Ashes ticket price increase 'really poor' - Vaughan

Former England captain Michael Vaughan labelled the 43% rise in ticket prices for next year's men's Ashes Test at Edgbaston as "really poor". Vaughan said, "This is truly poor," in response to the news. The Birmingham venue will host the third Test of the best‑of‑five series between England and Australia next summer, with prices in the Hollies Stand – which holds about 6,000 spectators – rising to £165 from £115 in 2023. Elsewhere in the ground, members can obtain tickets for £92, but the cheapest general admission tickets for the opening three days are £115, each carrying a £2.50 booking fee. Following the 2023 series, which concluded in a 2‑2 draw after Australia won the first two Tests at Edgbaston and Lord's, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said every ticket sold out in advance, with total attendance exceeding 545,000. Despite Warwickshire's Edgbaston stadium operating at a reduced capacity because of the construction of an on‑site hotel, tickets for next week's third Test between England and Pakistan, ranging from £57.50 to £87.50 for adults, have not sold out. The ballot for the 2027 Ashes opened on Wednesday, with prices higher at Lord's and the Oval in London, where the best tickets are priced at £190 and £185. England, which lost 4‑1 in Australia last winter, will begin its bid to reclaim the Ashes at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on 18 June. The second Ashes Test at Lord's starts on 30 June and the third at Edgbaston on 8 July. The Utilita Bowl in Southampton will become the tenth UK ground to stage a men's Ashes Test when the fourth match gets under way on 21 July, with the series concluding at the Kia Oval from 29 July. BBC Sport has contacted the ECB and the five Test venues for comment.