England tickets boost for Yorkshire

YORKSHIRE have been swamped by demand for tickets for next summer’s international games at Headingley.

Sales for the one-day international against India on July 17 the Test against Pakistan, which begins on June 1, have been intense.

Yorkshire’s commercial director Andy Dawson said: “This is such an important time for the club.

“The ECB’s host venue panel are awarding internationals for 20202024 and the venues that they will use for the citybased T20 competition, and it’s crucial for us to be able to demonstrate that the Yorkshire public are supporting Headingley as an international ground.

“That’s why we’ve been blown away by ticket sales already for next year’s internationals, which have seen unprecedented demand, certainly for non-Ashes matches, and hopefully we’ll be high up on the ECB’s criteria.

“They will use a number of criteria (for awarding games), from the support of the public and the customer experience that we can provide, along with the impact on the community as a whole in terms of inspiring the next generation of cricketers and fans.

“Our ambition is to have a regular summer Test going forward and, importantly, an Ashes Test in 2023.

“We missed out on Ashes Tests in 2013 and 2015 but hope that we will be considered for a 2023 Test against Australia.

“In the short-term, we hope to sell out next year’s India ODI before Christmas, and then the first three days of the Pakistan Test from spring onwards.

“But ticket sales have surpassed anything we’ve done non-Ashes-wise, with great support from the followers of India and Pakistan, with Indian fans, for example, coming back in even bigger numbers after their favourable experiences at Headingley in the past.”