75,000 people see Fortress Edgbaston reinforce reputation
“Fortress Edgbaston” has kept its reputation as a winning venue for England’s cricket team after a hard-fought and tight Test match.
More than 75,000 fans attended over four days to see England win their 1,000th Test at lunchtime on Saturday.
England v India at Edgbaston
“Once again, Edgbaston has proven to be a ‘fortress’ for the England team,” said Neil Snowball, chief executive of Edgbaston Stadium and Warwickshire CCC.
“The team love coming to Birmingham and the fans give them a reception like nowhere else in the country.”
England have lost just 8 of the 51 Test matches played at Edgbaston, and just one of the last 14, winning 10, in a run that goes back to 2001.
It is the combination of big crowds and England success that has helped Birmingham secure the first Ashes Test next summer.
Snowball added: “We’ve lobbied hard to host the opening Test of the major summer series, to ensure that Joe Root’s men have the best possible opportunity to get off to a great start.
“That has happened at Edgbaston today and hopefully the same can happen again next year when we host the opening Test of the Specsavers Ashes series.”
In total, Edgbaston, which is the biggest cricket venue outside of London, accommodated 75,716 spectators across the four days of play and welcomed a capacity crowd of 23,797 on Friday.
