AHMEDABAD: The final three T20Is between India and England will be played behind closed doors, Indian cricket board announced on Monday.
“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in consultation with the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) has decided to conduct the final three T20Is against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium behind closed doors. The decision was arrived at following detailed discussions with the state and local health authorities,” an official release said.
The release further stated: “The BCCI will continue to comply with all the regulations put in place to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus and will always put the health and safety of its fans and stakeholders at the top.
“Those who have purchased tickets for any or all three T20Is will be refunded and the process for the same will be announced in due course.”
Gujarat Cricket Association also issued a statement. “Due to rising COVID-19 cases, remaining T20 International Matches between India and England will be played without audience at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Refund will be given to the spectators who have purchased tickets,” said Dhanraj Nathwani, vice president of GCA, in a statement.
Those who have received complimentary tickets are requested not to visit the stadium, he added.
The first two T20Is of the series were held with spectators capped at 50 per cent of the stadium capacity. With the stadium officially declared as the largest in the world capable of seating 132,000 fans, that would have meant 66,000 fans in the stadium. Whatever the final numbers were, there is no debating that it was significant.
Add the fact that fans gave the grand ignore to both social distancing norms and the mandatory wearing of masks, the BCCI’s decision is certainly a welcome one.
The last three T20Is are scheduled to be held on March 16, 18 and 20. The five-match series is levelled at 1-1 after India won the second T20I on Sunday after having lost the first one on Friday.
