Essex in deal to play at Olympic Stadium

LONDON, (Reuters) – English county side Essex have agreed in principle to play T20 cricket at the London Olympic Stadium from 2016.

The county’s chief executive said two other counties were also interested in plans to stage a T20 festival at the east London landmark.

“In principle there is an agreement that a two-week festival of T20-type cricket could be played at the Olympic Park from 2016,” Derek Bowden told BBC Essex on Thursday. “Ourselves, Kent and Middlesex have all expressed interest in playing there.”

English Premier League soccer club West Ham will use the stadium, built for the London 2012 Olympics, as their home ground from 2016.

Any decision on whether cricket could also be played at the stadium will require backing from the London Legacy Development Corporation, the organisation responsible for the future use of the Olympic Park.

“London Legacy and the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) are very supportive of the notion of a two-week festival of cricket in the summer,” Bowden told the BBC.