Edgbaston primed for cricket’s oldest rivals ahead of sell-out game
Cricket organisers at Edgbaston will be keeping their fingers crossed that the weather is kind to them tomorrow when the ground stages one of its biggest games for several years.
England meet old rivals Australia in the final sell-out fixture of the opening round of the ICC Champions Trophy.
England have already qualified for the semi-finals of the competition but victory against the old enemy would send the boys from Down Under back home.
They will be hoping that the Edgbaston roar once again proves to be factor that gives the English team the upper hand against their Ashes rival.
The game culminates a week of top flight cricket at the ground, although several of the games have been spoiled by the bad weather.
Nevertheless, the fixture between India and Pakistan on Sunday proved to be one of the highlights of the tournament so far.
Not only did a record One Day International crowd of 24,156 pack into the Birmingham ground, which ICC Champions Trophy holders India won by 124 runs, but also thousands more took to Victoria Square in the city to watch matches in the first ever ICC Fan Park.
Steve Elworthy, the ICC Champions Trophy Tournament Director, said: “Edgbaston is a ground for the big occasion and there are fewer bigger occasions in world cricket than when India and Pakistan meet in an ICC global event.
“Fans turned out in their thousands and we also were grateful for the thousands who supported the City Fan Park in the centre of Birmingham. It was a great weekend for cricket and everyone at Warwickshire County Cricket Club deserve our thanks for their efforts.”
Neil Snowball, CEO of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, said: “It was an honour for Edgbaston to host this match for the third time. We have a large Indian and Pakistani community in and around the city. We have felt the excitement growing for months and when the day came records tumbled.
“Again, it is a privilege to be part of this ICC Champions Trophy tournament and now we look forward to England playing Australia ahead of the semi-final here on (Thursday) June 15.”
The tournament is set to provide a £25m boost to Birmingham’s visitor economy.
