The rivalry between Australia and England, the two major powers of international cricket, means a different kind of excitement among the spectators. This excitement has also touched the elite version of Test cricket. Spectators have thronged the field to enjoy the game of the two teams.
Cricket fans have set a new record in the Melbourne Test, which began on Friday (December 26). The highest number of spectators in the history of the Ashes series, 93,442, has turned out to be present at the ground on a single day.
Melbourne Cricket Stadium (MCG)—This traditional venue in Australia had previously had a maximum of 93,013 spectators, which was a record during the 2015 World Cup final.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground has set a new record for the number of spectators attending a Test match. The unprecedented attendance was seen on the first day of the fourth Test of the Ashes series.
The previous highest attendance in Test cricket history was 91,112. It was recorded at the MCG during the 2013 Ashes.
However, there is a record for the highest number of spectators on a single Test day. India and Pakistan faced each other at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in the 1998–99 season. In that match, more than 100,000 spectators were present on the field on a single day.
Notably, the highest number of spectators in a consecutive Test was 2,71,865 in 2013. This time, there is a possibility of breaking that record, but for this, a larger number of spectators will have to be present on different days of the match. The pacers took 20 wickets on the first day of the Melbourne Test, which further increased the excitement of the match.
Author: Vk Das
