ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is all set to take place in 3 countries of South
Asia i.e India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. See below for the grounds history and record in more details.
Along with the MCG, the Eden Gardens remains cricket's answer to the Coliseum.
It first hosted a Test back in the days of India's cricketing infancy, with
Douglas Jardine's team easing to victory inside four days in 1934. Since then,
it has become something of a place of pilgrimage for most international
cricketers, a chance to strut their stuff in front of the most passionate and
vocal crowd in the game. At times though, the fervour has spilled into excess,
with riots disrupting matches against the West Indies (1966-67) and Australia
(1969-70), and a shameful exhibition of boorishness causing the World Cup
semi-final against Sri Lanka (1996) to be called off with the visitors on the
threshold of victory.
Date built
1864
Capacity
90,000
Floodlights
Yes
Ends
High Court End, Pavilion End
Feroz Shah Kotla
Delhi, India
Established in 1883, the Feroz Shah Kotla - run by
the politicised Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) - has witnessed a
number of feats, most notably Anil Kumble's 10 in an innings against Pakistan.
The Kotla staged its first Test in the 1948-49 season
when the mighty West Indies under John Goddard took on India for a five Test
series and the ground has produced some really good performances. In the 1952
Test against Pakistan, Hemu Adhikari and Ghulam Ahmed were involved in a record
tenth wicket stand of 109 runs - a record that still stands. In 1965, S
Venkataraghavan, in his debut series, demolished the New Zealand line up with
figures of 8 for 72 and 4 for 80. In 1969-70, Bedi and Prasanna combined to spin
India to a famous seven wicket win over Australia, the duo picking 18 wickets
between themselves.
However, the Kotla's future as an international venue
hangs in the balance when, in December 2009, an ODI between India and Sri Lanka
was abandoned due to a dangerous pitch.
Date built
1883
Capacity
-
Floodlights
Yes
Ends
Stadium End, Pavilion End
M.Chinnaswamy Stadium
Bangalore, India
Originally named the Karnataka State Cricket
Association Stadium, the ground was eventually renamed after M Chinnaswamy,
who was the president of the Indian board from 1977 until 1980, and was
involved in the administration of Karnataka cricket for close to four
decades. The foundation for the construction of the stadium was laid in May
1969 and building began in 1970.
The stadium was given Test status in 1974-75 and
hosted West Indies in the opening match, although the stadium was only
half-built. That match was also the debut of two West Indian greats, Gordon
Greenidge and Viv Richards. The stadium also played host to Sunil Gavaskar's
swansong innings - a masterclass on a minefield - when India went down to
Pakistan in the series decider in 1987.
Date built
1969
Capacity
40000
Floodlights
Yes
Ends
Pavilion End, BEML End
MA Chidambaram Stadium
Chennai, India
The Saint Lucia's Beausejour Stadium was built in 2002 and is one of the most
modern stadiums in the Caribbean with with four large stands, 18 hospitality
suites and a well-equipped pavilion.
The stadium hosted its first test match in 2003 but it created history in 2006
when the West Indies played Zimbabwe in the first ever day night game in the
Caribbean.
It hosted seven matches during the 2007 World Cup including the semi final
between Australia and South Africa.
Date built
-
Capacity
50,000
Floodlights
Yes
Ends
Anna Pavilion End, V Pattabhiraman Gate End
Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium
Hambantota, Sri Lanka
Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium is a new cricket stadium in
Hambantota, Sri Lanka. It was built for the 2011 Cricket World Cup and will
host two matches, the first being Sri Lanka against West Indies, on 9
December 2010. The stadium will have a capacity of 35,000 people
Date built
2009
Capacity
35,000
Floodlights
Yes
Ends
Thanamalwila End, Sooriyawewa End
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Kandy, Sri Lanka
Muttiah Muralitharan International Cricket Stadium is one of the newest cricket
stadiums in Sri Lanka and the newest in the city of Kandy. The stadium has been
renamed as the Muttiah Muralitharan International Cricket Stadium. In July 2010,
The Central Provincial Council in Kandy unanimously made the renaming decision
to honor the legendary Sri Lankan Cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan. The stadium
was declared opened on November 27, 2009
Date built
2009
Capacity
35,000
Floodlights
Yes
Ends
Hunnasgiriya End, Rikillagaskada End
Punjab Cricket Association Stadium
Chandigarh, India
What was a swamp with deep ravines in 1992 was turned into India's best
stadium within a span of two years. The Punjab Cricket Association Stadium
at Mohali, on the outskirts of Chandigarh, is a truly world-class venue with
excellent practice facilities, spectator-friendly outlook and sufficient
provisions for the media. The pitch at Mohali had the reputation of being
the livliest in the country - India were even rolled over for 83 on the
first morning against New Zealand in 1999 - but it changed complexion
drastically over the next few years and turned into a dead pitch producing
high-scoring draws. There have also been some cracking one-dayers played on
this ground, the most thrilling being the World Cup semi-final in 1996 when
Australia squeezed past West Indies in a nail-biting finish.
Date built
1993
Capacity
-
Floodlights
Yes
Ends
City End, Pavillion End
R.Premadasa Stadium
Colombo, Sri Lanka
The R. Premadasa International Stadium (known prior to June 1994 as the
Khetterama Cricket Stadium, after the area of Colombo it stands in) was the
brainchild of the late Sri Lanka President Ranasinghe Premadasa, who
championed the development of this colossal 35,000-seater concrete bowl, the
biggest stadium in the country. Opened on February 2, 1986 with a limited-overs
match between a Sri Lanka 'B' side and an England 'B' team, the stadium was
built on swampland previously used by monks ferrying across to the
Khettarama temple adjacent to the stadium. The inaugural one-day
international was played on April 5, 1986 between Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
On August 28, 1992 it hosted its first Test between Sri Lanka and Australia.
