Michael Vaughan Criticizes Ticket Price Hike for 2025 Ashes Test
Michael Vaughan has condemned a sharp rise in ticket prices for next summer’s Ashes Test at Edgbaston, branding the hike “really poor” as concern grows over how much it now costs to watch elite cricket in England.
The former England captain was reacting to a 43% increase for seats in the famous Hollies Stand for the 2025 men’s Ashes. Those tickets will cost £165, up from £115 during the 2023 series. The stand, a carnival of colour and noise during big Tests and home to almost 6,000 spectators, has long been marketed as one of the great matchday experiences in English cricket. Next year, it will also be one of the most expensive.
Across the rest of the Birmingham ground, prices tell a similar story. Warwickshire members can secure seats for £92, but the cheapest adult tickets for the first three days of the Edgbaston Test are £115. Every ticket also carries a £2.50 booking fee.
Vaughan’s criticism, posted on social media, lands at a time when the demand for Ashes cricket has rarely been higher. After the 2023 series – a gripping 2-2 draw that saw Australia take the first two Tests at Edgbaston and Lord’s before England roared back – the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) proudly announced that “every day sold out in advance, with total attendance topping 545,000”.
That success has clearly emboldened organisers. Yet the current picture at Edgbaston offers a warning. Despite the ground operating at reduced capacity because of an on-site hotel development, next week’s third Test between England and Pakistan has not sold out. Adult tickets for that match range from £57.50 to £87.50 – significantly lower than the starting prices for the Ashes.
The escalation is not confined to Birmingham. The ballot for 2027 Ashes tickets opened on Wednesday, and early figures show London leading the way on price. The top seats at Lord’s are listed at £190, with the best tickets at the Kia Oval set at £185.
All of this unfolds against the backdrop of England’s latest attempt to wrench back the urn. Ben Stokes’ side, beaten 4-1 in Australia last winter, will start their quest to regain the Ashes at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on 18 June. Lord’s hosts the second Test from 30 June, before the series moves to Edgbaston on 8 July.
The Ashes roadshow then heads south. The Utilita Bowl in Southampton will stage its first men’s Ashes Test when it hosts the fourth match from 21 July, becoming the 10th UK ground to join that elite club. The series will conclude at the Kia Oval, with the final Test scheduled from 29 July.
BBC Sport has contacted the ECB and all five Test venues for comment on the pricing. For now, the numbers stand, the ballot is open, and a familiar question hangs over the sport: how much can you charge for the Ashes before the next generation of fans is priced out of its greatest stage?
