Cricket Australia hopeful King Charles will attend 150th anniversary Test

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/australia/OxG0JfXg/"]Australia[/a] will play [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/UJC5mtAU/"]England[/a] under lights at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to celebrate the landmark from March 11-15 next year.[/p][p]It will commemorate the first ever Test, played between the two arch-rivals, at the same stadium in 1877.[/p][p]All members of the Australia and England teams that played in the 1977 Centenary Test -- also at the MCG -- are set to attend.[/p][p]The late Queen Elizabeth II was at that game and officials are hopeful King Charles will make the trip in 2027.[/p][p]"[b]We've extended [/b](an invitation) [b]through all the appropriate channels, both government here and in the UK, for the King or a subset to be here,[/b]" Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg told the Sydney Morning Herald. "That's certainly high on our list,"[/p][p]"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.[/p][p]"[b]We'll make sure a royal visit is there for the opening ball on day one, for sure.[/b]"[/p][embed guid="41ae43b6-a65d-4b84-8400-87aa3f51a922" url="https://x.com/CricketAus/status/2031495959281389595" social-type="twitter" /][p]It will be the first time the MCG has hosted a men's day-night Test and more than 125,000 tickets have already been sold following a ballot, with most of the public allocation across days one-to-three gone.[/p][p]"[b]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,[/b]" said Greenberg.[/p][p]"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.[/p][p]"[b]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.[/b]"[/p][p]Also invited are all living male and female International Cricket Council Hall of Fame inductees, former Test captains and a who's who of ex-Australia and England Test players.[/p][p]Officials are also hopeful that the priceless Ashes urn -- which is kept at the Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's in London -- will make the trip.[/p]