Olympic Stadium to stage cricket?

The Olympic Stadium in East London has emerged as a potential venue for floodlit Twenty20 cricket, after the London Development Agency (LDA) claimed it had been in talks with the ECB, and two first-class counties, in a bid to firm up a "legacy" for the 80,000-seater venue once the 2012 games have finished.

In a statement, the LDA said it had "engaged with two professional cricket clubs and the national governing body of the sport to explore opportunities for professional cricket (particularly Twenty20 cricket) to be played in the legacy stadium post-2012 and proposes to identify areas within the legacy park where cricket nets and recreational cricket can be played."

>>cricinfo.com

What to do with the Olympic stadium after the games have packed up and left town has been a question often raised as 2012 draws nearer. Various football sides (West Ham and Tottenham I believe) have been suggested but this is the first I have seen that links cricket as one of the options.

The Cricinfo report confirms that both Surrey and Middlesex were approached, but declined citing the current facilities at The Oval and Lords as being more than sufficient, but the ECB deny any knowledge of such a proposal at this stage.

Such news could create apoplexy amongst certain counties and the ECB but it does raise an interesting possibilities. The layout of the stadium is believed to be conducive to cricket (more oval shaped than rectangular for football) and no current Test (or county) ground can get anywhere near the 80,000 capacity the stadium can boast.

Initially you would iamgine it may be ideal for staging Twenty20 (finals day, internationals) cricket given the surge in popularity and interest with the Champions League and IPL looks to be continuing but ever keen with eye on the till, the ECB may also have like the idea of potential Test Matches to be staged there given the way (Ashes series in particular) are often over subscribed for the often limited capacities of current grounds.

Whether this meets resistance at more grass roots level remains to be seen but it is surely a proposal and initiative that shouldn't be summarily dismissed out of hand.