Brabourne Stadium to host England Test

Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium is set to host a Test match after 35 years, when England tour India in November-December for a two-Test series. The change was prompted due to the unavailability of the Wankhede Stadium, the regular Test venue, which is undergoing renovation for the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent.

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) had discussions with the owners of the Brabourne Stadium, the Cricket Club of India (CCI), over the sharing of tickets and a three-year deal on hosting rights will be signed on June 18.

"A formal agreement, for a period of three years till Wankhede is available to us again to host matches, is to be signed with the CCI on June 18 when our managing committee meets," Dr PV Shetty, the joint secretary of the MCA, told PTI. "The discussion part is over and the CCI authorities have agreed to keep 50% of the club house tickets to themselves and give the rest to us [MCA]."

Incidentally, England were the last visiting team to play a Test at the Brabourne Stadium, back in 1973. A dispute over tickets between the MCA and the CCI led to the birth of the Wankhede Stadium nearby, which held its first Test in 1975. Brabourne hosted three one-day internationals between 1989 and 1995, before playing host to five ICC Champions Trophy games eleven years later. The last international match played there was a one-off Twenty20 international between India and Australia last year.