ECB likely to use Olympic Stadium for 2019 Cricket World Cup

The London stadium popularly known as the Olympic stadium is being seriously considered as a ground for the Cricket World Cup in 2019 and can also be a venue for the opening ceremony of the quadrennial event.

According to The Guardian, the England and Wales Cricket Board feels they can draw in larger crowds at high-voltage games and help introduce a new generation of fans to the sport. The demand for next year’s Champions Trophy fixture featuring India and Pakistan was such that the board believes they could have sold out the game at Edgbaston eight times over.

The ticket prices for the games at the London stadium can also be kept quite low because the ground can have 60,000 fans which are almost double than any other ground in the country.

The ECB will first host two or more T20 matches at the venue to look at the ground’s suitability. Then they will have a complete feasibility study to see if World Cup matches can be staged there.

The ECB besides exploring if the surface would be big enough for One-Dayers would also have to look into preparing the wickets in time by using drop-in strips.

The venue is currently used by English Premier League side West Ham United but the 2019 World Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 May to 15 July, outside the football season.

But if some games are moved to the London stadium many counties would get unhappy. The 11 venues for the event has already been picked, with each venue being given a specific number of games. Were the Olympic Stadium to host games, other venues would lose out, adding to tensions between counties and the board.

“The ECB risks undermining the sustainability of current international grounds. If we need bigger capacity then the ECB should assist existing grounds to increase capacity,” said one county chief executive, warning that it would “be seen as a betrayal of the game in England”, and saying that they could also take the legal route.

“There would be anger if someone misses out,” another county chief executive said. “From a positive side if you can fill the Olympic stadium for cricket that’s no bad thing.”

The ECB’s wish to utilize the higher capacity London Stadium reflects the fact that they are trying to generate interest in the game among untapped segments of people. The 1999 World Cup which saw England getting knocked out real quick was a very big missed opportunity to reenergize English cricket.

Reportedly the London stadium might just get three matches but is in the race to host the opening ceremony.

“We are in the early stages of planning for 2019 and having a number of discussions with multiple venues as we develop the plans, including opening ceremonies, fan zones, and inner city activations,” said Steve Elworthy, the managing director of the 2019 Cricket World Cup. “The finalized schedule will only be announced after the team qualification process is complete and the ICC confirm the venues and match schedule.”

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