Grounds

65 grounds in ten countries: 11 international stadiums, 30 franchise grounds and 24 club grounds. Each has its own square, boundary, light, mowing pattern and stands. The names are ours; the places are real. How pitches play

India (12)

Marine Drive Arena: International stadium, Mumbai. 65 m boundary, played into the evening, pace and bounce. Sea breeze, packed terraces, a short square. Time it and it flies.
Coromandel Oval: Franchise ground, Chennai. 64 m boundary, played under lights, a turning pitch. Sea breeze off the Marina and a dry, cracked square. It turns from ball one.
Hooghly Gardens: Franchise ground, Kolkata. 66 m boundary, played under lights, a pitch with something for everyone. Sixty thousand voices and a roof that holds the noise in. The great old bowl.
Garden City Stadium: Franchise ground, Bengaluru. 59 m boundary, played under lights, a batting pitch. Small, high and fast: the ball flies in the thin air. Two hundred is par.
Pink City Stadium: Franchise ground, Jaipur. 68 m boundary, played under lights, a slow, low pitch. Rose sandstone, a hilltop fort and a slow square. Spinners love it, hitters graft.
Capital Bowl: Franchise ground, Delhi. 63 m boundary, played under lights, a slow, low pitch. Old walls, a low square and a city on its feet. Patience wins it.
Deccan Plateau Stadium: Franchise ground, Hyderabad. 68 m boundary, played under lights, a batting pitch. A big, true deck on the plateau. Batters set records here.
Sabarmati Mega Stadium: Franchise ground, Ahmedabad. 74 m boundary, played under lights, a pitch with something for everyone. The biggest cricket ground on earth. Long boundaries, a sea of noise.
Gomti Riverside Stadium: Franchise ground, Lucknow. 70 m boundary, played under lights, a slow, low pitch. Black soil, low bounce: the ball stops on you. Big hitting is a gamble.
Five Rivers Stadium: Franchise ground, Mohali. 68 m boundary, played under lights, pace and bounce. Pace and carry under the tall lights, the hills on the horizon. Quicks feast.
Monsoon Maidan: Club ground, Varunpur. 58 m boundary, played under lights, a turning pitch. Packed in after the rains: a dry, cracked strip and heavy dew under the lights.
Marigold Gardens: Club ground, Rangarh. 59 m boundary, played under lights, a slow, low pitch. Below the old fort walls: a red-soil strip that grips, and marigold garlands on the gate.

Australia (11)

Victoria Colosseum: International stadium, Melbourne. 77 m boundary, played under lights. A colossus. Only the purest timing clears this rope.
Harbour City Ground: International stadium, Sydney. 62 m boundary, played by day, a slow, low pitch. Neutral venue. Regulation size — placement over power.
Showground Park: Franchise ground, Sydney. 66 m boundary, played under lights, a batting pitch. Picnic rugs on the grass banks and a ferris wheel over the fence. Good to bat.
Docklands Arena: Franchise ground, Melbourne. 63 m boundary, played under lights, a batting pitch. Steep stands, a lid on the noise and a drop-in road of a pitch. Six-hitting heaven.
Riverbend Oval: Franchise ground, Brisbane. 66 m boundary, played into the evening, pace and bounce. Steamy nights, a bridge over the river and a square with real carry. Hook or duck.
Swan River Stadium: Franchise ground, Perth. 72 m boundary, played into the evening, pace and bounce. The fastest, bounciest square in the world and the Fremantle Doctor in the evening.
Torrens Oval: Franchise ground, Adelaide. 67 m boundary, played under lights, a batting pitch. Sails of white roof, a grass hill, an old scoreboard and the cathedral spire. Beautiful and batting-friendly.
Derwent Oval: Franchise ground, Hobart. 60 m boundary, played into the evening, a seaming pitch. River on one side, mountain behind, a cool breeze and grass in the pitch. Seamers smile.
Kingsway Oval: Club ground, Kingsway. 61 m boundary, played by day, pace and bounce. A suburban oval with a hard, quick deck: the ball carries chest-high to the keeper.
Westwind Oval: Club ground, Calder Springs. 62 m boundary, played by day, a pitch with something for everyone. A big country oval and a westerly blowing across it: hit with the wind, bowl into it.
Ridgeback Park: Club ground, Dunmore Ridge. 60 m boundary, played by day, pace and bounce. Gum trees round the fence and a baked, true deck: pace and carry.

