Thousands of tickets still on sale for England’s first Test against NZ at Lord’s

Thousands of tickets remain on sale for England’s first Test of the summer, with empty seats expected as Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum attempt to kickstart a new era.

With 48 hours to go before the start of the clash against World Test Champions New Zealand, seats were still widely available, with over 16,000 spaces over the first four days at the home of cricket.

Days one, two and three often sell out in advance but more than 1,000 were still on sale for Thursday’s play, with over 2,000 on offer for Friday and in excess of 4,000 for Saturday. Over 9,000 are listed for Sunday’s play – a higher than normal number for day four although it is not unusual for fans to wait and see how the game develops.

With The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee double bank holiday weekend also taking place, we have seen a reduction in our usual expected attendance numbers- MCC

Cost of living pressures combined with a peak price point of £160 could be part of the equation, with concerns that the some fans are reluctant to stump up for a side who have one just one of their last 17 matches.

Marylebone Cricket Club, owner of Lord’s, admits that sales have been slower than normal but cites events around the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee as a potential cause.

“With The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee double bank holiday weekend also taking place, we have seen a reduction in our usual expected attendance numbers,” the MCC said.

“However, sales remain strong for the opening two days of the match and across our other international fixtures this year, with our India ODI being sold out.

“Whilst we recognise that the top price tickets available are at a premium price, we believe that across the whole ground, this represents good value to watch top-class international