Despite logistical issues meaning the Cricket World Cup will not be played at the London Stadium, the Olympic Park could still play some part in the tournament by hosting a fanpark.
Tournament organisers want fanparks across the country next year, especially beyond the 10 host cities. The Olympic Park is under consideration and Newham council is said to be keen.
It was cricket’s unique nature and eccentricities that meant playing two flagship matches (India v Pakistan and England v Australia) at the stadium was a non-starter, despite a thorough research process.
The concept did not even get to test-event stage and the drop-in pitches were never placed in the ground, with the angle of the setting sun proving the greatest obstacle.
There were three possible orientations for the pitch at the ground. Of these, north-south was well suited cricket-wise but would have involved too much logistical upheaval, including the moving of media facilities, the big screens needing to be covered and the loss of 28,000 of the 65,000 seats.
East-west would have meant batsmen looking straight into the sun, with the stadium’s perspex roof causing complications, too.
Andrew Strauss and Eoin Morgan were taken to the stadium a year ago and concluded it was too much of a problem for players.
Organisers believe staging any cricket — even that lasting just 100 balls — would be impossible at the ground. Counties such as Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire are interested in taking the unused drop-in pitches on.
