The final match of the World Test Championship between India and New Zealand is scheduled to be played at the Aegis Bowl in Southampton from June 18 to 22. England has so far hosted 16 finals of multinational cricket tournaments. Of these, 13 were played at Lord's stadium, two finals took place at the Oval and one at Edgbaston (Birmingham). Usually, the final matches in England are played at Lord's stadium.
In such a situation, the question arises that why is the final of the World Test Championship being held in the Aegis Bowl and at Lord's? Here's what you need to know about the reasons why Southampton was chosen as host for the WTC final.
Sporting activities around the world have been greatly affected due to the coronavirus pandemic. In such a situation, the Aegis Bowl in Southampton is the first bio-secure cricket venue in the world. Meanwhile, the Test match between England and West Indies was held here from 8 July 2020 in a bio-secure environment. Since then, a total of 9 international matches have been played here.
The Aegis Bowl is one of the few cricket stadiums in the world that has a five-star hotel close by. So, it is convenient to accommodate teams and officials in a safe environment. In such a situation, they do not have to travel much distance from the hotel to the ground.
This is the final of the ICC tournament. Meanwhile, the conditions here are helpful for swing as well as spin bowling, especially on the fourth and fifth days of the match.
Many cricket analysts have speculated that BCCI did not want the match to be in conditions too conducive to swing bowling. However, this is a point that cannot be officially confirmed. The Indian board took up the issue with the ICC and the England Cricket Board (BCCI) and the venue was then shifted from Lord's to Southampton.
