World Cup 2007 venue and pitch guide by PCB compilation

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Event:

ICC World Cup 2006/07

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DateLine: 25th February 2007

 

For World Cup 2007, 12 stadiums will be used after a spending of over 200 million dollars on either building brand new grounds or renovating exisiting venues.

 

The price tag easily doubles if the 22 practice venues in the nine countries are added.

 

Four venues are hosting warm-up matches, five hosting six matches, two others - the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St. Lucia and Sabina Park in Jamaica - will stage seven matches including the semifinals, and the Kensington Oval in Barbados will also be the venue for seven matches including the final on April 28.

 

Many of the venues have been dogged by construction delays.

 

Please click on the venue name for comprehensive details including ground records, lists of all matches played, scorecards and lots more.

 

SIR VIVIAN RICHARDS STADIUM (North Sound, Antigua)
Status: A brand new stadium
Investment: 21 million US dollars
Capacity: 20,000 of which 10,000 will be permanent

 

It's fitting that Antigua's stadium for the World Cup has been named after the island's most famous player, Sir Vivian Richards.

 

Constructed with assistance from the Chinese Government, the brand new stadium replaces the Antigua Recreation Ground as the island's major cricket venue.

 

Located four miles outside of the capital St. John's, the stadium will host six Super Eight matches.

 

The stadium will feature two main stands at the northern and southern ends, and temporary seating on the eastern and western embankments will increase the capacity.
Tale of the Track: Unknown, but the host board hopes it offers much more than the ARG which was a notorious featherbed, and saw Brian Lara twice break the world record for the highest individual score in Tests

 

KENSINGTON OVAL (Bridgetown, Barbados)
Status: Reconstruction
Investment: 67.5 million dollars
Capacity: 30,000 of which 15,000 will be permanent

 

Affectionately described as "the Mecca of Caribbean cricket", Kensington Oval is steeped in history, and it was the venue for the first Test in the Caribbean.

 

The ground will host six Super Eight matches and the final on April 28.

 

Only two buildings - the Mitchie Hewitt Stand and the Wes Hall & Charlie Griffith Stand - remain from the old facility, and they have both been enhanced with improved seating and sightlines.

 

A statue of Sir Garfield Sobers now forms the focal point of the exterior, and the ground has been given a comprehensive facelift to meet international standards, with upgrades undertaken to provide additional seats, as well as improved player, media, and sponsor facilities.
Tale of the Track: Unknown, since the pitches had to be shifted 20 metres north east to accommodate the expansion, but a few warm-up matches between local club sides were held to test the surface and it played true

 

THREE Ws OVAL (Cave Hill, Barbados)
Status: Extension
Investment: 5 million dollars
Capacity: 3,500 of which 1,000 will be permanent

 

Located on the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies, the ground is two kilometers away from Kensington Oval, and it will host four warm-up matches.

 

It has been redeveloped and rechristened in honour of the legendary West Indies batting trio of the 1950s, and it is the smallest of the venues.

 

The remains of Sir Frank Worrell (died 1974) and Sir Clyde Walcott (died 2006) have been laid in a memorial on campus overlooking the ground which also boasts of a Walk of Fame detailing every West Indies player who has scored a hundred and taken five wickets in a Test.

 

The ground has been the focal point of a massive expansion project by the university, under its cricket-crazy principal Professor Hillary Beckles, who has published three books on the history of West Indies cricket.

 

It has one of the few indoor net facilities in the Caribbean and the upgrade for the World Cup has also seen the construction of a new two-storey pavilion and the installation of international quality floodlights.
Tale of the Track: Easy-paced with predictable bounce

 

QUEEN'S PARK STADIUM (St. George's, Grenada)
Status: Refurbished
Investment: 40 million dollars
Capacity: 17,000 of which 13,000 will be permanent

 

Originally constructed in 1998, the Queen's Park Stadium was ravaged six years later by Hurricane Ivan, one of the most destructive in Caribbean history.

 

The stadium, located on the National Stadium complex, has been rebuilt with the assistance of the Chinese government and boasts of VIP suites and boxes, improved player facilities, an electronic scoreboard, and a state-of-the-art public address system.

