Cricket fans return to England Test for the first time since 2019

Now summer really is here! Fans lap up the sun as Test cricket crowds return to Lord’s for the first time since the 2019 Ashes, with 6,500 watching England take on New Zealand

Cricket fans are enjoying a return to a home England Test match for the first time in nearly two years, with spectators at Lord’s taking in the action under the blazing London sunshine.

Joe Root’s men kick off the international cricket summer with a two-match Test series against New Zealand.

Lord’s capacity has been capped at 25 per cent for the match, meaning about 7,500 fans can be in attendance each day for the five days of action between the two sides.

Cricket fans are enjoying a return to a home England Test match for the first time in nearly two years

Lord’s capacity has been capped at 25 per cent for the match, allowing 7,500 to attend

However, around 1,000 tickets appear to have gone unsold, with Sky Sports claiming approximately 6,500 fans have made their way to the ground on Wednesday.

‘As a kid growing up, going to those games meant a huge amount to me,’ England captain Joe Root said ahead of the first Test. 

‘It will be great to have fans and that atmosphere back. To see people enjoying our sport again, live.’

County cricket has already welcomed supporters back into the stadiums, with a 25 per cent capacity having been allowed since 17 May, more than a month after the season started on 8 April. 

But around 6,500 have made their way to the ground, with approximately 1,000 going unsold

But now fans have returned to an international fixture in England for the first time since Joe Root’s men sealed a final-day victory at The Oval in September 2019 to draw the Ashes against Australia. 

England beat West Indies and Pakistan in behind-closed-doors home Test series last summer. They also faced Pakistan and Australia in limited-overs series.

The Edgbaston Test between Root and Kane Williamson’s men later this month is set to welcome 18,000 fans, after being selected as the first of the government’s latest pilot events for greater attendance at sporting events.

The Ageas Bowl is then expected to allow 4,000 fans for the World Test Championship final between New Zealand and India, which begins on 18 June in Southampton.  

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