Virus prevents play at world’s biggest stadium

NEW DELHI: There is no larger symbol of the global sports shutdown than cricket’s 110,000-seater Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, opened by US President Donald Trump, but yet to see a ball bowled.

India’s newest and the world’s biggest cricket stadium lies empty because of the coronavirus pandemic. Where there should be the sound of leather on willow and the roar of the crowd, there is only silence. Just a few weeks ago, it had been packed to capacity as Trump and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood side-by-side in a show of pomp and ceremony for the February 24 inauguration.

Eclipsing Australia’s 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground, it was rumoured to be in line to host the final of this year’s Indian Premier League, the world’s richest Twenty20 tournament, watched by millions worldwide. But then came COVID-19. The pandemic has brought the sporting world to a grinding halt with massive events including the Tokyo Olympics, football’s European Championships, golf and tennis majors, and the glitzy IPL postponed.