 

The old Queen's Park had hosted a One-day International in 1983, but the refurbished ground became the 84th Test venue when West Indies played New Zealand there five years ago, and also hosted eight ODIs before its devastation.

 

Located on the outskirts of the capital of the Spice Isle, it will host six Super Eight matches.
Tale of the Track: Easy-paced with predictable bounce

 

PROVIDENCE STADIUM (Providence, Guyana) Status: New
Investment: 25 million dollars
Capacity: 15,000

 

Constructed with assistance from the Indian Government, the Providence Stadium replaces the historic Bourda Oval as the country's major cricket venue and is located about 10 minutes drive outside the capital, Georgetown.

 

It was an easy decision for local authorities to choose to build a new venue for the only country on mainland South America where the game is probably more popular than football.

 

Bourda had become an eyesore and suffered from inadequate drainage that often made a mockery of the 30 Tests and 11 One-day Internationals hosted there whenever the notorious equatorial rainstorms took control.

 

The Providence Stadium boasts a high-tech underground drainage system which has been guaranteed to allow play half-hour after six inches of rain, and improved facilities in almost every area of venue operations. The Providence Stadium will host six Super Eight matches.
Tale of the Track: Unknown, but the host board hopes it offers much more than Bourda which was notoriously easy-paced

 

SABINA PARK (Kingston, Jamaica)
Status: Refurbished
Investment: 20 million dollars
Capacity: 20,000 of which 16,000 will be permanent

 

Sabina Park is another of the Caribbean's historic cricket venues, and it was the site of Garfield Sobers' world Test record score of 365 not out against Pakistan 49 years ago.

 

The ground will stage the opening match of the World Cup between West Indies and Pakistan on March 13. It will also play host to five other matches in Group D which also includes Zimbabwe and Ireland, and the first semifinal on April 24.

 

Sabina Park has been given a major facelift with improved spectator facilities in the George Headley Stand, and the construction of an imposing Great Northern Stand (stretching from the northwest to the northeast) which towers over the ground making it into a real cauldron for battle.

 

The famous Mound Party Stand has been relocated to the eastern side of the ground, and an electronic scoreboard has also been installed to make the complex a truly world-class arena.
Tale of the Track: Lively with predictable bounce

 

TRELAWNY MULTI-PURPOSE STADIUM (Daniel Town, Jamaica)
Status: New
Investment: 30 million dollars
Capacity: 25,000

 

Built in partnership with the Chinese government, the Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium will initially be used to host the Opening Ceremony and four warm-up matches.

 

The stadium is located on the coastline of the northern parish of Trelawny, and stands at the geographical centre of the thriving Jamaican tourist industry, within 40 minutes drive of Montego Bay to the west and Ocho Rios to the east.

 

It is one of a large number of infrastructural and investment projects undertaken and the facility will be used after the World Cup to host a range of events.

 

One of the features of the facility is its seats which have been arranged in the colours and the design of the Jamaican flag.
Tale of the Track: Unknown, but the host board hopes it can equal the surface at Sabina Park.

 

WARNER PARK (Basseterre, St. Kitts)
Status: New
Investment: 8 million dollars
Capacity: 8,000

 

Small, but scenic, and comfortable for players, media, officials, and spectators, the new Warner Park was constructed with quality and not quantity in mind says Sports Minister Ricky Skerritt, the former manager of the West Indies team.

 

Temporary seats will be added to boost the capacity of the ground which was financed by Taiwan.

 

Warner Park will play host to matches in Group A involving reigning World champions Australia, current World No. 1 South Africa, as well as ICC Associates The Netherlands and Scotland.

 

The focal point of the capital of Basseterre, Warner Park hosted its first One-day International and first Test during India's tour of the Caribbean last year. The ground also boasts of an adjoining football field, as well as netball and tennis courts.
Tale of the Track: Easy-paced with predictable bounce

 

BEAUSEJOUR STADIUM (Gros Islet, St. Lucia)
Status: Existing
Investment: 16 million dollars
Capacity: 20,000 of which 15,000 will be permanent

 

The Beausejour Stadium has set the benchmark for international cricket arenas in the Caribbean since it was opened five years ago.

