As the highly anticipated World Test Championship (WTC) final between India and New Zealand is scheduled to begin from June 18 to 22, take a look at the COVID-19 protocols set up by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Also Read | India at their first practice session ahead of WTC final

The ICC has designed a foolproof plan to keep the players safe after it was revealed that the WTC final will go ahead as planned.

According to Cricbuzz, the WTC final between India and New Zealand in England might draw up to 4,000 people.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) are authorising a crowd of 4,000 spectators for the pinnacle Test match, according to Rod Bransgrove, the president of Hampshire County Club.

“I understand 50 percent of the permitted crowds will be taken by the ICC for its sponsors and other stakeholders and we will be selling the rest 2000 tickets. We have already received more than double applications from the fans,” Bransgrove said. “It is a high-interest game and there is a good demand for it.”

Also Read | 3-week break for Indian squad after WTC to address mental fatigue

Before the WTC final in Southampton on June 18, the cricket body shared on May 29 the specifics on “exemptions and bio-safety procedures” for India and New Zealand.

The UK health department will deliver the second dosage of the COVID-19 vaccine to the Indian players, according to ANI’s reports on May 18.

Due to the stringent quarantine, none of the BCCI office-bearers, including president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah, will attend the World Test Championship final against New Zealand in Southampton.

On June 3, the Indian team landed in the United Kingdom, with members of the touring team carrying negative RT-PCR test reports. India had spent 14 days in a bio-secure environment at home ahead of their arrival, according to the ICC, during which “regular testing had taken place.”

Also Read | Shikhar Dhawan to lead India as BCCI announces squad for Sri Lanka series

India checked into the on-site hotel at Hampshire Bowl, the location for the final, and spent a time of “managed isolation” after their arrival.

The players have been told to remain in the bio-secure bubble until they are allowed to practise on the field, and their activity will be steadily raised with each negative result during the rounds of regular testing.

The New Zealand squad, who arrived in the UK on June 2 for a bilateral series against England, will move from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) bio-secure environment to the World Test Championship final bubble on June 15 and will be exposed to routine testing before and after their arrival in Southampton.

The World Test Cricket Championship final was initially scheduled to be held at the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, but the location was changed as the ICC responded to the pandemic.

Also Read | Harbhajan apologises for his post on Bhindranwale: Know what the controversy is about

The Ageas Bowl — or the Hampshire Bowl — which is the current location of the final, was opened in 2001 and hosted Test cricket for the first time in 2011, has a hotel with 171 rooms.