Eden Park sells out as India chase 4-0 in front of a record New Zealand crowd

New Zealand Cricket has sold out Eden Park for Friday's fourth T20I against India, with a crowd of close to 40,000 set to pass the board's bilateral attendance record

The ground's sixth tier, back on sale for the first time since India's 2019 tour, has gone with the rest of it. New Zealand Cricket confirmed the sell-out this week and expects close to 40,000 people in Auckland on Friday night.

India arrive with the series already won. Abhishek Sharma's 113 in Wellington on Tuesday took them to a six-wicket win and an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, and Shreyas Iyer's side now play for 4-0 in front of the largest audience of the tour.

New Zealand come into it without two of their first-choice seamers, both lost to low-grade tears picked up in Christchurch.

A mark set in 2019

The previous bilateral high at the ground was 36,523, set in 2019 when New Zealand's men's and women's teams both played India in a double-header at Eden Park.

A crowd near 40,000 would also be the third-largest international cricket crowd in the venue's history. Only a 1982 one-day international against Australia, reported at about 42,000, and the 2015 World Cup semi-final against South Africa, at around 41,000, stand above it.

"There really is nothing like a full house at Eden Park," said Glenn Critchley, New Zealand Cricket's chief marketing and commercial officer, who said the response to the series had gone beyond the board's expectations.

A tour that outran its forecasts

More than 126,000 tickets have been sold across the 12-match tour, which carries five T20Is, five one-day internationals and two Tests. More than 71,000 of those are for the T20I leg alone.

Friday is the fourth sell-out of the five T20Is. Both matches at Hagley Oval in Christchurch filled, and the finale at Hamilton on Sunday was pre-sold to capacity.

Seats for the one-day and Test legs remain on sale through the board's own channels.

The top level comes back into use

Demand was heavy enough in September for New Zealand Cricket to put the stadium's sixth tier on sale, the first time the upper level has been opened for cricket since the 2019 India tour. Before that it had been used for the 2015 World Cup and a men's T20I against Australia in 2018.

"Being able to open up the top level of Eden Park for the first time in years is really exciting," said Tim Ellis, the board's head of marketing, at a point when more than 50,000 tickets had sold in the first week of public sales for the home summer.

New Zealand short of two quicks

Lockie Ferguson has been ruled out of the last two T20Is with a low-grade tear in his right calf, felt during the second match at Hagley Oval. Matt Fisher, already with the squad as bowling cover, takes his place for both.

Matt Henry is out of the series with a low-grade tear in his right quadriceps from the same match, and is expected to need one to two weeks. Both bowlers are on track for the one-day internationals.

"We're gutted for Lockie and Matt," head coach Rob Walter said.

Two nights left in the series

India were ruthless in Wellington, chasing 199 in 13.2 overs after Daryl Mitchell's unbeaten 89 had carried New Zealand to 198 for 3.

Mitchell Santner's side have two matches left to avoid a 5-0 scoreline, and the first of them comes with the ground as full as the board has ever had it for a bilateral match.

The fourth T20I starts at 8pm local time on Friday, 12.30pm IST, with the series closing at Hamilton on Sunday.

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