WTC final between India and New Zealand to be witnessed by 4000 fans

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) will be allowing 4000 spectators in the World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand to be played in Southampton. On Wednesday, May 19, fans were allowed in a cricket match in England for the first time during the county championship.

About 1500 people were allowed entry at the Rose Bowl for the match between Hampshire and Leicestershire. The WTC final is set to be played from June 18 to 22 and the recent development in Southampton is bound to come as happy news for the fans.

Head of Hampshire Cricket Club opines on the World Test Championship final

“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, was quoted as saying in Cricbuzz.

“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. It is a high-interest game and there is a good demand for it,” Bransgrove stated.

Earlier, Hampshire County was asked to hand over all the corporate boxes at the Rose Bowl. But Bransgrove hopes that they will have some share of the same as well.

“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 administrator added.

Bransgrove also said that Southampton is waiting for the Indian players to reach the port city after completing their quarantine period in India. In the meantime, the ICC has revealed that the playing conditions for the game will be released in a couple of days.

England will also be hosting Kane Williamson’s Black Caps for a two-match Test series and Virat Kohli’s India for a five-match Test series. The team failed to make the WTC final after losing the away Test series to India earlier this year.