Australia has retained the urn. But Cricket Australia (CA) isn’t pleased. Ashes might be theirs, but CA has lost a significant amount of money during the process.
The 2024-25 financial year wasn’t that great for CA. They lost $11.3 million (INR 68.05 crore) despite hosting India for a 5-match Test series. The 2025-26 Ashes was the opportunity to turn things around.
That hasn’t happened. The opening Test in Perth was wrapped up in just 2 days. This resulted in CA losing $5 million (INR 30.12 crore) in ticket revenue. But that hasn’t been the end.
Cricket Australia suffers a loss after the MCG Test
After the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) also ended in 2 days, CA has lost over $10 million (INR 60.22 crore). The official attendance for Boxing Day was 94,199 and 92,045 on the second day. CA had already announced that Day 3 was sold out, and there was high demand for tickets for the 4th day as well.
But CA won’t make any money. They’ll have to refund the tickets. It wasn’t just Australia that lost at the MCG as England won their first Test of the tour, but CA lost as well.
Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive Todd Greenberg acknowledged that short Tests aren’t great for business. “As mesmerising, fascinating and enjoyable as it was to watch as a fan, we want Test cricket, clearly, to go for longer. The simple phrase I’d use is, ‘short Tests are bad for business.’ I can’t be much more blunt than that,” he said.
