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Ahead of the much-anticipated fifth rescheduled Test between hosts England and India, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is concerned over unwanted crowd behavior during the match. Top authorities of the English cricket board have expressed their concerns about the cocaine-affected crowd behavior that has been seen in the past few games.
With the fifth rescheduled Test between England and India just a few days away, the hindrances in the smooth conduct of the game are being tackled one by one. But the outrageous crowd behavior that may spoil the mood during the game is a major challenge for the organizers. According to a Sunday Times report, many ECB administrators and on-ground authorities are concerned about the misconduct of the members of the crowd at different sporting venues in the country.
Many of these authorities believe that the reopening of venues for full crowds at grounds after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to this aggressive behavior from the crowd. Also, the rising consumption of alcohol and cocaine at stadiums is only fueling such incidents. This has also posed a bigger challenge to players' security during the fifth Test in Birmingham.
Notably, there were multiple incidents of misbehavior by the crowd during India’s last tour to England. There were multiple security breaches and some unacceptable actions from the crowd. The biggest of the misconduct was bear and champagne corks thrown at KL Rahul from a pavilion. This had angered then-Indian captain Virat Kohli who had asked Rahul to throw back the corks at the crowd.
England cricket team’s biggest fan club, the Barmy Army is also aware of this situation and hence has issued a statement. The fan club has asked each of its members not to indulge in any such activity or risk having their membership revoked.