Muralitharan to Have ICC Cricket World Cup Stadium Named after Him
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Sri Lanka’s top off spinner may play on his own turf, literally as Sri Lanka plan to name one of the stadiums being built for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 after him.
The stadium being built at Pallekele in Kandy district will be named after their son of the soil, Muttiah Muralitharan. It will be known hereafter as the Muttiah Muralitharan International Cricket Stadium.
The best part is that Murali could well be in action himself when the World Cup comes around as he has made himself available for the Sri Lankan squad should they require him.
Sri Lanka are due to play in one of the three matches scheduled in the course of the World Cup: Pakistan v New Zealand on March 8, Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe on March 10 and Pakistan v Zimbabwe on March 14.
Labels: Muralitharan, Sri Lanka, Stadiums
posted @ 11:44 AM,
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Suriyawewa Stadium, Hambantota, Sri Lanka
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Built for the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, Suriyawewa Hambantota International Cricket Stadium is the biggest cricket stadium in Sri Lanka measuring 200 meters x 200 meters. In the photo, for the first time since construction began, teams representing Hambantota and Matara played a friendly match on the new pitch in early July, 2010. Suriyawewa Hambantota International Cricket Stadium will host it's first international match when Sri Lanka play Canada on 20 February, 2011 during the ICC World Cup 2011.
posted @ 11:04 AM,
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Premadasa Stadium
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
The R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, one of the venues for the 2011 World Cup, is still behind schedule in terms of readiness of the pitch. The ICC completed its routine three-day venue inspection in Sri Lanka and expressed satisfaction at the progress made in the two new international venues, Pallekele and Hambantota.
The Premadasa is the only ground in Colombo with floodlights, and Sri Lanka Cricket is spending eight million dollars to renovate the stadium and relay the pitch. The inspection team made a similar unfavourable progress report in February, when the ICC's pitch consultant Andy Atkinson said that work on the playing area was behind schedule. Four months on, he said the status hadn't changed much.
"Premadasa is a worry for me," Atkinson told AFP. "I would like to get some games in to try out the pitch conditions before the big show next year."
Eugene van Vuuren, the ICC's structural engineer, said good progress had been made at the other two venues. "With the exception of the Premadasa stadium, others are on track to play a few first-class and international matches before the tournament starts next February," van Vuuren said.
The Suriyawewa Stadium in Hambantota, on the Southern coast, is due to host its maiden first-class domestic match in July. The Pallekele Stadium near Kandy has held an Under-19 match.
Sri Lanka will stage 12 matches, with the Premadasa hosting seven, including the first semi-final. Hambantota and Pallekele will host two and three games respectively.
Labels: Stadiums
posted @ 11:33 AM,
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Cricket Stadium
Monday, June 7, 2010
Emirates has stepped up to the crease to name its first dedicated cricket stadium, the third international sports stadium to be named by the airline around the world.
Durham County Cricket Club's home in the UK has been named Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground. The renaming of the venue in Chester-le-Street - near Newcastle in the North East of England - follows a ground-breaking competition. Fans were invited to submit their suggestions based on the values of both the club and the airline.
The renaming of the ground is an integral part of a six year sponsorship agreement with the club, which also includes branding on the team's Twenty20 shirts.
The partnership is an important addition to Emirates' impressive cricket portfolio, which includes an official partnership with the ICC (International Cricket Council), as well as the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires.
As part of their ICC sponsorship, the award-winning international airline is gearing up for the all-important 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, which takes place in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. This World Cup is directly before the start of the 2011 Indian Premier League season where Emirates will enter its third consecutive season as shirt sponsor of the King's XI Punjab.
A ceremony to reveal the new stadium name, involving a giant pitch banner, was held directly before the club's home Twenty20 match against the Lancashire Lightning on Friday 4th June in front of a sell-out crowd of 8,000.
The competition winner was a 65-year old farmer, Robin Harker, from North Yorkshire, who won a trip-of-a-lifetime to Australia later this year to watch an Ashes Test. His return flights and match tickets are courtesy of Emirates.
Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground becomes the second sports stadium in the UK to be named by Emirates after Emirates Stadium, the home of Arsenal. The airline's third stadium asset, 7he Sevens, is a multi-sports facility in Dubai.
Maurice Flanagan, Executive Vice Chairman Emirates Airline & Group, who attended the unveiling, said: "The renaming of Durham's County Ground to the Emirates Durham International Cricket Ground will further cement our presence in the North East where we already fly daily from Newcastle to Dubai and beyond. The atmosphere at the game was something very special and I'm tremendously proud to attach the Emirates brand to a venue so important within the North East community."
CEO of Durham County Cricket Club, David Harker, added: "The competition was really well received by our supporters and sports lovers from the North East and further afield. A great amount of thought went into many of the entries and there was some excellent reasoning behind the ideas we received. It was great to see the interest and passion that people have for both Durham County Cricket Club and the future of international cricket in our region."
Durham County Cricket Club is the newest of all the First Class county teams and they are the current holders of the LV County Championship, the highest accolade for First Class County Cricket in the UK. Some of their stars include England international players Paul Collingwood and Steve Harmison, as well as Dale Benkenstein from South Africa and Michael Di Venuto from Australia.
Labels: Stadiums
posted @ 11:17 AM,
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Stadiums For The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup
Friday, May 28, 2010
Spring 2011 will herald not one but two new cricket facilities in India designed by Hopkins Architects, in time for the World Cup.The first phase of the new Stadium at Chepauk, famous home of recent IPL winners Chennai Super Kings, is now complete. Lower and upper terraces for 10,000 spectators together with hospitality box accommodation all under a PTFE tensile membrane roof, formed a stunning backdrop to the inaugural matches of the IPL season in March. Many commentators and players, including Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavasker have praised the design, especially its ability to bring a cooling breeze across the ground. The re-construction of the entire 43,000 seat Chidambaram Stadium will be complete by mid-2011.
Further north in Maharashtra, Hopkins is also on site with the first phase of construction for the new MCA Pune International Cricket Centre. Situated on a steeply sloping site adjacent to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on the outskirts of Pune 170km southeast of Mumbai, this first phase comprises a bowl-like lower terrace for 38,000 spectators focussed around an international standard playing area with 15 pitches, and accessed by means of a generous perimeter pedestrian concourse to the rear. Above this, at the southern end, a Main Pavilion with 26 hospitality boxes and an upper terrace for a further 7,000 spectators will be created, covered by a PVDF tensile membrane roof.
Further phases will see the completion of the four separate stands at Pune, adding more hospitality accommodation and covered seating, bringing the total capacity up to 55,000. Completion is scheduled for February 2011.
Hopkins’ schemes for cricket stadia range from their award-winning Mound Stand at Lords (1987), to Hampshire County Cricket Club in Southampton (2001), whose Rose Bowl ground is used for county and One Day International matches and will host a test match in 2011.
Labels: Stadiums
posted @ 11:06 AM,
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