Ticket sales a concern

Administrators at the Central Gauteng Cricket Lions Union hope a discount ticket special will help fill seats for Sunday’s Pink ODI after sales this week were slow for a marquee event on the local sports calendar.

Just more than 12,000 tickets have been sold for the match between SA and the Netherlands at the Wanderers, a disappointing figure for an event that since its inception 10 years ago has usually been sold out weeks in advance. The 2023 Pink ODI, played in support of breast cancer initiatives, is the first in four years not to be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The sluggish sales have been put down to high ticket prices, less than stellar opponents and “cricket fatigue” among the public who in Gauteng have had the SA20 tournament along with Tests and T20 Internationals in the past few months.

However, ticket prices, which range from R250 on the open East Stand to R290 on the grass embankment, with the most expensive seats in the main stands at R500, are seen as the major obstacle.

A “Monday madness” special run this week by the CGL, where prices were halved, saw just 3,000 tickets purchased driving concerns that the Bullring will only be half-full at the weekend. On Friday, 1,000 tickets will be made available on a first-come first-serve basis through the Ticketpro website for R200 each, with 25% of the price being donated to the PinkDay Fund, which again this year will donate money to the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital breast care unit.

There has been criticism on social media platforms of the prices, with many questioning why Cricket SA — which sets prices in conjunction with the host union — did not follow the strategy used by the SA20, where tickets ranged from R50 to R200. However, the SA20 was a domestic tournament and there is a belief that despite the Netherlands not being one of the top sides, it is still an international match and ticket prices should fit that status.

The Proteas have to win the matches on Friday and Sunday to secure a top-eight spot and avoid a pre-World Cup qualifying event in Zimbabwe this year.