World Test Championship final set to be shifted from Lord’s to Ageas Bowl – Reports
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Ageas Bowl
According to reports from The Times of India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to shift the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) from the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London to the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. The reasons for the same are that the COVID-19 pandemic situation in London and the challenges posed by conducting it at Lord’s. Southampton is looked at as the likely venue.
The final of the WTC will be played between India and New Zealand who finished 1st and 2nd in the table respectively. The fixture was confirmed yesterday when India defeated England in the fourth test of the series in Ahmedabad by an innings and 25 runs. If England had won the encounter, Australia would have gone on to face their trans-Tasman neighbors in the final.
Ageas Bowl has logistical advantages
According to a report in TOI, ICC have decided not to conduct the final at Lord’s. “The venue [for the WTC Final] will be announced soon. Lord’s is not the venue the ICC is planning for. ICC will be advised by the England and Wales Cricket Board and its own medical health professionals to decide on the venue for the final. There could be a case of creating a similar bio-secure bubble as the ECB had for the last home summer,” a source reportedly said.
The source also further stated that the Ageas Bowl in Southampton has several logistical advantages over Lord’s. Other candidates for hosting are Old Trafford in Manchester and Edgbaston in Birmingham. Southampton is the frontrunner however, because of the fact that it has a five-star hotel attached to the stadium.
The final of the WTC will held from June 18 to 22. June 23 is a reserve day in case of rain.
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Nevin Clinton
(2399 Articles Published)