Giant World Cup cricket statue is for sale in Bristol – but the buyer has to pick it up

A 20ft tall statue of a batsman has been put up for sale by Gloucestershire Cricket Club, five years after it was placed outside their ground in Bristol.

The giant statue was placed in Bristol’s Millennium Square to celebrate the city hosting the 2019 Cricket World Cup, then moved to the entrance to the Nevil Road ground in Ashley Down, where it has been ever since.

But now Gloucestershire Cricket Club has taken the unusual step of putting the statue up for sale on eBay, saying it needs to “make more room” near the entrance to the ground.

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The statue is of a batsman with his bat raised ready to hit the ball and was painted by volunteers who attended a painting workshop day in Millennium Square on the eve of the tournament in May 2019. It is painted with flags to represent all ten. of the cricketing nations that took part in the tournament, which was won in dramatic fashion in the final by England in a ‘Super Over’ innings. The statue itself was unveiled by Bristol comedian Mark Watson.

In a statement, the club said: “To make more room near our Nevil Road entrance, we are selling our iconic Cricket World Cup statue and it could be yours! Whether you are a local cricket club, a business or have a passion for cricket memorabilia, you can own a piece of history.”

The eBay listing says that whoever buys it needs to pick it up in person only – the club won’t be responsible for sending it on its way. It also lists the item as “used and stored outside, will need a clean but otherwise in good condition.”

“This auction is for the world famous cricket statue which was first seen during the 2019 Cricket World Cup,” said the club’s eBay listing. “It is about 20 feet high from the ground, including its base. It depicts all the nations in the competition and is a real piece of cricket history.

“The size of this statue has to be seen to be believed. For this reason, the statue will have to be collected at the buyer’s expense,” he added.

Bristol hosted three matches in the group stage of the 2019 World Cup, but the tournament was a bit of a disappointment for cricket fans in the city. The first match saw Australia easily defeat Afghanistan, but the subsequent games between Pakistan and Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were completely washed out by heavy rain without a ball being bowled.

These drops may have cost Pakistan the chance to make it to the semi-finals – they lost in the final league standings to New Zealand and would have qualified if they had the chance to play and beat Sri Lanka.

The listing for the statue was published on eBay this morning and has already – by lunchtime today – attracted a bid of £500. The auction ends at 5:05 p.m. next Thursday, May 23.