India-New Zealand Test championship final could become season's blockbuster event

Crowds have not been permitted in any cricket game in England since September 2019 due to the Covid pandemic. But with the country gradually limping back to normal following a concerted vaccination drive, local officials are hoping that this was an event they could finally cash on after nearly two years of revenue drought.

An official of Hampshire County Club in Southampton said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and International Cricket Council (ICC) are permitting a crowd of 4000 for the crucial June 18-22 game. Rose Bowl - or Ageas Bowl - is the home of the Hampshire County Club.

"It is a high-interest game and there is a good demand for it.," Rod Bransgrove, the head of Hampshire County Club, was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

Bransgrove said 2000 tickets will be sold to the general public for the match.

"I understand 50 per cent 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," Bransgrove said.

Ahead of the Test championship final, around 1500 people were allowed at the Rose Bowl for the ongoing County Championship game between Hampshire and Leicestershire.

“…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,” Bransgrove was quoted as saying by the cricket website.

He said Rose Bowl (also called Ageas Bowl) was ready to host the Indian team. "We are waiting for the Indian team to complete their quarantine in India and arrive here. We are ready to host them," he added.

Kane Williamson, New Zealand's captain, sees the showdown in the World Test Championship final as a "fantastic challenge", one that he and his team are looking forward to. India and New Zealand, who finished one and two respectively at the end of the two-year World Test championship cycle, will meet at Southampton to determine the winner of the inaugural cycle, Cricbuzz said.

"When we play against India, it has always been a fantastic challenge and so it is really exciting to be playing against them," Williamson said in a video posted by the ICC. "It's really, really exciting to be involved in the final, obviously to win it would be that much better."

Williamson said the quality of the contests in the two-year lead up to the final was "very good"  and "... the games were really tight such as in the India-Australia series and our series against Pakistan as well where you had to really fight hard to get the results, which is really great."

The WTC final will see a repeat of the ICC World Cup 2019 semi-final, where New Zealand trumped India by 18 runs in a rain-effected two-day contest.

New Zealand will prepare for the final with a two-Test series against England, starting at Lord's, London on June 2. India, which has named a jumbo 20-man squad, will reach the United Kingdom in the first week of June. After the WTC final, Viral Kohli's men will play a five-Test series against England starting August 4.