Lord’s expected to lose nearly 4 million pounds in revenue after India fail to qualify for WTC final: Report | Cricket News

With India failing to qualify for the World Test Championship final, host Lord’s is expected to lose nearly 4 million pounds in revenue, according to a report The Times. The final will be played between Australia and South Africa from June 11 to 15 of this year.
India, who were runners up in the last 2 finals against New Zealand and Australia respectively, could not punch their tickets for their third consecutive summit clash after they lost 0-3 to New Zealand at home and then went down 3-1 to Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
South Africa would top the WTC table while Australia would come second. India would ebnd up finishing third in the points table followed New Zealand, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh, West Indies and Pakan.
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“Lord’s is set to generate nearly £4million less in revenue for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final after India’s failure to qualify,” The Times report said.
“…the absence of India has significantly curtailed the financial windfall expected Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), underscoring the financial influence of Indian cricket across the global game,” it added.
The Marylebone Cricket Club had originally set premium ticket prices for the final, anticipating India’s participation which would lead to a surge in ticket sales but once it became clear that India would not qualify, the MCC reduced the prices.
“The decision to be flexible with prices for the World Test Championship final was taken this year, with tickets now being sold at between £40 and £90 — about £50 cheaper than they had originally been priced, accounting for the loss in revenue,” the report said.
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The MCC had faced criticism last year during England’s Test series against Sri Lanka, when only 9,000 spectators attended the fourth day of the match, prompting them to reconsider their pricing strategy for this event.
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