India, England Test series set to be played in front of capacity crowd

London: The upcoming Test series between India and England is set to be played in front of capacity crowds after the UK government announced the lifting of all COVID-19 restrictions on gathering of people. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday confirmed that all legal COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, including the mandatory wearing of face masks and limit on crowd at indoor, outdoor and sports events, will come to an end on 19 July. [caption id=“attachment_9230181” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  File image of England Test skipper Joe Root and his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli. AFP[/caption] “We will remove all legal limits on the numbers of meeting indoors and outdoors,” Johnson was quoted as saying by ‘Sky Sports’. “We will allow all businesses to reopen, including nightclubs. We will lift the limit on number of visitors to care homes and number of people attending concerts, theatres and sports events,” he added. “We will move away from legal restrictions and allow people to make their own informed decisions about how to manage the virus.” The five-Test series between India and England starts at Nottingham on 4 August. Currently, the Indian players are on a break and will reassemble on July 14. The World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand was played in front a limited crowd at Southampton last month with the upper attendance limit capped at 4,000.