The MCC have issued a desperate plea to its members to purchase tickets for Friday's men’s Cricket World Cup match between Pakistan and Bangladesh in a bid to avoid "damaging" images of empty seats of the Lord’s Pavilion being broadcast around the world.

Should England’s men lose against New Zealand today, Friday’s match could be a straight knockout between Bangladesh and Pakistan for the last semi-final slot — "one of the most decisive of the tournament", encouraged the bulletin.

But the total number of Pavilion tickets sold to members for the match remains "very low", with "less than 50 per cent" sold, according to an email sent to members on Tuesday and seen by Telegraph Sport.

The MCC have therefore taken the unusual step of urging members to buy tickets in a bid to avoid a repeat of the scenes which marred the Women's World Cup final in 2017, when the Pavilion remained largely empty while the rest of the public sections of the ground were virtually full.