10.) The Gaddafi Stadium - Lahore, Pakistan
As of today, this is probably best known for the recent terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team. Built in 1959, it was originally called the Lahore Stadium and then renamed to the Gaddafi in 1974 in honour of Libyan President Colonel Gaddafi.Three hat-tricks have been taken at the stadium, by Peter Petherick of New Zealand against Pakistan, October 9, 1976, Wasim Akram of Pakistan against Sri Lanka, March 6, 1999 and Mohammad Sami of Pakistan against Sri Lanka, March 8, 2002.
9.) Super Sports park - Centurion, South Africa
This stadium hosted its first match on 16 November 1995 and its my favourite ground in South Africa, not in the least because the Mumbai Indians franchise is thinking of setting up shop here. It was remaned from Centurion Park when the television channel SuperSports brought shares in it.
8.) The WACA - Perth, Australia
The ground with the most feared pitch, the Western Australian Cricket Association ground at Perth is one of the most famous cricket grounds in the world. The first Test match was played at the ground in 1970. Throughout its history, the ground has also been used for a range of activities other than cricket, including Australian rules football, Soccer, Rugby League, International Rules, athletic carnivals and music concerts. The ground has seen many spectacular performances including Matthew Hayden's 380 against Zimbabwe and Glenn McGrath's 8-34 against Pakistan. On January 12, 2005, the WACA hosted Australia's first Twenty20 match, played between the Western Warriors and the Victorian Bushrangers.
7.) Kensington Oval(The Mecca) - Bridgetown, Barbados
Boasting a 120 year old history, 'The Mecca' has been the home to two of the greatest West Indian bowlers, Malcom Marshall and Joel Garner. Cricket at the Oval began in 1882 when the Pickwick Cricket Club assumed ownership of the ground. The first international match held was in 1895 when Slade Lucas' side visited the island. The first Test match was held in January 1930, when the West Indies and England played to a draw. Since the genesis there have been a total of 43 Test matches played on the Kensington Oval grounds, 21 of those matches won by the West Indian cricket team.
6.) Queen's park oval - Port of Spain ,Trinidad and Tobago
Queen's Park Oval, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, is currently the largest capacity cricket ground in the West Indies and has hosted more Test matches than any other ground in the Caribbean. It also hosted a number of matches in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. It is privately owned by the Queen's Park Cricket Club and has seating for about 25,000. The Trinidad and Tobago cricket team play most of their home matches at the ground. The cricket field has also been used to host several domestic and international football matches. But this is not what it is actually very much famous for. The Queen's park Oval plays home to the second-greatest Batsman of the Modern era (this argument will crop up in later posts too!), the King himself, Brian Charles Lara.
5.) Old Trafford - Manchester, England
The Old Trafford Cricket Ground, usually known as simply Old Trafford, is a cricket ground situated on Talbot Road in Old Trafford, an area of Stretford in Greater Manchester, England that has been the home of Manchester Cricket Club since 1856 and of the Lancashire County Cricket Club since it was founded in 1864. International Test matches have been played there since 1884. This stadium will always remain steeped in cricket folklore, be it for Jim Laker's astonishing 19-90, or Sachin Tendulkar's first test 100 or for Shane Warne's 'Ball of the Century' to Mike Gatting.
4.) Sydney Cricket Ground - Sydney , Australia
The Sydney Cricket Ground, simply called the SCG is a sports stadium in Sydney. It is used for Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches, and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian Football League. It is owned and operated by the SCG Trust that also manages the Sydney Football Stadium located next door. Why have I put it up so high in the list? well the answer is 231.33, that figure being Sachin Tendulkar's average here, giving it the moniker of SCG - Sachin's Cricket Ground.
3.) Lord's - London, England
Lord's Cricket Ground (generally known as Lord's) is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the European Cricket Council (ECC); and until August 2005, the International Cricket Council (ICC). This is the home of cricket. The place where all traditions and memories of cricket are preserved. Where the white 'pukka' sahib can wear his white flannels and play the gentleman's game.
2.) Eden Gardens - Kolkatta, India
I thought of putting up a pic like the ones before but then decided that for the Eden Gardens, its the crowd that really makes it so special. The present Eden Gardens Cricket Club came in existence some time in the year 1864. It has been called the Lord's of Asia.The stadium is the one of the largest cricketing facilities in the world, along with the MCG.The first Test match was played in January 1934. Since then the ground has hosted 35 Test matches, more than any other venue in India, the last match to date being India vs Pakistan on 30 November 2007, where the match was a draw on a flat pitch.
Having a capacity of 90,000 its the biggest cricket stadium and more often that not it is full to the brim. The crowd at Eden Gardens is probably the most provocative in the entire world, often being harsh on the home team itself. One remembers Vinod Kambli crying during the 1996 World Cup semi-final when crowd trouble did not allow the match to continue. Reason? India were 108-8 and the crowd had had enough. It is also the site of one of the greatest turnarounds in Test cricket history, when Laxman's 281 and Harbhajan's 8 wickets beat Australia after we were following on.
1.) The Wankhede Stadium - Mumbai, India
The Wankhede (*sighs*)...... This ground was built after disputes between the Cricket Club of India which own the Brabourne Stadium, and the Mumbai Cricket Association over the allocation of tickets for cricket matches. This became severe after the Test between India and England in 1973. At the initiative of S. K. Wankhede, a politician and the secretary of the Mumbai Cricket Association, MCA built the new stadium in South Mumbai near the Churchgate station. It was built in six months and opened in time for the final Test between India and the West Indies in 1975. Since then the Wankhade stadium has taken over from Brabourne Stadium as the main cricketing venue in the city. The stadium has a capacity of 40,000 and is always in contention to host an international match in India.
Many people consider this to be a small ground and capacity wise it is. But take this for some history. It is the home of some the greatest players ever to play the game including Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Vinod Kambli, Snajay Manjarekar and Sachin Tendulkar. It is the home of the 39 time Ranji Champions and the home ground of Mumbai Indians. The stadium has been witness to great innings like Gavaskar's 205 against the Windies and Kallicharran's 187 in the same game in the 1978-79 series and all round heroics like Ian Botham's century and thirteen wickets in the Jubilee Test in 1980. which England won by ten wickets. The highest score by an Indian at Wankhede remains Vinod Kambli's 224 against England in 1992-93 in only his third Test. Incidentally Ravi Shastri's six sixes in an over off Baroda's Tilak Raj en route to the fastest double-hundred in first-class cricket was on this ground in 1984-85.
And to say nothing of the intangible factors. If you have not sat in the Sachind Tendulkar pavilion and chanted "Sachin.... Sachin...." or booed any poor opposition fielder on the fence near you with the choiciest of swear words, you have not witnessed live cricket. The stadium embraces you and hence Shaun Pollock becomes Polly Kaka, a moniker given to the lgendary Polly Umrigar. That is the magic of the Wankhede.
Hope you guys liked the post.... stay tuned for the next one......
cheers! :D
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