The West Test: Optus Stadium officials estimate 100,000 people will watch five-day clash with India

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The West Test: Optus Stadium officials estimate 100,000 people will watch five-day clash with India

Optus Stadium bosses are planning for a crowd of around 100,000 to watch The West Test against India across five days and say that is at the upper-end of what they could hope for.

Cricket Australia is anticipating a crowd of 30,500 on the opening day, Friday November 22, and that is the figure stadium officials are preparing for.

Just under 60,000 people watched Australia beat Pakistan last summer across four days at the venue, but only 16,259 attended the first day’s play.

That crowd figure would place Perth as the third-best attended match on last summer’s schedule, behind Melbourne and Sydney.

“We are expecting a crowd in the region of 100,000 for the Test match, around 25,000 for the ODI and we expect the 30 and 40-thousand we have been used to here for all the Scorchers games across the season,” Optus Stadium chief executive Mike McKenna said.

“The Test match particularly we are excited this year with India. 100,000 people coming along to a Test match and that will set us up really well for an Ashes the following year.

“To have the first Test match of the season this year and next year should really excite West *********** cricket fans, come along, it starts on a Friday so a great day for corporates and the crowd to come along for the first day.

Camera IconA general view during day four of the Men’s First Test match between Australia and Pakistan. Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images

“Then the second and third day, Saturday and Sunday … fantastic cricket days.

“We would be happy with 80 to 100. We’re trying to grow the crowds and Optus Stadium for Test matches, we feel this is a really attractive game.”

The forecast crowd of 30,500 would be the biggest opening day crowd in the venue’s short Test history, almost 10,000 more than it’s first-ever day of red-ball cricket against India in 2018.

The cricket wicket at the venue was installed last week in time for a November 10 one-day international against Pakistan.

The venue will also feature The West Test hill again this year, which will be expanded to include five bays of seating this summer.

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Camera IconOptus Stadium chief executive Mike McKenna and Aaron Hardie at the venue on Thursday. Credit: WA Cricket

“The concept of the hill just gives people the chance to relax more,” McKenna said.

“It looks great for people on the other side of the stadium, they can watch people on the hill, and then it’s great in the broadcast, it just brings that additional element to a stadium like this with a little bit of green and a little bit of colour.

“It’s just a place for people to congregate and have a different experience at the cricket.”

Perth is locked in as the venue for the opening Test of the summer for the next three seasons. That includes next year’s Ashes series, which will begin in WA for the first time in 43 years and a clash with New Zealand the following year.

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