The remaining T20 internationals between India and England will be played without fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said on Monday.
The decision was announced earlier by the Gujarat Cricket Association.
“The BCCI in consultation with the GCA has decided to conduct the final three T20Is against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium behind closed doors. The decision was arrived at following detailed discussions with the state and local health authorities,” secretary Jay Shah said in a statement.
“BCCI will continue to comply with all the regulations put in place to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus and will always put the health and safety of its fans and stakeholders at the top,” he added.
The first two T20Is at the Narendra Modi Stadium was open to fans but that has now been changed as per the statement issued by Dhanraj Nathwani, GCA’s Vice President, late on Monday night.
Nathwani said that refund will be given to the spectators who have already purchased tickets.
The series is level 1-1 with the final three matches to be played on March 16, 18 and 20.
“Due to rise in number of Corona cases, we at GCA have decided in consultation with BCCI, the matches will be played (behind) closed doors and not allow the spectators in the ground during T20 internationals to be played between India and England at Ahmedabad,” Nathwani said in a press release.
“We will form the policy for refund of money to the spectators, who have already purchased the tickets for these three T20s. Those who have received complimentary tickets are requested not to visit the stadium.”
According to ESPNCricinfo, more than 66,000 fans attended each of the first two matches at the largest cricket stadium in the world which has an estimated capacity of Rs 1.32 lakh.
The fans were seen bunched up in areas of the stands, raising questions over the safety of spectators amid the pandemic. Crowds had returned for international cricket matches in India during the preceding Test series barring the opening game in Chennai which was played behind closed doors.
Earlier in the day, ANI reported that Gujarat’s Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation orders closure of shops after 10 pm in eight wards – Jodhpur, Navrangpura, Bodakdev, Thaltej, Gota, Paldi, Ghatlodia & Maninagar
India on Monday registered 26,291 new coronavirus cases, taking the overall count to 1,13,85,339, data from the Union health ministry showed. The country’s toll rose to 1,58,725, with 118 deaths reported in 24 hours. Active cases went up by 8,718 to 2,19,262. The number of recoveries reached 1,10,07,352.
The health ministry said that Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu accounted for 78.41% of the new cases reported in India in the last day.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!