Boris Johnson allows 50% capacity for Pakistan, Sri Lanka white-ball matches in UK

England hosted the New Zealand cricket team in a 2-match Test series in the month of June and the second Test match at the Edgbaston was marked with the presence of a significant amount of crowd. After concluding the Test series against New Zealand, the England cricket team will embark on white-ball series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the upcoming period. Even though the Boris Johnson-led UK government has extended its current Covid-19 rules, the upcoming white-ball series is expected to host a crowd up to a capacity of 50%.

England to host certain matches with a 50% crowd capacity

The upcoming England cricket schedule 2021 consists of a white-ball series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan that will host 3 T20I and 3 ODI matches against both nations. Earlier, it was announced that a number of games from the England cricket schedule 2021 will be included in the Events Research Programme of the Boris Johnson led-UK government which will enable the matches to host a crowd up to a 50% capacity. At present, the matches that are expected to feature a 50% capacity of crowd include the 3 ODI matches against Sri Lanka.

Matches that will host half of the crowd capacity

The first ODI from the England vs Sri Lanka series will take place on Tuesday, June 29, and the second and third ODI will take place on July 1 and 4 respectively. These 3 ODI matches will feature a crowd with half the capacity of the venue. Meanwhile, the ECB informed that the decision for the England vs Pakistan 2021 series will be taken after further discussions with the government and the local stakeholders. The capacity for matches from both the series that will take part in Wales including the England vs Pakistan 2021 series will depend on the coordination with the Welsh government.

UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has said that summer was all about cricket and he was delighted to be able to include England's upcoming ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in their pioneering Events Research Programme. He also thanked the UK's tremendous vaccine rollout and massive uptake of the NHS App due to which they will be able to welcome back far greater numbers of cricket fans to Durham, Bristol and The Oval. He further added that they will continue to do everything they can to get as many as possible back watching live sport and cultural events as safely and as quickly as possible. It would be interesting to see how many of the upcoming matches will be safely conducted amidst the UK coronavirus cases.

Wimbledon 2021 to host a 50% crowd capacity

Currently, the Wimbledon 2021 tournament is also being held in London with a 50% crowd capacity amidst the UK coronavirus cases. The Wimbledon 2021 tournament is also a part of the Events Research Programme which allows the tournament to host a 50% crowd at the venue. The UK government has allowed Wimbledon 2021 to host a crowd of 21,000 spectators which accounts for 50% capacity of the venue.

Image Source: AP