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Over 40,000 fans are set to descend on Eden Park this Friday night, with the sold-out sign officially up for the fourth T20I between the BLACKCAPS and India in Auckland.
The match marks the fourth sell-out of the highly-anticipated Hero VIDA T20I Series, powered by Ai+ Smartphone, hot off the heels of back-to-back sell outs in the opening two matches at Hagley Oval, and the fifth and final match of the series at Seddon Park on Sunday.
Friday night’s match will smash NZC’s bilateral series match attendance record of 36,523, set at the BLACKCAPS and WHITE FERNS’ doubleheader against India at Eden Park in 2019.
On only two occasions has Eden Park hosted a larger crowd for an international cricket match.
The first was way back in 1982, where a reported 42,000 fans crammed into Eden Park to watch a New Zealand side featuring Sir Richard Hadlee, John Wright and Martin Crowe beat Australia by 46 runs in the opening ODI of Australia’s ‘82 tour.
The second was the 2015 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup semi-final where Grant Elliott’s infamous six helped the BLACKCAPS book a Word Cup Final place at the expense of South Africa in front of 41,000 fans.
Over 126,000 tickets have now been snapped up for the mega Hero VIDA India Tour of New Zealand, Powered by Ai+ Smartphone, with 71,000 of those tickets sold across the T20I series alone.
NZC’s Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer Glenn Critchley said Friday night at Eden Park would be an occasion for cricket fans to savour.
There really is nothing like a full house at Eden Park,” said Critchley.
“Breaking a bilateral series attendance record shows just how much appetite there is for this series.
“We were hopeful of strong crowds, but this response has exceeded our expectations and selling out Eden Park really is the cherry on top.
“Friday night has all the ingredients for a memorable occasion, a bumper crowd, a host of superstars on show, and hopefully an evening to remember for fans of both sides.
“I’m sure many fans will remember the scenes of Grant Elliott’s six in the World Cup semi-final back in 2015, and we hope fans are treated to similar entertainment at Eden Park on Friday night.”
Tickets for the ODI and Test legs of the Hero VIDA ODI series, Powered by Ai+ Smartphone are available at tickets.nzc.nz.
Credit: NZC