<p>Australia's Boxing Day Test against England could have a crowd of more 80,000, a senior official said Sunday as Melbourne emerges from one of the world's most prolonged series of Covid lockdowns.</p>.<p>How many spectators, if any, would be allowed into the cavernous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the third Ashes Test has long been up in the air.</p>.<p>But with the nation's second-biggest city re-opening on Friday after more than 260 days under lockdown since the pandemic began, Victoria state Premier Dan Andrews was hopeful it will be jam-packed.</p>.<p>"I want to see 80,000-plus people at the Boxing Day Test on day one, that's what I want to see," he told reporters in flagging a further planned easing of Covid restrictions.</p>.<p>"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 that we will be able to deliver that."</p>.<p>The crowd for last summer's Boxing Day Test against India was capped at 30,000 per day due to the pandemic.</p>.<p>The five-Test Ashes series will start in Brisbane on December 8 before moving to Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and ending in Perth.</p>.<p>Cricket Australia said in July that venues would be sold to full capacity, except the 100,000-seat MCG, given the city's battle against Covid-19.</p>.<p>Victoria state, in which Melbourne is situated, recorded almost 2,000 new cases and a further 11 deaths in the past 24 hours, but it is rapidly nearing an 80 percent vaccination rate when more freedoms have been promised.</p>.<p>Andrews' comments will encourage not only cricket fans but Australian Open organisers, with the first tennis Grand Slam of 2022 due to start on January 17 at Melbourne Park.</p>.<p>The tournament was hit hard this year with limited crowds and a five-day snap lockdown called mid-event.</p>.<p>But whether a full contingent of tennis stars will make the trip to Melbourne remains to be seen.</p>.<p>Last week Andrews warned that unvaccinated players were unlikely to get visas, throwing defending champion Novak Djokovic's participation into serious doubt.</p>.<p>The world number one has publicly voiced opposition to vaccines and refused to say whether he has been jabbed against coronavirus.</p>.<p> <strong>Check out latest DH videos here</strong></p>
<p>Australia's Boxing Day Test against England could have a crowd of more 80,000, a senior official said Sunday as Melbourne emerges from one of the world's most prolonged series of Covid lockdowns.</p>.<p>How many spectators, if any, would be allowed into the cavernous Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the third Ashes Test has long been up in the air.</p>.<p>But with the nation's second-biggest city re-opening on Friday after more than 260 days under lockdown since the pandemic began, Victoria state Premier Dan Andrews was hopeful it will be jam-packed.</p>.<p>"I want to see 80,000-plus people at the Boxing Day Test on day one, that's what I want to see," he told reporters in flagging a further planned easing of Covid restrictions.</p>.<p>"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 that we will be able to deliver that."</p>.<p>The crowd for last summer's Boxing Day Test against India was capped at 30,000 per day due to the pandemic.</p>.<p>The five-Test Ashes series will start in Brisbane on December 8 before moving to Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and ending in Perth.</p>.<p>Cricket Australia said in July that venues would be sold to full capacity, except the 100,000-seat MCG, given the city's battle against Covid-19.</p>.<p>Victoria state, in which Melbourne is situated, recorded almost 2,000 new cases and a further 11 deaths in the past 24 hours, but it is rapidly nearing an 80 percent vaccination rate when more freedoms have been promised.</p>.<p>Andrews' comments will encourage not only cricket fans but Australian Open organisers, with the first tennis Grand Slam of 2022 due to start on January 17 at Melbourne Park.</p>.<p>The tournament was hit hard this year with limited crowds and a five-day snap lockdown called mid-event.</p>.<p>But whether a full contingent of tennis stars will make the trip to Melbourne remains to be seen.</p>.<p>Last week Andrews warned that unvaccinated players were unlikely to get visas, throwing defending champion Novak Djokovic's participation into serious doubt.</p>.<p>The world number one has publicly voiced opposition to vaccines and refused to say whether he has been jabbed against coronavirus.</p>.<p> <strong>Check out latest DH videos here</strong></p>