England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday (June 21) announced that the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka is set to take place in front of an increased number of spectators in stadiums as it was included as a British Government test event.

The upcoming white-ball series against Pakistan is also due to be part of the UK government's “events research program”, but at the moment, the ODI series against Sri Lanka is the priority.

However, the ECB didn’t reveal the exact numbers that would be allowed for the ODI series between, but the next week's matches at Durham, The Oval in London, and Bristol will be exempted from current strict limits imposed on outdoor events following the COVID-19 pandemic.

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England has already started playing matches in front of the fans with more than 17,000 fans allowed in daily for a Test match in a recent home series against New Zealand at Edgbaston in Birmingham, though, the next week's games at Durham will not be subject to the current strict limits for outdoor events.

The UK Government's culture and sports secretary, Oliver Dowden, said: “We will continue to do everything we can to get as many as possible back watching live sport and cultural events as safely and as quickly as possible.”

Noteworthy, England and Sri Lanka are all set to play three T20Is and as many as ODIs from June 23 to July 4.

(With AFP Inputs)