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Ground information | |||||||
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Location | Bridgetown, Barbados | ||||||
Establishment | 1871 | ||||||
Capacity | 28,000 [1] | ||||||
Tenants | Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) Barbados Royals | ||||||
End names | |||||||
Malcolm Marshall End Joel Garner End | |||||||
International information | |||||||
First Test | 11–16 January 1930:![]() ![]() | ||||||
Last Test | 16–20 March 2022:![]() ![]() | ||||||
First ODI | 23 April 1985:![]() ![]() | ||||||
Last ODI | 9 December 2023:![]() ![]() | ||||||
First T20I | 20 June 2008:![]() ![]() | ||||||
Last T20I | 29 June 2024:![]() ![]() | ||||||
First WODI | 25 April 2012:![]() ![]() | ||||||
Last WODI | 22 September 2018:![]() ![]() | ||||||
First WT20I | 16 May 2010:![]() ![]() | ||||||
Last WT20I | 22 December 2022:![]() ![]() | ||||||
Team information | |||||||
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As of 6 June 2024 Source: Cricinfo |
The Kensington Oval is a stadium located in the western part of Bridgetown, Barbados. It is the pre-eminent sporting facility on the island and is primarily used for cricket. [3] [4] It has hosted many important cricket games between local, regional, and international teams during its more than 120-year history.
Cricket at the Oval began in 1882 when the Pickwick Cricket Club assumed formal ownership of the ground. [5] The first international match held was in 1895 when Slade Lucas' side visited the island. The first Test match was held in January 1930, when the West Indies and England played to a draw. Since the genesis there have been a total of 43 Test matches played on the Kensington Oval grounds, 21 of those matches won by the West Indian cricket team. The new stadium has been commemorated through two 2007 Barbadian postage stamps. [6]
The stands of the Kensington Oval were extensively rebuilt for the 2007 Cricket World Cup in a BDS$90M (US$45 Million) redevelopment. [7] Demolition of the old stadium began on schedule in June 2006 after completion of the first Test against Pakistan. Innotech Construction Inc. reconstructed the new Kensington Oval in late September into early October 2006 and the team from the Barbados Light & Power Company cut down and removed some of the old utility poles at the traffic lights at the Holborn Circle, the entrances and exits of Fontabelle Road, Spring Garden Highway, Prescod Boulevard and Harbour Road and they planted new utility poles with electrical transmitters attached on to them. They also dug up, resurfaced and repaved Prescod Boulevard and Fontabelle Road just in time for Cricket World Cup 2007 in Barbados. The names of the former stands which made up the Kensington stadium were the George Challenor stand, the Hall and Griffith, the Kensington, the Mitchie Hewitt, the Pickwick, and the Three Ws stand plus the Peter Short Media Centre. Most of these names have been retained. [8]
The redevelopment of the Oval was spearheaded by Dipesh Patel from Arup Associates in the United Kingdom. The Oval’s design was part of the portfolio that earned Arup Associates the Building Design 2007 Architect of the Year Award in the Leisure/Sport category. Local contractors, including Larsen & Toubro, worked over 20 months to complete the project at a cost of $135 million. [9]
In 2004, the STRI construction team were chosen to redevelop the Kensington Oval outfield, after they were previously involved with the Lord's Cricket Ground outfield reconstruction. The topsoil on the grounds previous outfield was a sandy clay loam, which struggled to cope with Bridgetown's occasional heavy rainfall, with climate data indicating that a storm lasting up to an hour could dump about 50mm of rain once every five years. The topsoil was a complete mixture of soils and significantly varied in depth, lying over ancient coral reef limestone.
