WTC Final in England between India and New Zealand may be attended by 4000 fans. For the first time since September 2019, fans were allowed for a cricket game in England on Wednesday (May 19) which earnestly increased the chances of crowd turnout for India’s World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand next month.
The Covid-19 situation has improved in the UK and around 1500 people were allowed to watch the county game between Leicestershire and Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl, which hosts the WTC final from June 18.
WTC Final May See 4000 Fans At Southampton, Hampshire As 50% Crowds May Be Taken By ICC For Sponsors And Stakeholders: Rod Bransgrove
About 1500 people were allowed entry for the English County Championship match between Hampshire and Leicestershire at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, a venue that will be hosting the WTC final from June 18.
“We’re staging a four-day county game from today and for the first time since September 2019 fans were allowed for a cricket match in England. The other county games of this round will begin tomorrow and those games too will see crowds,” Rod Bransgrove, the head of Hampshire County Club, told Cricbuzz from Southampton confirming that the WTC final will have a good turnout.
According to him, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and International Cricket Council (ICC) are permitting a crowd of 4000 people for the pinnacle Test match.
“I understand 50 percent of the permitted crowds will be taken by the ICC for its sponsors and other stakeholders and we will be selling the rest 2000 tickets. We have already received more than double applications from the fans,” Bransgrove said. “It is a high-interest game and there is a good demand for it.”
Virat Kohli and his men will undergo a 10-day quarantine in Southampton but are expected to be allowed to train during the period. The Indian team, currently quarantining in Mumbai for two weeks, depart for the UK on June 2.
Rod Bansgrove Unsure How Many Of ICC And BCCI Members Will Come For The WTC Final Due To Travel Restrictions And Quarantine Protocols
The Hampshire County has also been asked to hand over all the Corporate Boxes at the Rose Bowl but Rod Bransgrove hopes they will have some share on that too.
“Given the travel restrictions and quarantine protocols I am not sure how many of ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India members will come for the game. We will be happy to sell those tickets too,” the veteran administrator said.
Rod Bransgrove said Southampton waits for the Indian players and their family members to arrive in the port city, from where the Titanic had set out for its voyage in April 1912.
“We are waiting for the Indian team to complete their quarantine in India and arrive here. We are ready to host them,” he remarked.
Meanwhile, the ICC said the playing conditions for the WTC final will be released in a couple of days.
The historic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London had originally been in line to stage the World Test Cricket Championship final but the venue switch came as the ICC reacted to the pandemic. The Ageas Bowl, which opened in 200, and first staged Test cricket in 2011, features a hotel boasting 171 rooms. This made it possible to provide a secure “bio bubble” when England played Test matches against West Indies and Pakistan in 2020.
England has played 6 Tests since 2011 at the Rose Bowl, Southampton, and won 2, lost 1, and drew 3. They defeated India twice in 2014 and 2018. It is at Southampton that England’s Zak Crawley scored 267 against Pakistan in the year 2020.