Cricket Targeted For 2012 Stadium

The London Development Agency has approached the England and Wales Cricket Board with regard to using the new Olympic Stadium as a venue for Twenty20 cricket once the 2012 Games have concluded.

The LDA has asked the ECB, and two counties, to consider using the 80,000-seat venue for big, floodlit matches.

Olympic organisers are keen to provide a legacy for the stadium post 2012. Since London was awarded the Olympics a number of London football clubs as well as both rugby codes have been approached about using the stadium. With no firm commitments from any of them, the focus has now moved to cricket.

In a statement, the LDA said it had ‘engaged with two professional cricket clubs and the national governing body of the sport to explore opportunities for professional cricket (particularly Twenty20 cricket) to be played in the legacy stadium post-2012 and proposes to identify areas within the legacy park where cricket nets and recreational cricket can be played.’

The ECB frequently sells out Lord’s, as well as other grounds, for Tests, one-day internationals and international Twenty20s.

Lord’s, close to central London, is currently the biggest cricket stadium in England with a capacity of 30,000.

There has long been debate about what should be done with the Olympic stadium, which will include an athletics track, after the Games. If it was to remain as a dedicated athletics stadium, the seating would probably drop to around 25,000.