The England and Wales Cricket Board has outlined its plans for how cricket will dominate English sport in 2013.
The ECB have stated that they want cricket to dominate the sporting agenda in the UK this year, with England and Wales hosting the last ever Champions Trophy and the first Ashes series of 2013 with Australia.
The country hosting two big cricket events is coupled with the fact there is no major international sports tournament this summer, as there often is with the World Cup, European Championship or the Olympics.
As a result the cricket board in Britain are looking to capitalise on a sports-hungry market to try and re-instill the national passion for cricket that so often comes hand-in-hand with an Ashes summer.
The plan is already well underway, as tickets for the oldest Test series in the world have sold out as rapidly as expected, with 95% of all tickets for the first four days of all the Ashes Tests having already been snapped up.
At some venues the fifth day has also sold out and Champions Trophy hosts Edgbaston and the Oval have reported significant interest for the international tournament.
“We want cricket to own this summer,” was the sentiment voiced by ECB’s managing director of global events and marketing, Steve Elworthy, on ESPNcricinfo.
Although Ashes series are about 30% less profitable for the ECB than visits by India – due to the high demand for broadcast rights in the sub-continent – interest for the England vs Australia clash is always high in Britain.
The ECB have a strong fixture list in the next few years with two Ashes series, in 2013 and 2015, and the visit of India in 2014.
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