Birmingham’s Edgbaston Stadium is set to install a temporary stand to increase its capacity by more than 850 for England’s inaugural day/night Test match in August.
Warwickshire County Cricket Club confirmed the expansion of the 23,500-capacity ground to allow more fans to see some of the world’s top cricketers in action through its commercial partnership with Arena Seating.
The Test match between England and the West Indies will take place from August 17-21, with the temporary stand remaining in place for the Twenty20 Blast Finals Day on September 2.
Gareth Roberts, commercial director at Warwickshire CCC, said: “The reaction to hosting England’s first ever day/night Investec Test match has been fantastic, with 55,000 tickets already sold and the allocation for day two tickets having sold out prior to today’s temporary stand announcement.
“Additionally, 45 per cent of all ticket buyers are new to Edgbaston, which suggests that the game is helping attract a new audience.
“Having brought in the temporary stand for the recent ICC Champions Trophy, we were keen to maximise this opportunity for this first Day/Night Investec Test match and give even more supporters a chance to witness history.
“England will return to Birmingham on the back of six consecutive victories here, across all three formats of the game, and we hope that they can continue their great run at Fortress Edgbaston in August.”
The upcoming Test will mark Edgbaston’s 50th time hosting such an event, and the ground has a 20-year association with day/night cricket after becoming the first venue in the UK to host a domestic fixture in 1997.
The Birmingham venue helped secure the right to stage England’s first day/night Test match by trialling a Second XI Championship match in day/night conditions last year between Warwickshire Second XI and Worcestershire Second XI.
As part of the preparations, there will be a full round of day/night County Championship matches played across the country next week, with Edgbaston hosting Warwickshire’s match against Lancashire from June 26.
Tickets for the Test match cost from £26 for adults, and from £6 for under-16s.
Image: Jimmy Guano
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