There will be no crowd for the first test.
The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) is exploring the possibility of allowing crowds for the second round when India plays England at Chepauk in Chennai, and the England team has promised to collaborate in their efforts. The second test begins on February 13.
“We have not received a formal written communication, but we received a call from BCCI today (Sunday) that we can explore the possibility of having crowds,” Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) secretary S Ramasamy told Cricbuzz on Sunday (January 31). ).
“We will meet tomorrow and see if we can solve something. There is very little time between the first test (from February 5 to 9) and the second. We do not have suppliers and we do not have printed tickets. Let’s see if it is possible,” said the official of TNCA. “The time is too short.”
Initially, it was decided that there would be no crowds at the first two tests and the TNCA had even issued a statement on that front. But there seems to be a change of mind.
There is also a change in the position of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which had given the impression that they did not want crowds for the Chennai games, just as they did during the recently concluded Sri Lanka-England. series due to the Covid-19 situation. Viewers were not allowed to enter the ground during the series.
But a spokesman for the England team told Cricbuzz that the visitors will cooperate. “We always feel comfortable (having crowds). We want to support BCCI’s plans and protocols. We are collaborating and we are waiting to hear from them,” the spokesperson said Sunday.
The development is also an indicator that fans, albeit limited, will be allowed during the third and fourth tests, as well as the five Twenty20 Internationals in Ahmedabad and three ODIs in Pune.
3 England players hit the nets
Meanwhile, three players from England, arriving early in Chennai, left the confines of the hotel and went to Chepauk to practice. The main group of players, who returned from Sri Lanka on January 27, remain in quarantine. They will have nets on Tuesday afternoon. The Indian players are expected to have a warm-up session on Monday and nets on Tuesday.
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