Top 12 Cricket Stadiums in the World

The sport of cricket is played all around the world. Apart from India where cricket is adapted to the streets the rest of the world requires an arena. Lets take a tour of the best cricket stadiums around the world and even make it a bucket list for cricket lovers.

Lords, London, England

If you ask any cricket lover in the world what stadium is the home of cricket they will say “Lords”. Coincidently, Lords is nicknamed “The Home of Cricket”. It is the oldest cricket stadium in the world. This year makes it 205 years old – established in 1814. It’s located in the St. Johns Wood, London and is surrounded by many tourist attractions, but this is a must when in London. The stadium has a heritage. It has hosted many of the cricket matches and is famous for the Ashes Test series. This World Cup final is to be played at Lords. It has the capacity to hold 30,000 spectators. If you are looking to see the entire stadium they also have tours available which give you access to the Lords Museum, for those who want to truly admire Cricket’s historic Memorabilia.

The Oval, Kensington, London, England

South of the Thames in London is an area called Kensington, It has a stadium known as “the Oval”. Today for sponsorship purposes this is called the Kia Oval. The Kia Oval is just 31 years younger than Lords, established in 1845. But, the history of the oval is much older than its date of establishment. The first recorded match was in this arena for professional cricket was June 18, 1724, nearly 300 years ago. At that time it was just a good field to play a match on. Over the years, it has hosted some famous domestic events including the FA cup. In cricket, the first Test Match England hosted was at the Oval. Traditionally the last match of test cricket for the English Cricket season is hosted here. The tour of the Oval available and lasts about 90 minutes and is rather affordable at £15 per person.

Melbourne Cricket Ground, One of the Best Cricket Stadiums in the World

To the locals, it is commonly known as the MCG and is located in Sporting Capital of the world and Most Liveable city in the world – Melbourne. Even though this is titled the cricket ground and built for the sport of cricket, this stadium is home to two professional cricket teams and the Australian National Cricket Team and four professional Aussie Rules Football teams. It hosts an array of events of all sports. In the past has hosted the Olympic Games and the Commonwealth games. This stadium is most famous in Cricket for the Boxing Day Test. Apart form all of this, the stadium is the 10 largest in the world, the largest on this list with a capacity of 100,000 spectators. It has a very rich history, having opened in 1854. A tour of the MCG is a must for Cricket Fans. If you are extremely lucky on the tour, you will get a peek of exclusive members lounge in the MCG Museum, It holds some of the most unique memorabilia in the history of cricket.

Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India

It is known as ‘Cricket’s answer to the Colosseum’. It is the home of cricket in India and was established in 1864. Currently, it serves as home to IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, Bengal Cricket Team and the Indian National Team. With a capacity of 90,000 spectators, it is the second-largest cricket stadium in the world and on this list. Its first test match was hosted in 1934 when India’s Cricketing team had just begun. In 1987, it was the second cricket ground to host a World Cup final. The ground is famous for four-run boundaries; they are faster than fields.

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Sydney Cricket Ground

Commonly known as the SCG, It is also home to multiple teams including a professional Cricket team and a capacity of 46,000. Having being established in 1848, it still has one pavilion that hasn’t changed, the Green Roofed Ladies Pavilion. This is one of the homes for Australian Cricket with high scores on this pitch in the past. Cricketing Legend Sir Donald Bradman has a personal best score on this pitch of 452 not out, in 1929. On the bowling end, South African Fanie De’Villiers’ took a 10-wicket haul in against Australia in 1993. A lot of history at this place, only one way to know about it – visit it, a tour is available.

Kensington Oval, Barbados

This oval is nearly 150 years old having been established in 1871. Locally, this ground is called “the Mecca” of the cricket. It has hosted many cricket tournaments including a CWC 2007 and T20 EC 2010. The stadium has even won awards – in 2010 Award for Sports or Leisure Structures from the Institution of Structural Engineers. It is home to two domestic professional teams. It is the most unique cricket stadium in the world – It has a Jacuzzi style swimming pool with a Jumbo for spectators to relax and watch a match.

Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, South Africa

Located between the tourist attractions of Table Mountain and the Devils Peak. It is home to the Cape Cobras. It has lots of history, it was established in 1889 and has been a host for many international test series. Before the facelift this ground had many seating areas that featured grassy knolls and views from the stadium allow for Cricket to be played in the most picturesque of locations.

The WACA, Perth, Australia

The third Australian stadium on the list – it is the fastest bowlers pitch in the world for cricket. It gets a sea breeze called the Freemantle doctor will help bowlers a lot. Having seen a part of cricket history since 1890, it most significant number is it has seen 4 of 7 fastest test centuries, making it worthwhile for 24,000 spectators attending a match.

Eden Park Cricket Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand

It is New Zealand’s largest stadium with a capacity of 42,000 spectators for Cricket. It is home to the local professional cricket team since 1903, three years after being opened. After its renovation, it is one of the best-lit stadiums for ODIs and a day-night match. This is the stadium where Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar made his Indian Debut as an ODI opener. Eden Park has also seen the darkest days of New Zealand’s Cricket performance.

The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa

It is the newest stadium on this list, opening its doors in 1956, as a replacement to the old wanders stadium. To the locals, it is called the “Bull Ring” because of the design. The atmosphere created here is known to be intimidating to the away team. This stadium has hosted the IPL semi-final in 2009. This stadium like SCG has seen history in terms of scores. AB De Villiers scored the fastest ODI 50 here, just off 16 balls and in the same match; AB broke the record for fastest 100 in an ODI from 31 balls.

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Wankhede Stadium, Amongst Must Visit Cricket Stadiums in the World

It is home to the Mumbai Cricket Association and IPL team Mumbai Indians. Renovated for the 2011 World Cup, it was the stadium selected to host the final, and history was made here when India lifted the World Cup at home. Like WACA, this stadium is close to the sea, it helps swing bowlers. The stands are named after famous Indian Cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar.

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Galle International Stadium

Located in Galle, Sri Lanka this stadium was originally known as ‘The Esplanade’. This stadium has the Indian Ocean on two sides and is located near the grounds of a 16th Century Dutch Fort towering near it, made it one of the most scenic locations for a cricket match in the world. The ground is back to its former glory after the 2004 Tsunami. When Sri Lanka host a test or ODI series at least one match is played at this stadium.