MELBOURNE: The iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground could see a crowd of more than 80,000 people during this summer's Boxing Day Ashes Test between hosts Australia and England as the Victorian government announced further easing of COVID-19 restrictions over the coming months.
Melbourne has just come out of a sixth coronavirus-enforced lockdown, the most by any city in the world over the past two years.
"I want to see 80,000 plus people at the Boxing Day Test on day one, that's what I want to see," Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
"We are determined to deliver that. It won't be easy. I think selling the tickets will be pretty easy. But we are very confident."
There were restrictions in place at the MCG last year and the crowd for the Boxing Day Test against India was capped at 30,000.
As many as 78,113 people checked into the MCG for an AFL match in April but Melbourne has not had a significant crowd at a sporting event since the latest lockdown began in mid-July.
The Victorian government is confident that 90 per cent of its people will be fully vaccinated by November 24, which is a must for organising sporting events attracting massive crowds.
Before the pandemic forced the world into a lockdown, a crowd of 86,174 people watched Australia beat India in the final of the 2020 T20 World Cup in March 2020.
Meanwhile, concerns remained over the Perth Test with Western Australia Cricket chief executive Christina Matthews saying on 6PR radio that Perth Scorchers men's team could play their entire BBL season on the road following the announcement that the WA government would keep the borders to Victoria and New South Wales closed until at least Christmas.