Both BGT and the Ashes are massive tours on Australian cricket calendar: Nick Hockley

Cricket Australia (CA) CEO Nick Hockley has made a significant revelation about the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT), mentioning that it now rivals the iconic Ashes series in terms of commercial value.

The Border Gavaskar Trophy, contested between India and Australia, has seen a rise in popularity and competitiveness in the 21st century. India's recent successes, winning the last two series in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21, have hyped the rivalry more.

This growing competition between the two has raised the BGT's status, which is at the same level as the historic Ashes series between Australia and England. Hockley emphasized the commercial parity between the two series. The CEO also revealed a remarkable surge in ticket sales for the upcoming BGT series. 

“The Border Gavaskar Trophy and the Ashes are both massive tours on the Australian cricket calendar and are largely comparable in commercial terms, with fantastic crowds and huge broadcast audiences for each. Ticket sales from India are already six times greater than for the previous non-COVID series,” Hockley told Hindustan Times.

Also read: Six times surge recorded in ticket sales from India for Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Australia’s iconic cricket venues are all unique

The upcoming BGT series is set to make history, featuring five Tests for the first time since 1991-92. Beginning on November 22 at Perth Stadium, the series will move to Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. 

In preparation for the day/night Test in Adelaide, India will play a two-day game against the Prime Minister's XI at Manuka Oval. Hockley opened up about the diverse playing conditions across Australia's venues. 

“Australia’s iconic cricket venues each have their own unique pitch characteristics and conditions, which is what makes the series so intriguing, including, in more recent years, the introduction of the day-night Test,” he concluded.