Advertisement

West Ham's London Stadium set to host England vs Australia at 2019 Cricket World Cup

Bowled over: London Stadium is set to stage England's pool game against Australia: West Ham United via Getty Images
Bowled over: London Stadium is set to stage England's pool game against Australia: West Ham United via Getty Images

The London Stadium is set to host at least two matches during the 2019 Cricket World Cup — one of which looks set to be England’s clash with Australia.

Tournament officials have visited the arena, which is home to West Ham, and are happy that it could be adjusted to suit the needs of cricket.

That could attract a crowd up to 60,000 — far higher than is usual for matches in this country.

The group meetings between England and Australia, and India and Pakistan, appear the most likely ones to be held at the venue, which was used for the 2012 Olympics.

ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said: “It has the right dimensions to play meaningful cricket and there are not a lot of other stadiums around the country that have got the capacity to fit the boundaries in.

“We will have to tweak the orientation of the ground slightly. There are minimum boundaries that we have to deliver.

“It would be an amazing statement to have 55,000 to 60,000 people in a ground in the UK watching World Cup cricket.”

It has also been suggested that Essex could host a Twenty20 fixture at the London Stadium as a trial run.