Stuart WoodEngland’s Cricket World Cup win has caused a surge in popularity for cricket games at Birmingham’s Edgbaston Stadium.
Edgbaston Stadium chief executive Neil Snowball commented: “There has been a spike in ticket sales for our early home games of the Vitality Blast, whilst most of the tickets that remained for the Sunday of our Specsavers Ashes Test match have also been snapped up.
“We must give a huge amount of credit to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup team and the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for its work in delivering such a fantastic tournament, which has been attended by more than 890,000 spectators and engaged with more than one million children, through schools and clubs.”
England played India at Edgbaston stadium during the group stages of the tournament, which they went on to win, beating New Zealand in a dramatic final.
Birminham hosted a FanZone in Victoria Square to broadcast the games, which included various cricketing activities as well as a giant screening of the live games.
More than 35,000 visitors attended across the three days, which peaked on the Sunday for England’s victory over India at Edgbaston.
Nicola Hewitt, commercial director of the West Midlands Growth Company – which aims to attract visitors and investment to the region, said: “The West Midlands provided the backdrop for thousands of new and existing cricket fans, creating a fantastic, welcoming atmosphere throughout the region.
“This year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup gave us a valuable platform to showcase the West Midlands to international investors, strengthening important relationships with key overseas target markets.”