of hard-fought contests. We look forward to the support of a passionate home crowd at the Gabba and encourage everyone to come along to be a part of it.”
Fans can purchase tickets to all international and BBL matches at cricket.com.au/tickets.
NRMA Insurance Test Series v South Africa
- December 17 – December 21: The Gabba, Brisbane | Yuggara land
- December 26 – December 30: MCG, Melbourne | Wurundjeri land
- January 4 – January 8: SCG, Sydney | Gadigal land
*Does not include fans who have attended domestic competitions including Weber WBBL, KFC BBL, Marsh Sheffield Shield, WNCL and Marsh One-Day Cup this season to date.
