Mar 3, 2007, 14:31 GMT
New Delhi, March 3 (IANS) A total of 12 venues will host cricket World Cup matches beginning March 13 with a West Indies-Pakistan clash at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. However, practice matches begin from Monday.
The opening ceremony will be held at the Greenfields Stadium in Trelawny, near Montego Bay, Jamaica, March 11. The final will be played at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, April 28.
All 51 matches of the 49-day tournament are day affairs.
Following are profiles of the 12 venues:
* Kensington Oval (Bridgetown, Barbados)
MATCHES: Final and six Super Eight matches.
PROFILE: The historical Kensington Oval was closed down after the end of the 2004-05 season and completely demolished to make a new stadium at a cost of $135 million for the World Cup. Home to the Pickwick Cricket Club since 1882, the stadium has a seating capacity of 28,000. The venue is steeped in history as it hosted the first England touring side in 1895 and the first combined West Indies side against the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1910-11. It was also the scene of West Indies' first Test match in 1930. The stadium is just 600 yards from the coast and has grown into one of the most impressive venues in the Caribbean. The pitches at Bridgetown are generally fast and bouncy, but they might have changed character.
* Sabina Park (Kingston, Jamaica)
MATCHES: First semi-final, the opening match and five other first-round matches.
PROFILE: The historical Sabina Park is home to the Kingston Cricket Club and is well known for its fast and bouncy pitch. But that was years ago. In recent years, the surface has slowed down, despite repeated attempts to restore its old character by re-laying it on more than one occasion. In terms of size, it is a relatively small stadium, but like other major grounds in the Caribbean, it also underwent major renovation recently. The seating capacity has been raised from 15,000 to 21,000. The breathtaking Blue Mountains -- home to the world famous Blue Mountain coffee -- forms a spectacular backdrop. Sabina Park's greatest moment was an unbeaten 365 by Sir Gary Sobers in a Test against Pakistanis in 1957-58.
* Beausejour Stadium (Gros Islet, St Lucia)
MATCHES: Second semi-final and six first-round matches.
PROFILE: It is situated on the outskirts of the tourist resort area of Rodney Bay in the north east coast of the islands. The stadium is one of the Caribbean's newest major venues that was completed in 2002. In 2006, it became the first ground in the West Indies to stage a one-day international, against Zimbabwe, under the floodlights. Constructed on 22 acres land, the stadium can hold 20,000 spectators. The capacity includes 18 hospitality suites. It also has a modern pavilion.
* Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (Antigua)
MATCHES: Six Super Eight matches.
PROFILE: The stadium is named after the island's most famous son, former West Indies captain Sir Vivian Richards, and replaces the Antigua Recreation Ground as the major international venue in this island. The ground is dominated by two large stands, the five-story southern section housing the pavilion as well as corporate suits. The northern side hosts the media box. The architects wanted the venue to retain a more casual Caribbean flavour by having terraces on the eastern and western sides. The seating capacity is expected to be around 20,000 and the design in many ways is similar to the Warner Park in St Kitts.
* Queen's Park Oval (Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago)
PROFILE: It is considered as one of the most picturesque of the old grounds and is also one of the largest with a seating capacity of 17,000. The old pavilion was built in 1896 and has been the home of Queen's Park Cricket Club since then. It remained unchanged until 1952 when it was replaced by a two-tiered structure. It has been described as a classic ground with picturesque backdrops, most notably the northern hills. Like most grounds in the Caribbean, Queen's Park Oval also underwent a facelift ahead of the World Cup.
* Providence Stadium (Providence, Guyana)
PROFILE: Located in Providence, about nine kilometres south of Guyana capital Georgetown, the stadium has three major stands and a grass mound that can accommodate 4,000 people. The overall capacity is around 16,000. The stadium has been built with approximately $30 million, with much of the funding coming by way of loans and grants from India.
* National Cricket Stadium (St George's, Grenada)
PROFILE: The ground's metamorphosis from a basic venue to an international one came about as part of the region's build up to the 2007 World Cup. Grenada has benefited greatly from the investment. Around $5 million have been pumped into the ground that can accommodate 17,000 people. The stadium, which is next to a football and athletics ground, has changed the face of the game in Grenada. The presence of St George's University, which is now home to the West Indies' Cricket Academy, has also helped in making the ground a high profile one. It became the 84th Test venue in 2002 when West Indies played New Zealand.
* Warner Park (Basseterre, St Kitts)
MATCHES: Six first-round matches.
PROFILE: It was the first of the Caribbean's seven new World Cup stadiums to become functional when it staged its one-day international in May last year, and the first Test match a month later. The stadium has been largely funded by the Taiwanese government, which provided $7.1 million of a total $10m spent on the venue. The stadium was built entirely by locals and not like many other stadiums that took help from Indian and Chinese labourers. It is not a big ground and can accommodate 10,000 spectators. Not surpassing, given the fact that the island itself has a population of only 35,000 people. The eastern side of the stadium has been left vacant to allow the prevailing easterly wind to leave its cooling effect.
Warm-up matches will be played at the following venues:
* Arnos Vale Sports Complex (Kingstown, St Vincent)
PROFILE: The renovated world-class venue is to be opened before the World Cup starts March 11. The picturesque ground is situated between the E.T. Joshua Airport and the Caribbean Sea. The additions to the ground, mainly on the eastern side, features a two-tier stand that can accommodate more than 5,000 spectators. There is also a four-tier media centre, a four-storey venue operations centre and a two-floor pavilion. The stadium has a seating capacity of 12,000 spectators. The biggest match will be a warm-up clash between Australia and England March 8.
* Three Ws Oval (Bridgetown, Barbados)
PROFILE: This stadium, two kilometres away from the historic Kensington Oval, has been named after legendary West Indies players Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Everton Weekes and Sir Clyde Walcott, and is situated at the centre of the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies. The sculpture in the shape of three large wickets at the edge of the field attracts attention. The Oval has been totally overhauled and can accommodate approximately 4,000 spectators.
* Greenfields Stadium, (Trelawny, Jamaica)
PROFILE: Formerly known as Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium Complex, the Greenfields Stadium is located some 40 km east of Montego Bay. It was built as a 'gift' to Jamaica by the Chinese government last year. After no country bid to host the opening ceremony for the World Cup, the Jamaican government stepped in and the construction work for the new ground was started in November 2005. An almost entire team of Chinese labourers involved was in the project that finished in June last year. It has 10,000 permanent seats but the capacity can be raised to about 25,000 using temporary seats.
* Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground (St Augustine, Trinidad)
PROFILE: The ground is situated inside the campus of the University of West Indies and was given a $1.5-million facelift for the World Cup since it was allocated the warm-up games. It can accommodate 17,000 people.
© 2007 Indo-Asian News Service
Your Talkback on this Story