The new outfield consists of 175 mm of amended root-zone, 125 mm of unamended root-zone sand, a 50 mm blinding layer, and a 100 mm gravel drainage layer. Although many types of grass options was suggested to be used for the outfield, it was decided to use Tifway 419 hybrid Bermuda grass as this type of grass is highly disease resistant, dense and spreads quickly to ensure quick recovery from injury and allows close mowing. [10] The pitch square was reconstructed with four main individual pitches and a profile consisting of 200 mm of clay over 150 mm of medium-fine sand along with a gravel drainage layer. The square's soil is made up of 71% clay, 14% silt, and 14% sand; during the redevelopment, it was isolated from the rest of the ground so that it could be constructed before the outfield was completed. The pitch square was sown down with Princess Bermuda grass, with the base and soil added in layers, before completion in May 2006. [11]
The Kensington Oval has also hosted many non-cricket events, such as matches of the Barbados national football team, hockey, inter-school athletics, Miss Barbados pageants, and concert events. The ground also has a jumbo TV screen and also a jacuzzi type area, for fans to watch while relaxing in the pool (similar to Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona). Behind this is a large grassy hill for fans to have picnics on, which has a bunker underneath for the media.
On 5 August 2011 Rihanna performed at the Kensington Oval for the first time in her home country on her Loud Tour. She planned another show for 1 November 2013 as a part her Diamonds World Tour, however the concert was cancelled due to technical difficulties.
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The expanded Kensington Oval was the venue for the 2007 Cricket World Cup final between Australia and Sri Lanka, held on 28 April, with the official attendance reaching 20,108. [12] This was the first World Cup final to be a repeat – the sides previously met in the 1996 World Cup final, which Sri Lanka won. Australia has won every World Cup match against Sri Lanka apart from that loss. [13] The match was Sri Lanka's second World Cup final appearance and Australia's sixth, their fourth in a row.
Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat. However, the start of play was delayed due to rain, and the match was reduced to 38 overs per side. Adam Gilchrist played an incredible innings of 149 – the highest for any batsman in a World Cup final – to give Australia an imposing total going in at to break. [14] While Sri Lankan batsmen Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya were adding 116 for the second wicket, the contest was alive, but after the pair got out, Sri Lanka's chances slowly washed way. [14] Further rain forced the reduction of Sri Lanka's innings to just 36 overs, with the target revised to 269. At the culmination of the 33rd over, with Sri Lanka still trailing the adjusted Duckworth-Lewis target by 37 runs, the umpires suspended the game due to bad light. While Australia's players began to celebrate their victory (since the minimum 20 overs had been reached), the umpires incorrectly announced that because the match was suspended due to light and not rain, the final three overs would have to be bowled the following day. With Sri Lanka needing 61 runs from 18 deliveries, Mahela Jayawardene agreed there was no need to return the following day, and instructed his team to resume batting, with Ricky Ponting agreeing to play only spinners. Umpires later apologized for their error, and that the match should have ended then with Australia winning by 37 runs. [15] The last three overs were played in almost complete darkness, during which Sri Lanka added nine runs, giving Australia a 53-run victory via the DL method, as Sri Lanka had batted 2 overs fewer than Australia. [16]
The Final was held in Barbados on 16 May 2010. [17] The match was won by Collingwood's England, delivering the team its first ever victory in a worldwide limited overs tournament, [18] and its first International Cricket Council trophy. [19] Australia batted first and scored 147 runs for the loss of six wickets. England bettered Australia's total with 18 balls to spare. Craig Kieswetter was England's top scorer with 63 runs from 49 balls while Kevin Pietersen scored 47 from 31. David Hussey of Australia scored 59. [20] Pietersen was subsequently named Man of the Tournament having scored 248 runs, while Kieswetter was Man of the Match. [21]
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The Final was played in Barbados on 29 June 2024.India defeated South Africa by 7 runs to win their second T20 World Cup title. Virat Kohli was named Player of the Match for scoring 76 runs off 59 balls, while Jasprit Bumrah won Player of the Tournament for taking a tournament-high 15 wickets. The final was also the last T20I match played by Kohli, Indian captain Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja.
