Even though its global popularity can’t hope to equal soccer, cricket remains one of the world’s most-watched sports. India alone has an estimated 125 million fans of the sport and other countries where it is popular include England, Australia and throughout the Caribbean.
While the five-day game, test cricket, may be on the decline shorter T20 games which last for around 3 hours have become the dominant format. Their combination of fast scoring and athletic fielding is more what today’s fan wants to see in this low-attention-threshold age.
But what remains constant are the number of iconic grounds where the game is played all over the world, famous as much for the exploits seen on them as they are for the locations themselves. Here are just six of the most famous.
Lord’s
Lord’s, known worldwide as the home of cricket, is located in a prosperous area of North London called St.John’s Wood. It’s traditionally where the first test match of every English season is played – and it’s also where every professional cricketer wants to play more than any other venue. Rich in tradition and history, there is a famous cricket museum in the pavilion and it’s also known for its pronounced slope which represents a drop of 2.5 meters from one end of the ground to the other.
The Kensington Oval, Barbados
This Summer the world’s focus will be on the T20 World Cup which is being held across the West Indies and the US. Already betting is getting underway for the tournament – anyone looking for a good use of a 4rabet promo code could do well to put their money on favourites India. Some of the matches are being held at the famous Kensington Oval in Barbados. Cricket has been played on the site since 1882 and it was the location for the 2010 T20 World Cup, won by England who enjoyed a convincing 7 wicket win over old enemies Australia.
Headingley
This stadium, in the Yorkshire city of Leeds, is another venue where England have enjoyed famous victories over the Australians. For many years, the greatest of these was in 1981 when the batsman Ian Botham and the bowler Bob Willis combined to turn what looked like a certain defeat into an unlikely victory. But this was eclipsed in 2019 when Ben Stokes scored 135 against all the odds to beat Australia in a match that the visitors had been confident about winning.
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Anyone with a bucket list of places to visit in India must surely add Mumbai’s huge Wankhede Stadium to it. With a capacity of over 30,000 watching any game there is quite an overwhelming experience of noise, color and fanatical excitement. The stadium design is as dramatic as the action on the pitch with huge cantilevered roofs protecting spectators from the hot sun and tier upon tier of seating. As home to the all-powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) it occupies the same position in the sport’s hierarchy as Lord’s does in England.
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Of all the famous cricket grounds in Australia, no others have quite the same cachet and standing as the famous MCG. It was the venue for the first-ever test match held here back in 1877 – a close match that Australia won by just 45 runs. Since then it has been gradually expanded to create the world’s biggest cricket stadium with a capacity of 100,000. Every year the Boxing Day test against whichever team is touring Australia at the time is held at the MCG. It also holds the record for the biggest crowd ever to watch a women’s cricket international when 86,000 attended the 2020 Women’s T20 final between Australia and India – won by Australia by 85 runs.
The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Also known as the Bullring thanks to the intimidating atmosphere that can be shown to visiting teams, the Wanderers was fully redeveloped in 1991 after South Africa’s readmission into international cricket following the dismantling of apartheid. In 2006 it hosted what is regarded as being one of the greatest one-day internationals of all time. Australia posted a score of 434 after 50 overs, a huge total. But South Africa won by a single wicket with just one ball to spare – largely thanks to the innings of Herschelle Gibbs of 175 runs in 111 balls.
So there you have them. Six of the greatest cricket grounds in the world. There are plenty of others of note from the Oval in London to Old Trafford in Manchester where the bowler Jim Laker took 19 of the 20 possible wickets in the 1956 test match against Australia – a feat that’s never likely to be equalled. But, for most cricket fans, these are the biggest six of all.
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