top cricket stadiums in the world

The venue is situated at a height of 4780 feet with an amazing view of the snow capped Dhauladhar range in the background. The ground itself has a unique construction of colourful stands that are visible from nearby hills as well if you are at a higher altitude. The seating Capacity is only 23,000 but the picturesque beauty and the surreal ambiance is something even the WACA or Lords cant boast of.

The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Sanjay Manjrekar, Vinod Kambli and many more practiced at this venue day in and day out as they honed their skills en route to becoming some of the biggest names in cricket. The aura left by these cricketing greats is what prompts young children with dreamy eyes to flock to the maidan and practice every morning and evening. Youngsters who aspire to break into the Indian team also come here and play in the hope of good luck.

The VCA Stadium in Jamtha, Nagpur, is one of the newest and finest cricket stadiums in India. This elegant venue sports state of the art training and practice facilities, floodlights, gymnasium, medical room, and much more. The Press Box, too, is equipped with world class facilities. Likewise, ample recreation amenities are available for 45000 spectators. In an age where bowlers are hampered by smallish boundaries, the VCA Stadium stands as an exception. Shane Warne, the then Rajasthan Royals skipper was extremely delighted with the vastness of the ground.

Resembling a baseball diamond, the Eden Park is a skippers nightmare as far as setting the field is concerned. Established in 1900, this is the largest stadium in New Zealand, all sports considered. The stadium is also utilized for major Rugby events. The stadium was renovated in 2010 at a cost of $256 million, with the stadiums seating Capacity increased to 50000, backed up by temporary seating of another 10,000. The hosts dont have pleasant memories, though, the most haunting being their lowest innings total in a Test match 26/10 against England in 1955.

Thanks to its striking backdrop and wondrous stands, one easily falls for the scenic Adelaide Oval. With a Capacity of 53,583, it is the 8th largest stadium in the world. It isnt called Oval for any random reasons but because of its genuine oval structure. The Adelaide Oval saw some of the most brutal scenes in the History of the game during the 1932 33 Ashes, better known as the Bodyline Series, when Bill Woodfull and Bert Oldfield were terribly hurt. As a result, police had to be called up to keep the 50000+ spectators under control.

The Gujarat Cricket Associations Sardar Patel Stadium also called the Motera was established in 1982 on 50 acres of land. Located on the banks of the Sabarmati river, the stadium vaunts a seating Capacity of 54000. The stadium hosted the iconic quarter final match of the World Cup 2011 between India and Australia.

The two little masters of Indian cricket have indelible memories associated with this stadium. While Sunil Gavaskar reached the 10000 run mark in Test cricket here, Sachin Tendulkar compiled his first Test double hundred at the Motera.

One of the newer cricket venues in India, the Raipur International Cricket Stadium was Built in 2008. With a seating Capacity of 65000, it is the 5th largest cricket stadium in the world. The first unofficial one day match here was played between Canada and the Chattisgarh Ranji side. The stadium boasts of ultra modern facilities for players and spectators alike. Serving as one of the home grounds for Delhi Daredevils, the stadium hosted two IPL matches in the 2013 season.

Owned and operated by the greater Cochin Development Authority, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is the largest cricketing arena in India with a Capacity of 67,000 people. The Atmosphere is thunderous when the stadium is at Capacity, as witnessed during the ODI match between India and England in early 2012. Its powerful arch like flood lights can provide high definition level telecast.With two fifers in ODIs, Sachin Tendulkar developed a taste for the slow pitches here. Team India shares a bittersweet relationship with this stadium the wins have been dominating while losses have been humiliating!

With a Capacity of 78,000 people, ANZ Stadium is the 2nd largest cricket stadium in the world. Also known as Stadium Australia, this arena was set up in 1993 to host the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Over the years, it has served as a multipurpose stadium to organize international Rugby and Soccer matches, too.It has scarcely been used for international cricket, or rather cricket in general. It served as the NSW Blues home ground for the BBL until 2011. After which, it has been serving as the home ground for revamped Sydney Thunder. The stadium has hosted two T20Is till date.

Formerly known as the Pickwick Cricket Club, the Kensington Oval is a stadium situated in the west of the city Bridgetown which is the capital city of the island of Barbados. It has been existent since the last 130 years although the first Test match played here was between West Indies and England in January 1930. After its reconstruction for the 2007 50 over World Cup, its seating Capacity has been increased to 28,000. The names of the previous 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.

Alongside the WACA, the Kensington Oval was once upon a time said to have one of the fastest pitches in world cricket, so much so that it used to create shivers amongst many opposition batsmen when they came out to bat. Half the battle was already won by the West Indies, which is why they used to win an innumerable amount of Test matches at this venue, especially when they were at their prime, in the 70s and 80s under Clive Lloyd. Not to mention, Barbados has been the home ground for several champion West Indies cricketers such as Sir Garfield Sobers, who is one of the legendary all rounders to have graced the cricket field, the 3 Ws, i.e. Frank Worrell any Test series played between West Indies and Australia is named after him , Sir Everton Weekes who has a world record of five Test hundreds in five consecutive innings, Sir Clyde Walcott. As well as devastating pace bowlers such as Wes Hall, Charles Griffith and Malcolm Marshall. Not to forget, one of the finest opening partnerships of all time, Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge have played most of their cricket on this very ground.

Although these days, Barbados like any other of the West Indies pitches has slowed down tremendously due to the lack of quality fast bowlers in a declining national side. Yet, it has been host to the 2007 World Cup final between Australia and Sri Lanka, which was won by Australia, therefore defending the World Cup for the third time in a row successfully. As well as the 2010 World T20 final between Australia and England, which England famously prevailed by 7 wickets thanks to Kevin Pietersens sublime form as he enjoyed batting in friendly conditions.