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In 2008 the Institution of Structural Engineers recognised the Kensington Oval as one of its Structural Awards winners; this was under the section of "Awards for Sports or Leisure Structures". In summing up the stadium the ISE stated: "…This inspiring structure, created with meticulous attention to buildability, has added an outstanding addition to the Barbados skyline. It is already immensely popular with the most enthusiastic cricket audience in the world…" [22]
These are historic stands as they looked in 2000. These former stands were demolished to make way for the new stadium.
The Old Kensington Oval Established in 1871, the Oval was home to Pickwick Cricket Club since 1882. Known as "The Mecca" of Cricket locally, Kensington Oval has been described as one of the best cricket stadiums in the world. Many important cricket games have been played there between local, regional and international teams, and many record breaking feats have been accomplished and witnessed there. [ . . . ]
All roads will lead to Kensington Oval tonight as the long-awaited floodlights at the mecca get their first test when the Sir Everton Weekes Twenty/20 Match Under Lights: Barbados Masters vs West Indies Masters bowls off at 7:30 p.m.
Pickwick Cricket Club was founded on November 23, 1882, and its former home is the historic Kensington Oval.
The 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup was the eighth Cricket World Cup, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya from 9 February to 23 March 2003. This edition of the World Cup was the first to be played in Africa.
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth Cricket World Cup, a One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007. There were a total of 51 matches played, three fewer than at the 2003 World Cup.
The Right Excellent Sir Garfield St Aubrun Sobers, NH, AO, OCC, also known as Sir Gary or Sir Garry Sobers, is a former Barbadian cricketer who played for the West Indies between 1954 and 1974. A highly skilled bowler, an aggressive batsman and an excellent fielder, he is widely considered to be cricket's greatest ever all-rounder and one of the greatest cricketers of all time.
The Sri Lanka men's national cricket team, nicknamed The Lions, represents Sri Lanka in men's international cricket. It is a full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test, One-Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) status. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27 and became an associate member of the ICC in 1965. They were awarded the Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket-playing nation. The team is administered by Sri Lanka Cricket.
Lawrence George Rowe is a former West Indian cricketer. A stylish top order batsman, he also played for Jamaica and Derbyshire in his cricketing career. Rowe was later named as one of Jamaica's top five cricketers of the 20th century.
Wankhede Stadium is an international cricket stadium in Mumbai, India. It is owned and operated by Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) and is the home ground of the Mumbai Indians. It houses the headquarters of MCA, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Sir Everton DeCourcy Weekes, KCMG, GCM, OBE was a cricketer from Barbados. A right-handed batsman, he was known as one of the hardest hitters in world cricket. Weekes holds the record for the most consecutive Test hundreds, with five. Along with Frank Worrell and Clyde Walcott, he formed what was known as "The Three Ws" of the West Indies cricket team. Weekes played in 48 Test matches for the West Indies cricket team from 1948 to 1958. Weekes occasionally donned the wicketkeeping gloves as well. He continued to play first-class cricket until 1964, surpassing 12,000 first-class runs in his final innings. As a coach he was in charge of the Canadian team at the 1979 Cricket World Cup, and he was also a commentator and international match referee.
The Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, previously the Beausejour Cricket Ground, is a cricket ground located near Gros Islet, Saint Lucia standard seating capacity of 15,000. It was completed in 2002 and currently accommodates 13,000 spectators.
The R. Premadasa Cricket Stadium(RPS) (Sinhala: ආර්. ප්රේමදාස ක්රීඩාංගනය, Tamil: ஆர். பிரேமதாச அரங்கம்; formerly known as Khettarama Stadium) is a cricket stadium on Khettarama Road, in the Maligawatta suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The stadium was, before June 1994, known as the Khettarama Cricket Stadium and is today one of the main venues where the Sri Lankan cricket team play, having hosted more than 100 one-day international matches. It is the largest stadium in Sri Lanka with a capacity of 38,000 spectators. It has hosted the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 final between Sri Lanka and West Indies; the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy final between Sri Lanka and India and first semi-final of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup between Sri Lanka and New Zealand. This was where the highest Test score in history was recorded; 952 by Sri Lanka against India. With capacity exceeding Lord's in England, the stadium is known as the "home of Sri Lankan cricket".
