England vs New Zealand 2nd Test: Edgbaston to allow 18K fans on 1st 3 days

The second Test between England and New Zealand at Edgbaston will witness 18,000 fans on each of first three days giving hopes of presence of sizeable crowd at World Test Championship final

The second Test between England and New Zealand at Edgbaston will witness 18,000 fans on each of first three days giving hopes of presence of sizeable crowd at World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and New Zealand that immediately follows it.

The Edgbaston Test is being termed as pilot event by United Kingdom government.

"Edgbaston's LV=Insurance Test match named as pilot event. We will be able to host around 18,000 spectators each day. Ticket holders will be contacted via email regarding the next steps," wrote Edgbaston cricket ground administration on its twitter handle on Wednesday afternoon.

The 18,000 fans comprises 70 percent of ground capacity.

Spectators, wishing to see the game, will be contacted through email and asked to follow the next few steps.

There have already been talks of having 4,000 spectators for WTC final in Southampton that begins four days after the June 10-14 Edgbaston Test is scheduled to end.

The first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord's, due to run from June 2 to 6 will be attended by 25 percent crowd capacity.

"The UK Government's roadmap for easing of Covid-related restrictions in England means that the Test match between England v New Zealand on 2-6 June will be limited to a reduced ground capacity of 25%. If you have purchased a ticket to this match, you will automatically receive a refund," said a statement from Lord's cricket ground administration.