‘Broke’ PCB begs fans to show up, offers free tickets for Pakistan vs South Africa Tests
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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has rolled out free and affordable tickets for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa, as they hope to revive fans' interest in Test cricket across several countries in Asia, including India.
During the previous Pakistan series against England, which ended in a 2-1 defeat for the visitors, barely 1000 spectators showed up for the first Test.
The second and third Tests in Multan and Rawalpindi were no different, though Pakistan dominated. The PCB measure comes from the ideology of luring spectators back into the stadiums. However, some games have been exceptions, as the India A vs Australia A match in Kanpur drew a large and lively audience.
PCB reduces ticket fares massively for the 2-match South Africa Test series
Pakistan Cricket has fallen to an all-time low, having lost many of its home red-ball matches in the past few years, ever since the ICC World Test Championship started. The WTC was started back in 2019, and since then, Pakistan has never been able to finish in even the top 5 positions on the WTC points table.
Owing to their weak performances, they have lost the crowd of people coming to the stadiums for red-ball matches. In a bold attempt to lure fans back into the stadiums, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced free and low-priced tickets for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa.
Scheduled from October 12-16 in Lahore and October 20-24 in Rawalpindi, the move comes as Test cricket in Pakistan has struggled to fill seats, with the empty stands becoming an all-too-familiar sight.
Ticket Prices for Pakistan vs South Africa Tests
First Test - Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore (Oct 12-16)
General, First-Class, Premium, VIP (major enclosures): Free
VIP Iqbal & Jinnah End, Gallery: PKR 800-1,000 (~Rs 350-Rs 440)
Platinum Box: PKR 8,000 first four days (~Rs 3,520), PKR 10,000 fifth day (~Rs 4,400)
Second Test - Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (Oct 20-24)
General, First-Class, Premium, VIP (major enclosures): Free
PCB Gallery: PKR 800 first four days (~Rs 350), PKR 1,000 fifth day (~Rs 440)
Platinum Box: PKR 8,000 first four days (~Rs 3,520), PKR 10,000 fifth day (~Rs 4,400)
Empty stands in red-ball matches are an issue across Asia
The nation of Pakistan, which has been underperforming in the history of the ICC World Test Championship, is not the only side to have struggled with this fiasco of empty stands in red-ball matches.
India, the highly successful Test nation, has also seen low turnouts for its home Tests. The first Test against the West Indies in Ahmedabad, which was played recently, marked one of the largest stadiums in India rendered empty.
Some have cited that the absence of India's one of the greatest Test stars, Virat Kohli, might be the reason for the drop in the number of fans who used to come to witness their legendary batter live in action.
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Pakistan National Cricket Team PCB Pakistan vs South Africa South Africa tour of Pakistan ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