The venue is best remembered for holding the world record for the highest
Test total - 952 for 6 declared by Sri Lanka against India in 1997-98, in
which the former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya scored 340 and Roshan
Mahanama 225, the pair sharing the highest partnership in Test cricket with
576 for the second wicket. A new training centre was developed behind the
stadium with 16 practice pitches and dormitories for the Academy which
started in 2003.
Date built
1986
Capacity
35000
Floodlights
Yes
Ends
Khettarama End, Scoreboard End
Sardar Patel Stadium
Ahmedabad, India
Also known as the Motera, after the place where it is located, the venue
hosted its first Test in November 1983 and has been witness to some
memorable Indian feats - Sunil Gavaskar got to his 10,000 Test runs here,
against Pakistan in 1986-87, and seven years later, Kapil Dev nailed his
432nd victim to go past Richard Hadlee as Test cricket's leading
wicket-taker. The pitch here used to aid bowlers - three of the first four
Tests produced results - but the track started playing slow and low, aiding
neither the bowlers nor the strokeplayers. As a result, draws became the
norm for a while, till the South Africans rolled India over for 76 in the
first morning of the 2008 Test and finished the game in three day.
Date built
1982
Capacity
54000
Floodlights
Yes
Ends
Adani Pavilion End, GMDC End
Shere Bangla National Stadium
Dhaka, Bangladesh
The Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium, named after AK Fazlul Haque, one of
the country's most renowned leaders and freedom fighters in the 1940s, is
situated about 10 kilometres outside the centre of Dhaka. The move from the
Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka to Mirpur was met with much resistance,
but the BCB had decided they needed a stadium dedicated exclusively to cricket,
and carried on despite criticism.
The most striking feature of the ground is the drainage facility which is
probably the best in the subcontinent. The ground was originally built for
football and athletics and was hence rectangular in shape. To bring it back to a
shape suited for cricket, a lot of demolition had to be done, and also the
athletics tracks had to be dug up. About three feet of soil was excavated to
remove all the red clay. PVC pipes were fit in before filling it up with rock
chips and sand and then grass. The slope is nice and even, a difference of 29
inches from the wicket to the boundary.
Date built
2005
Capacity
25,000
Floodlights
Yes
Ends
Ispahani End, Aqua Paints End
Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground
Nagpur, India
Nagpur, the winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, is a city famous for
its oranges, and resident to the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The
tenth Test venue in the country, the Vidharbha Cricket Association-managed
ground, probably the only international venue where you can walk straight
into the ground from the road, has always made headlines for various
reasons. Sunil Gavaskar got his only one-day, and World Cup, century here
when India won by a huge margin against New Zealand in their final league
encounter of the 1987 Reliance World Cup. This is the second best ground for
Sachin Tendulkar when it comes to centuries - he has three here after four
in Chepauk. It was a dark hour when in 1995, during the fifth game of the
India-New Zealand ODI series, the brickwall at the East stand collapsed and
nine people died.
Date built
-
Capacity
40,000
Floodlights
Yes
Ends
Jaika End, Church End
Wankhede Stadium
Mumbai, India
Mumbai, the cricket capital of India, has seen Test
matches played at three different grounds. The Bombay Gymkhana ground hosted the
first ever Test in India, in 1933-34 against England. After WW-II, the Cricket
Club of India's Brabourne Stadium was used for 17 Tests. However, due to a
dispute between the CCI and the Bombay Cricket Association, the BCA built the
45000-capacity Wankhede Stadium, less than a mile away from the Brabourne
Stadium.
It staged its first Test in the 1974-75 season when
the Windies toured India. Clive Lloyd scored an unbeaten 242 and in Pataudi's
last hurrah, India lost by 201 runs. The Test also featured a crowd disturbance
after a fan who rushed onto the ground to greet Lloyd was treated roughly by the
police. India's first victory here was posted against the New Zealand two
seasons later. The stadium has been witness to great innings like Gavaskar's 205
against the Windies and Kallicharan'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.
Date built
1974
Capacity
45,000
Floodlights
Yes
Ends
Garware Pavilion End, Tata End
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium
Chittagong, Bangladesh
Situated about half-an-hour outside the city centre, the Chittagong
Divisional Stadium was one of the five purpose-built cricket grounds
established in the run-up to the 2004 Under-19 World Cup. It was finally
granted full international status in January 2006, ahead of Sri Lanka's
visit to the country. The stadium itself is an unremarkable concrete bowl
set in acres of prime agricultural land, with a three-tier pavilion
providing the focal point.
The cricket World Cup is a one-day international tournament that dates back to 1975, when eight teams competed in England. West Indies dominated the first three events, winning the first two and losing surprisingly to India in the final of the third in 1983.
Since those early years the format has expanded and in the last World Cup in 2007, 16 countries played a total of 52 games over 46 days.
Australia have enjoyed a prolific run in recent times, lifting the last three Cups and winning all 22 matches of their 2003 and 2007 campaigns.
The next World Cup will be hosted jointly by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka in 2011 and will feature 14 nations. The event opens with Bangladesh playing India on February 19 and the final will contested in Mumbai on April 2.