City Oval, is a multi-purpose stadium in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. The 12,000 capacity stadium is currently used predominantly for cricket matches, with the ground being used by KwaZulu-Natal Inland men's and women's teams, KwaZulu-Natal and Dolphins, and hosted two matches during the 2003 Cricket World Cup. It is one of only three first-class cricket grounds in the world to have a tree within the boundary ropes (the others being St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury, United Kingdom and VRA Cricket Ground in Amstelveen, Netherlands), and any cricketer that scores a century or takes a five-wicket haul in a match at the City Oval gets to plant a tree at the ground. The City Oval Pavilion is based on the design of Queen's Park cricket ground in Chesterfield, United Kingdom.
The 2010 ICC World Twenty20 was the third edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, formerly known as the ICC World Twenty20, an international Twenty20 cricket tournament that was held in the West Indies between 30 April and 16 May 2010. It was won by England, who defeated Australia in the final. Kevin Pietersen was named as player of the tournament.
Kraigg Clairmonte Brathwaite is a Barbadian cricketer who captains the West Indies in Test cricket. He is a right-handed batsman and occasionally bowls off breaks. On 6 November 2011, he became only the second West Indian to score two Test fifties before his 19th birthday when he made 63 (212) against India in Delhi. He has also effectively stood as stand-in-captain in place of Jason Holder in seven test matches before becoming the permanent captain of the test team taking over from Holder. He idolises Shivnarine Chanderpaul and his batting style.
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium is a cricket stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The stadium opened on 27 November 2009 and became the world's 104th Test venue in December 2010.
The final of the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was played on 28 April 2007 at the Kensington Oval, Barbados. Australia defeated Sri Lanka by 53 runs to win their 4th World Cup and 3rd in succession.
Deshabandu Pinnaduwage Aravinda de Silva is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and captain, Regarded as one of the best Sri Lankan cricketers, he played in the team as an all-rounder. De Silva was a key member of the Sri Lankan team that won 1996 Cricket World Cup, where he scored a match winning century in the final, that brought Sri Lanka from underdog status to present-day form. He has held various posts in Sri Lankan Cricket after his retirement in 2003. He was inducted into ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2023.
The 2013 ICC Champions Trophy was the seventh ICC Champions Trophy, a One Day International cricket tournament held in England and Wales between 6 and 23 June 2013. India won the tournament for the second time by defeating England in the final by 5 runs.
Jason Omar Holder is a Barbadian cricketer and the former captain of the West Indies cricket team. He is a right arm medium-fast bowling all-rounder who features in all three cricketing formats. In January 2019, he was ranked as the number one all rounder in the world according to the official ICC Test rankings. In August 2019, Cricket West Indies named him as the Test Player of the Year and on 14 April 2021, Holder was named one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year. Holder is the first West Indian male cricketer to take a hat-trick in a T20I, and the fifth, to achieve both 2000 runs and 100 wickets in one day internationals. He is also the second West Indian, after Sir Garfield Sobers, to attain both 2500 runs and 150 wickets in test match cricket. Holder was a member of the West Indies team that won the 2016 T20 World Cup.
The 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup was the eighth edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, formerly known as the ICC World Twenty20. It was played in Australia from 16 October to 13 November 2022. In the final, England beat Pakistan by five wickets to win their second ICC Men's T20 World Cup title and draw level with the West Indies, who also won 2 ICC Men's T20 World Cup titles in both the 2012 and the 2016 edition. In winning the tournament, England also became the first team to simultaneously be the existing winners of the Cricket World Cup and the T20 World Cup. Sam Curran was named the player of the match and also the player of the tournament.
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Preceded by | Cricket World Cup Final Venue 2007 | Succeeded by |