NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Southampton will host the June finals at the inaugural World Test (WTC) Championship originally organized at Lord’s, Indian cricket board president Sourav Ganguly has said.
India’s Virat Kohli will face New Zealand in the final following their victory in the 3-1 home series against England last week.
The International Cricket Council (ICC), which had initially said the match would be held at Lord’s, did not mention the venue when confirming Saturday’s final.
He would make an announcement about the location in due course, an ICC spokesman told Reuters, but Ganguly said Southampton, which has a hotel on site at the Ageas Bowl, would host a competition June 18-22.
“It’s been decided a long time ago. They have the hotel, which makes it easier for them to manage (the biosafety environment), ”Ganguly told India Today news channel.
Neither the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) nor Marylebone Cricket Club, which owns Lord, were immediately available for comment.
Southampton and Manchester, which also has a hotel in Old Trafford, hosted matches against the West Indies, Pakistan, Ireland and Australia last year when international cricket resumed following a COVID-19 pandemic.
New Zealand will play a two-Test series in England in June before challenging India.