David Lloyd Criticizes The Rise In Ticket Prices For The India-England Match At Lord's

Lloyd expresses concern over the expense of attending a Test match at Lord's and deems it 'absurd.'

The ticket prices for the Lord's Test between IND and ENG have drawn criticism /

By Ian Omoro

Despite a lackluster crowd for the match against Sri Lanka this season, tickets for the Lord's Test between India and England next summer have been raised. The Marylebone Cricket Club, which owns Lord, has faced backlash regarding the cost of tickets for the England vs. Sri Lanka Test this summer. India and England will play their first five Test matches starting on June 20. The third match is set to take place at Lord's on July 10. David Lloyd, a former cricketer for England, has recently taken aim at the higher ticket price for the Lord's Test between England and India.

Cheapest tickets costing ninety pounds apiece provide limited views for the India vs. Lord's Test match. The price that spectators will have to pay for the unrestricted views is estimated by ESPNcricinfo to be between 120 and 175.

The prices of the restricted-view seats for the Test match against Sri Lanka last month varied from 115 to 140 pounds. Merely 9000 fans attended the match on its fourth day, which accounted for only one-third of the stadium's capacity.

Writing in his column on Daily Mail, Lloyd said, "No doubt Lord's will still be full, but increasing ticket prices to a whopping 175 pound for next July's third Test between England and India beggars belief."

"Those who set these prices seem to inhabit a different reality," Lloyd sharply remarked at cricket's decision-makers. At Lord's, stewards are busy collecting champagne corks after each over, while over at Headingley, tossing a can of Tetley's over the boundary would be met with a very different reaction!"

Emphasizing the value of pleasing the casual fan, he said, "I'm the voice of the everyday fan. So, the face value cost of attending a single day of a Lord's Test is utterly preposterous to me. If you want evidence of people thinking like me, dive on to social media. It's full of those who say they can't afford to go.”

Lloyd expressed regret over the potential knock-on effects of such costs, saying that Lord's sets an unsettling precedent as a standard for other venues. If the price range for tickets is set at £120 to £175 (about Rs 13,000 to Rs 19,000), then it's likely that other cricket grounds would follow suit.