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Tens of thousands of cricket fans will receive automatic refunds after Melbourne’s Boxing Day Test finished on just its second day – the second match of the current Ashes series to end that quickly – after England defeated Australia.
An estimated 90,000 people have tickets for day 3 at the MCG that will be refunded, while many others had also bought tickets for day 4.
The Barmy Army filled Bay 13 at the MCG during day 2 of the Boxing Day Test.Credit: Chris Hopkins
A Cricket Australia spokesman told this masthead that ticket holders for those days would be issued refunds through their purchasing agent.
On its website, Ticketek stated on Saturday afternoon: “Due to a result being reached in the Boxing Day Test, customers for days 3 and 4 will be automatically refunded.”
The ticketing agency also sent text messages to ticket holders early on Saturday evening with the same message about refunds.
The shortened Test comes just weeks after the first Ashes Test in Perth cost Cricket Australia about $4 million in lost revenue after the match lasted just two days. However, the potential losses for the MCG Test are likely to be far higher based on the forecast patronage and larger ground capacity. The Melbourne crowds on days 1 and 2 were 94,199 and 92,045, respectively.
“Simple phrase I’d use is ‘short Tests are bad for business’,” Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg said on SEN on Saturday morning. “I can’t be much more blunt than that.
“We want Test cricket to go for longer.”
A notice on the Ticketek website said tickets for days 3 and 4 of the Boxing Day Test would be refunded automatically.
In the final hours of Saturday’s play, day 3 tickets were still available for purchase, ranging from $88 to $187. Day 4 tickets were no longer for sale.
As many as 3500 England fans have flown to Australia to join the Barmy Army’s official tour. Up to 40,000 England fans are expected to join in the group’s activities in Melbourne this week.
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Despite the Ashes series win to Australia, this is the first time England have won an Ashes Test in Australia since 2011. The tourists’ triumph prompted calls for anyone who manages a bar in Melbourne to start calling in more staff for Saturday night – and potentially for the next day or so, too.
“Melbourne will be very affluent if England win,” Barmy Army general manager Chris Millard said. “The bars and the restaurants will be very happy.”
But taking to social media on Saturday afternoon, cricket fans expressed frustration at the short match.
“What a crap match,” one user wrote on X. “2 days of play.”
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“The Boxing Day Test could have been an email.”
“Not enjoyable, not exciting,” said another. “We’ve been deprived of a good Boxing Day Test.”
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