Cricket is one of the world’s most popular sports and especially in the Commonwealth countries this game continues to enjoy top viewership and fandom. The credit for popularizing the game worldwide goes to England as they were the first to initiate the playing of cricket at domestic county levels followed by the international matches too. The cricket stadiums have their own role to play. A good cricket stadium and pitch makes a cricket match more interesting and nail biting.
Currently, Cricket is being played in three formats – Test, T20s and ODIs. Among these T20s continue to enjoy the top position when it comes to popularity. A T20 match consists of just 40-over only and involves raining boundaries and sixes which is a sheer delight for the fans and audience watching the same on TVs or at the stadium.
Let’s take a look at some of the world’s best cricket stadiums:
#10 – Old Trafford (Manchester, England): This oval shaped stadium is famous for its bouncy grassy ground. The pitch is mostly in favor of bowlers in the initial hours but if a batsman withstands the pressure for the first couple of hours then he can prolong his innings.
#9 – Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium (Hyderabad, India): Cricket is now the most famous sport in India. This iconic stadium in Hyderabad caters around 16 acres and has the capacity to accommodate 60,000 fans. Sachin Tendulkar played mammoth 175-run knock at this very stadium against Australia in 2009 – though India lost the match – the knock remained immortal.
#8 – The Wanderers Stadium (Johannesburg, South Africa): South Africa is hosting international cricket matches at Wanderers for the last several years without any trouble. The pitch is well balanced and supports both batsmen and bowlers as well. It hosted 2003 cricket World Cup final between India and Australia and also 2007 T20 cricket world Cup final between India Vs Pakistan.
#7 – Eden Park (Auckland, New Zealand): It is one of the rarest stadiums which hosts both Rugby and Cricket matches involving international teams. It is also the largest sports stadiums in New Zealand. The stadium has also hosted two Rugby world cup finals until now.
#6 – HPCA Stadium (Dharamshala, India): It is the world’s only stadium which is located at an altitude of around 4780 ft making it the most unique play ground across the globe. It was inaugurated a few years back and since then the ground continues to host international cricket matches as well as IPL T20 matches.
#5 – The Oval (London): It is one of the world’s oldest cricket pitches. Built in the year 1845, the stadium has been fortunate to host the history’s 1st international test match between England and Australia. It has also hosted a number of football matches in the past.
#4 – Sydney Cricket Ground (Sydney, Australia): It’s one of the world’s most beautiful stadiums that supports both batting and bowling. The ground has also hosted a number of rugby and football matches from time to time. On this very ground, Sachin Tendulkar played his most determined knock of 241* and 60* against Australia at a test match in 2003.
#3 – Melbourne Cricket Ground (Melbourne, Australia): It is one of the world’s most loved stadiums. It also hosted the first ever ODI match in 1971. The stadium also witnessed two world cup finals in 1992 and 2015 respectively. The ground is capable of accomodating 80,000 people at the pavilion.
#2 – Eden Gardens (Kolkata, India): Located in the city of joy, Kolkata, the majestic appearance of Eden Gardens continues to enthrall every visitor round the year. It has a capacity of around 95,000 people making it one of the biggest sports stadiums in the world. It hosts IPL matches and International cricket matches in all formats round the year. Historically, the ground welcomed more than 100,000 people to the ground (at one time) on more than 6 occasions.
#1 – Lord’s Cricket Ground (London, England): Considered to be the Mecca of cricket, the Lord’s cricket ground is the most complete cricket stadium in the world in current time. It was built by Thomas Lord in 1814 and ever since it has enamored by the cricketers and fans across the globe.
Lord’s Cricket Ground
I’ll be back with ‘The Next Big 10‘ very soon and keep watching this space.
Tags: #TheNextBig10, Cricket, Eden Gardens, Lord's Cricket Ground, Stadiums
