Records broken as 650,000 turn up for men’s and women’s Ashes
The men’s and women’s Ashes series saw a combined attendance of 655,000 this summer as records were shattered over the last six weeks.
Nearly 545,000 fans attended the five men’s Tests – at Edgbaston, Lord’s Headingley, Old Trafford and the Oval – with every one of the 25 days sold out in advance of the series, something that did not happen in either 2005 or 2019.
The average attendance per day at the men’s Ashes was 23,734, equivalent to more than the capacity of Fulham’s Craven Cottage.
Ashes records
The women’s Ashes saw 110,000 fans attend across the seven matches – one Test, three Twenty20s and three One-Day Internationals.
Furthermore, nearly 18m tuned in to Sky Sports coverage or BBC highlights across the series, setting new records for the famous clash between England and Australia.
“The 2023 summer will go down as one of the most enthralling we’ve seen,” the England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould said.
“The Ashes has captivated the public imagination once again, but this time it has been different, with the Women’s and Men’s series taking equal billing and fans being treated to some stunning cricket throughout.
“Although both series were drawn, we have been able to enjoy double white-ball series wins for the Women’s team and a Men’s team who have changed Test cricket, ‘walking the walk’ as Ben Stokes has said, and getting so close to staging the most remarkable comeback.
“We are fortunate that we have such wonderful support for the national side, which will undoubtedly continue as we look forward to more international cricket later this summer”
England men are not in Test action until they head to India for a five-match series on the subcontinent.
They are then in action next July as they host the West Indies.
English cricket’s next target is this autumn’s One-Day World Cup.