ENGLAND AND AUSTRALIA GRANTED LORD'S OUTFIELD ACCESS BEFORE RITA ORA PERFORMANCE

England and Australia will be permitted to warm up on the Lord's outfield before Sunday's T20 World Cup final, following a late change to the original arrangement. The teams were initially told they could not access the main ground until after pop star Rita Ora's performance, which will take place at 14:30 BST on half an hour before the toss. Bowlers will now be allowed to warm up on the main outfield before the performance, alongside their existing access to practice wickets adjacent to the match surface. The International Cricket Council has been asked to comment on the revised plan.

Rita Ora's set will create a half-hour gap in the middle of the pre-match preparation schedule, which captain Nat Sciver-Brunt identified as a potential disruption to bowlers who prefer to bowl on the practice wickets immediately before play begins. Pre-match performances on the outfield are standard at World Cups; the men's T20 final in India earlier this year featured a performance by Ricky Martin. England are appearing in their first ICC final since the 2022 50-over World Cup, where Australia defeated them. Their most recent global trophy win came at Lord's in 2017.

Three players from the 2017 squad remain involved, including Sciver-Brunt, former captain Heather Knight and batter Danni Wyatt-Hodge. Sciver-Brunt stated that the significant growth in women's cricket professionalisation over nine years, combined with record-breaking attendance at the tournament, makes Sunday's final a more substantial occasion than the 2017 victory.