Every cricket fan rejoices the moment when their favorite
fast bowler Brett Lee took his long run-up, while Andrew Flintoff perfected his
stance. At times, the Aussie pacer had the last smile while mostly it was the
ball that ended up to be in the stands. Such memorable moments have been a part
of a cricket fan’s childhood. Many of you might have attended the stadium
during big matches to witness the rise of your heroes. Even though there were
very less companies looking after major sporting event management in London, sport enthusiasts never found it hard
to collect a ticket for their favorite game. Even today, when satellite TV is
at its pinnacle, people cannot lose an opportunity to attend a packed stadium.
Which are the top 3 cricket stadiums in the world in terms of capacity and
legacy?
MCG,
Melbourne, Australia
The venue for the two ICC World Cup finals in 1992 and 2015,
the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is the largest cricket stadium in the world
with seating capacity for more than 100,000 people. MCG, along with Lord’s were
two of the oldest cricketing venues in history. MCG hosted the first ever
international test match in 1977, played between England and Australia. Not
only tests, but the ground also hosted the first ever ODI match in the year
1971 between the same teams. Both the time, Australians emerged as winners.
Eden
Gardens, Kolkata, India
Renowned as the Mecca of Indian cricket, Eden Gardens was only
the second stadium in the world after Lord’s, to host an ICC World Cup Final in
1987. The stadium once had a capacity for over 100,000 people, which was
witnessed during the World Cup final between Australia and England. Besides,
Eden Gardens is the second stadium after Lord’s to host world cup finals for two different formats of the game; twenty-20 and ODI. In 2016, West Indies defeated England in a thrilling final game when Craig Braithwaite hit consecutive sixes in the last over to confirm their ownership of the trophy.
The Lord’s,
London, UK
The list of the top 3 stadiums would not have been completed
without our favorite Lord’s Cricket Ground. The home of cricket; as referred by
fans, has hosted 4 World Cup finals; most by any individual ground. Any one
scoring a century in this ground should be considered a legend, as per the
norms. Besides hosting the World Cup
finals in 1975, 1979 and 1983, the stadium also hosted the 1999 final. The
stadium also witnessed the rise of an Asian underdog as the next cricketing
giant; India. For many reasons, cricket fans all across the world would
remember Lord’s as a heritage site. Remember any Indian captain waving his
jersey after victory in the Natwest Trophy final in 2002?
Remember any Indian captain waving his jersey
after victory in the Natwest Trophy final in 2002?
