The London Stadium appears to be moving closer to hosting two matches over a weekend in the 2019 Cricket World Cup but only if the seats can be moved in time or West Ham agree to request a final away fixture of that season.
The organisers of the World Cup would like the London Stadium to host one day-night match on a Friday, and then a day game on a Sunday. Should the plans be ratified, England and India seem certain to play a game each. The probable fixtures would be England playing Australia, perhaps on the Friday under floodlights, and India playing Pakistan.
Given the capacity for cricket is likely to be 60,000, the crowd for the India-Pakistan match would be the highest for a game between the two countries outside the subcontinent.
With the Cricket World Cup due to open on 29th May 2019 the timing of the fixtures could be tight without asking West Ham to request the FA and Premier League for special dispensation to play their last game of the season away from home.
The only winners out of this proposal will be the stadium owners, not West Ham. In view of their intransigence towards allowing West Ham to increase the stadium capacity from 57000 to 60000 and eventually 66000, I believe West Ham should follow suit and decline asking the EPL for the special dispensation requested. There is also the possible adverse impact on the playing service.
On the question of the stadium and the possibility of England Athletics being paid a lump sum to withdraw from their 50 year agreement to use the stadium for a short period in the summer, i would like to see West Ham take the lead on this. Negogiate and pay the settlement themselves. The stadium could then be converted to a full time football stadium (no running track). By doing so the government will be saved the annual expense of the conversion (£16mil and rising) and West Ham will negate forever the backbiting vile that we are cadging off the taxpayer. But most important the club will be able to bring the crowd in closer to the action by removing the running track. Just my thoughts!!
I hear you Kenny am sure many of us feel the same way, we know we have the deal of the century so why not give a bit back to fund the reconversion costs and if it becomes possible to build the safe standing areas behind both goals increasing the capacity to what I estimated as 75000 based on the principal that each seat in those blocks amounts to 1.5 in safe standing. In terms of bring the fans closer to the action, I might be wrong but I am fairly certain they would need to restructure the roof to cover those supporters, it is another reason why I always advocated even when it was a purely athletics venue a retractable roof, I can’t understand why anyone building any Stadium in a country with weather conditions such as hours would build any new stadium without a retractable roof but hey what do I know we only have centuries of weather reports as evidence.