 

The stadium features the most modern infrastructure, including four stands, hospitality suites, and a well-appointed pavilion that contains wonderful amenities for teams as the ground lives up to the French translation of its name, "a lovely dwelling place".

 

Each year, the facility has been steadily improved, and last year, it became the first international cricket arena in the Caribbean to install floodlights and host a day/night international when Zimbabwe visited the region.

 

Other additions to the ground include the Beausejour Promenade, a 150-metre strip that will feature pre-and-post-match entertainment, as well as an indoor practice facility.

 

The Beausejour Stadium will host matches in Group C involving England, New Zealand, Kenya, and Canada, and the second semifinal on April 25.
Tale of the Track: Easy-paced with predictable bounce

 

ARNOS VALE SPORTS COMPLEX (Arnos Vale, St. Vincent)
Status: Refurbished
Investment: 12 million dollars
Capacity: 15,000

 

Nestled between the E.T. Joshua Airport on the north, and the Caribbean Sea on the south, with a spectacular view of the Grenadine islands, it is easily one of the most picturesque grounds in the World.

 

The Arnos Vale Sports Complex has undergone a significant transformation over the past 18 months in preparation to stage four warm-up matches, including old rivals Australia and England on March 9.

 

The additions to the ground, mainly on the eastern side, feature a four-storey venue operations centre, a well-outfitted, two-floor players' pavilion, a double-decker stand that can accommodate more than 5,000 spectators, and a four-tier media centre.

 

The ground also boasts of adjoining netball and tennis courts which will serve as hospitality areas for the World Cup.
Tale of the Track: The semifinals and the Final of the West Indies limited-overs competition was contested here recently, and the pitches were a bit too lively for this form of cricket, though the authorities will be happy they are much faster than before.

 

QUEEN'S PARK OVAL (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad)
Status: Refurbished
Investment: 15 million dollars
Capacity: 20,000

 

The Queen's Park Oval is one of the oldest grounds in the Caribbean, and it is the home of the Queen's Park Cricket Club, whose most famous son is Brian Lara.

 

For many years, the ground with its cycle track had the largest seating capacity for international matches in the Caribbean, but the dismantling of the velodrome and its replacement with a grass embankment has reduced its size.

 

The Oval, as it is called by locals, has hosted more international matches (50 Tests and 54 One-day Internationals) than any other ground in the region. The ground has been steadily improved over the years with the construction of a number of grandstands, and the latest upgrade sees the pavilion also being refurbished to offer increased amenities to players and QPCC members.

 

Spectators looking for a good time should choose to sit in the Trini Posse Stand, the Official Party Stand at the ground, where music, alcohol and shapely females abound all day.

 

Queen's Park Oval was the venue for England's spectacular collapse for 46 in 1994, and India's remarkable run chase in 1976 to score a then record 403 in the fourth innings to win a Test.

 

No doubt India will relish returning to the Oval for their Group B matches which also features Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Bermuda.
Tale of the Track: Easy-paced with variable bounce

 

FRANK WORRELL SPORTS COMPLEX (St. Augustine, Trinidad)
Status: Existing
Capacity: 4,000 temporary seats

 

The Frank Worrell Sports Complex forms part of the University of the West Indies Sports & Physical Education Centre at the St. Augustine campus of UWI.

 

It was chosen as a replacement for the Brian Lara Stadium which fell behind in its construction schedule, and it is the second of the UWI's grounds that will be hosting World Cup 2007 warm-up matches.

 

The ground bears the name of the legendary former West Indies captain, Sir Frank Worrell, who, after his retirement from the game, was Warden of the University's Irvine Hall in Jamaica. Temporary facilities will be installed around the ground to boost the infrastructure.
Tale of the Track: Easy-paced with low bounce

 

[Courtesy AFP and www.CricketArchive.com]

(Article: compiled by the PCB. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the individuals only.
Copyright © 2007 the individual writers.)