KING CHARLES has been invited to attend the 150th anniversary Test match in Melbourne, officials said Thursday, as ticket sales continue to rise a year before the match.
Australia will face England under lights at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from March 11-15 next year to mark the anniversary of the first Test match.
The match will commemorate the first Test played between the two teams at the same venue in 1877.
All members of the Australia and England teams that took part in the 1977 Centenary Test at the MCG are expected to attend.
Queen Elizabeth II attended that match and officials hope King Charles will travel to Australia in 2027.
"We've extended (an invitation) through all the appropriate channels, both government here and in the UK, for the King or a subset to be here," Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg told the Sydney Morning Herald. "That's certainly high on our list."
Cricket Australia confirmed to AFP that an invitation had been issued.
"We might bring his visit slightly earlier in the Test match, as opposed to the end of day five, given modern-day Test matches may not get that far," added Greenberg.
"We'll make sure a royal visit is there for the opening ball on day one, for sure."
The match will also be the first men's day-night Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. More than 125,000 tickets have already been sold after a ballot, with most of the public allocation for days one to three already taken.
"We knew there would be strong demand for tickets to the 150th anniversary Test but the response both locally and from overseas has been phenomenal," said Greenberg.
"We have some fantastic plans in place to ensure the Test and the accompanying entertainment and events will provide a fitting celebration of a very significant milestone.
"Most importantly, we will honour the great players who have made Test cricket such wonderful and enduring sporting theatre, and we can't wait to welcome the cricket world to Melbourne."
All living male and female International Cricket Council Hall of Fame inductees, former Test captains, and former Australia and England Test players have also been invited.
Officials also hope the Ashes urn, kept at the Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's in London, will travel to Melbourne for the match.
(With inputs from agencies)
