Public ticket ballots to be offered for Ashes series

LONDON: A public ballot will be in place for allocation of tickets to watch next year’s Ashes series, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Thursday.

After revealing their full home match schedule for summer 2019, the ECB has announced that the Ashes venues for the highly-anticipated five-match series between England and Australia will allocate tickets via the means of a public ballot.

The ECB cited high demands for tickets as the reasoning, with the home side bidding to regain the Ashes after a 4-0 humbling in Australia last winter.Edgbaston, Lord’s, Headingley, Old Trafford and The Oval will be staging the Tests and all will comply with the new ticket ballot regulations.

ECB Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison spoke positively of the new ballot system.“There is nothing more important to England cricket fans than an Ashes series. With the added element of being England’s first Test series in the new World Test Championship, it’s a hugely exciting prospect and we anticipate unprecedented demand for tickets,” he said.

“We would love to see fans from all over the world getting to experience the unique atmosphere of an Ashes Test Match after the ICC Cricket World Cup.”