Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium (Sinhala: රංගිරි දඹුලු ජාත්යන්තර ක්රීඩාංගනය, Tamil: தம்புள்ள சர்வதேச கிரிக்கெட் விளையாட்டு மைதானம்) is a 16,800[1] seat cricket stadium in Sri Lanka. It is situated in the Central Province, close to Dambulla on a 60-acre (240,000 m2) site leased from the Rangiri Dambulla Temple, is the first and only International cricket ground in dry zone of Sri Lanka. The stadium is built overlooking the Dambulla Tank (reservoir) and the Dambulla Rock.
Dambulla Stadium | |
During match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan ODI on 30 August 2014 | |
Ground information | |
---|---|
Location | Dambulla, Central Province |
Coordinates | 7°51′34″N 80°38′02″E |
Establishment | 2000 |
Capacity | 16,800 |
Owner | The Golden Temple, Dambulla |
Operator | Sri Lanka Cricket |
Tenants | Sri Lanka national cricket team |
End names | |
Press Box End Scoreboard End | |
International information | |
First ODI | 23 March 2001: |
Last ODI | 13 October 2018: |
First T20I | 19 November 2014: |
Last T20I | 22 November 2014: |
As of 13 October 2018 Source: Cricinfo |
History
- The inaugural One Day International (ODI) match was played between Sri Lanka and England in March 2001.
- Floodlights were installed in 2003.
- The stadium returned to international cricket in November 2013 after a three-year period due to its highly criticized floodlight system.
- The stadium hosted only day matches from 2013 until late 2016.
- In 2015, plans were undertaken to replace the outdated 8 floodlight towers with four LED ones.
The ground
Situated in the dry zone, the original rationale behind the project was that it provided Sri Lanka with the potential to host one-day matches throughout the year. Construction was funded by the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) and championed by the then BCCSL President, Thilanga Sumathipala. Construction took only 167 days. After construction and the inaugural match it sat idle due to complications with the lease and the contractors. International cricket finally returned in May 2003, the venue staging all seven matches of the tournament because of monsoon rains in the south.
The pitch is bowler friendly. Seamers benefit in the morning because of the high water table and heavy sweating. Spinners benefit in the afternoon when the pitch can crumble.
After 6 years since 2010, the first day-night ODI was held on 28 August 2016, during the ODI series against Australia after upgrading floodlights to ICC Standards.[2] This match was the final ODI for Sri Lankan great Tillakaratne Dilshan.[3]
Ground figures
International matches
Key
- P: Matches played
- H: Matches won by home side
- T: Matches won by touring side
- N: Matches won by neutral side
- D/N/T: Matches drawn/no result/tied
Ground figures | ||||||
Format | P | H | T | N | D/N/T | Inaugural match |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
One-Day Internationals[4] | 55 | 25 | 17 | 10 | 3 | 23 March 2001 |
Updated 13 October 2018
One Day International
See alsoReferences
External links |