(Reuters) – New Zealand is expecting big crowds when it hosts England in tests in Christchurch, Wellington and Hamilton in November and December, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said on Tuesday.
NZC chief executive Scott Weenink said there were already indications that the three matches against Brendon McCullum’s team would attract the same sort of bumper attendances witnessed for the two home tests against Australia in February and March.
“In the past, there’s often been a lot of talk in New Zealand about the popularity of test cricket – without that translating into ticket sales or viewership numbers,” he said in a news release.
“The difference over the past summer, and in terms of the upcoming tests against England, is that the interest is being converted to bums on seats and is driving record viewership numbers.”
The first test at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval will begin on Nov. 28 with the Basin Reserve in Wellington hosting the second from Dec. 6-10. The series wraps up at Hamilton’s Seddon Park from Dec. 14-18.
The three clashes will form part of the World Test Championship, which New Zealand won in its inaugural edition. New Zealand are currently third in the rankings with England ninth and last.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
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