Photo feature - Seating

The best seats in the house

You might want to sit down for this

VLive Sports DeskSyndicated Wire Coverage (ESPNcricinfo / Sports Feeds)

Jun 21, 2021, 2:04 AM

Are they called deck chairs because you're close enough to get decked by a passing ball?Getty Images

KEY TAKEAWAYSQuick highlights & editorial summary

VLive Sports Desk

Editorial Angle:Analysis of The best seats in the house: You might want to sit down for this — assessing tactical impact and tournament progression.
Performance Milestone:During the 1996 World Cup, India famously forfeited the semi-final against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens after fans rioted in anger at India losing seven wickets for 22 runs.

Given the languorous pace of long-form cricket, fans have perfected the art of lounging. In the UK, easy chairs come out with the sun at County Championship matches, sometimes dangerously close to the boundary.

Below, an abandoned stagecoach at Lord's provides the perfect seating at this Harrow vs Eton match in 1976.

Drive-in movies are passe, drive-in matches are where it's atGetty Images

A 19-year-old Sachin Tendulkar heard florals were in vogue the season he became Yorkshire's first overseas signing back in 1992.

Sachin Tendulkar enjoys the thrill of the chaiseGetty Images

Players themselves don't do a lot of sitting around, but when they do - like at a photo call - they have to carry their own chairs out. The ignominy!

The England team test their bench strengthGetty Images

During the 1996 World Cup, India famously forfeited the semi-final against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens after fans rioted in anger at India losing seven wickets for 22 runs. The seating took the brunt of their anger, with multiple fires set in the stands.

A lone fan contemplates his life choices as the match goes up in flames around himAssociated Press

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It's probably fortunate that the Eden Gardens seats weren't like the kindling at the Brabourne stadium in Mumbai.

Nothing says colonial-era charm like fire-hazard seating at the Brabourne in MumbaiGetty Images

At the Traeger Oval in Alice Springs, you can't sit with us if you're drinking.

Women workers do the heavy lifting after an India training session in Ranchi in 2019.

When the IPL packed up early this year, it took with it hopes, dreams… and stadium seating.

A cycle rickshaw carts chairs out of the Arun Jaitley ground in New Delhi after the IPL was abruptly suspendedAssociated Press

Syndication & Sourcing Notice: Match coverage, narrative reporting, and statistics are syndicated from ESPNcricinfo and cricket wire data feeds. Curated, formatted, and enriched with real-time match state, scorecard snapshots, and key takeaways by VLive Sports Desk. Read our Editorial Guidelines & Syndication Standards.

The best seats in the house

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