Crowd will be down, but Eden Park gets thumbs up from NZC

Get ready for more of this at Eden Park. Photo / Photosport

Another bumper Eden Park crowd is expected for tomorrow night's T20 final although numbers will likely fall short of those for Friday's run glut between New Zealand and Australia.

New Zealand Cricket's chief operating officer Anthony Crummy said there was a big spike in sales when New Zealand confirmed its final place during the match against England.

"It will be another really strong crowd, I wouldn't think the same as Friday although we'd be pretty pumped if it was," he told the Radio Sport Breakfast.

"The appetite for T20 cricket is certainly there and the series has been fantastic so far. We expect the numbers will be pretty strong. All indications are that people are really enjoying T20 cricket and its going from strength to strength."

Crummy backed Eden Park as a cricket venue, after veteran Australian commentator Jim Maxwell led criticism of the ground because of its short boundaries.

"Eden Park absolutely hasn't failed to deliver great contest after great contest," Crummy said.

"Fans have a great time when we're there. The atmosphere on Friday was electric.

"It always comes in for some discussion. (Eden Park) is quite unique, no doubt about it, but a lot of grounds are unique. It adds to the colour, players have to adapt. You can't get caught up in the comments of a few people..."

Crummy said TV viewing figures for T20 were influenced by factors such as New Zealand's opposition, and the time of day. But the numbers sometimes doubled those for test cricket, and could exceed those for ODIs at times.