England (17)

Saint Mary's Ground: International stadium, London. 70 m boundary, played by day. The home of the game. Gentle slope in the mind, long straights.
Gasholder Oval: Franchise ground, London. 69 m boundary, played into the evening, a batting pitch. The old gasholder over the stands, a big outfield and a true pitch. London on a summer night.
Red Rose Ground: Franchise ground, Manchester. 66 m boundary, played into the evening, pace and bounce. Pace and bounce, a hotel by the boundary and rain never far away.
Quantock Ground: Franchise ground, Taunton. 57 m boundary, played by day, a batting pitch. A short boundary, a church tower over the fence and cider in the stands. Runs, runs, runs.
Trentside Ground: Franchise ground, Nottingham. 64 m boundary, played into the evening, a seaming pitch. Cloud cover, a green tinge and the river by the gate. The ball talks here.
Edgefield Stadium: Franchise ground, Birmingham. 67 m boundary, played into the evening, a pitch with something for everyone. The loudest stand in England and a fair pitch. Every boundary gets a song.
White Rose Ground: Franchise ground, Leeds. 65 m boundary, played by day, a seaming pitch. Grey skies, a slope, and a ball that does everything. Graft first, then cash in.
County Park: Franchise ground, Chelmsford. 58 m boundary, played by day, a batting pitch. A small, friendly county ground by the river. Short boundaries, quick runs.
Seafront Ground: Franchise ground, Hove. 60 m boundary, played into the evening, a seaming pitch. Deckchairs on the banks and a sea fret rolling in: the ball swings late.
Downs Bowl: Franchise ground, Southampton. 68 m boundary, played into the evening, a pitch with something for everyone. White tent roofs in the rolling downs. A big, fair ground where bowlers get a say.
Cathedral City Ground: Franchise ground, Canterbury. 62 m boundary, played by day, a seaming pitch. Oast houses, a cathedral spire and a tree-lined bank. The ball swings on a grey day.
Royal Meadows: Club ground, Wenbury. 59 m boundary, played by day, a pitch with something for everyone. Willows along the river, deckchairs on the boundary and tea at four. A fair pitch.
Northgate Park: Club ground, Aldersea. 58 m boundary, played by day, a seaming pitch. A green top under low cloud: openers want to bat second here.
Foundry Lane: Club ground, Ironbridge Vale. 56 m boundary, played by day, a slow, low pitch. Old works chimneys and an iron bridge over the cut. Low and slow: work for every run.
Saltmarsh Rec: Club ground, Marrowby-on-Sea. 55 m boundary, played by day, a seaming pitch. Flat marsh, gulls and a sea fret rolling in: it swings round corners.
Clocktower Ground: Club ground, Old Hadley. 56 m boundary, played by day, a pitch with something for everyone. The town clock chimes the overs. A true club pitch, a bit in it for everyone.
Southpark Rec: Club ground, Brennick. 55 m boundary, played into the evening, a batting pitch. A town-park ground with the city behind: small, flat and quick-scoring under the evening lights.

Pakistan (3)

Lahore Fort Stadium: International stadium, Lahore. 72 m boundary, played into the evening. Big crowds, big noise. Every boundary is earned.
Dune Road Ground: Club ground, Qasr Wadi. 60 m boundary, played under lights, a batting pitch. A shaved, baked road under the lights: sixes all night, and the dew comes late.
Crescent Ground: Club ground, Noorabad. 59 m boundary, played under lights, a batting pitch. A curved stand like a new moon and a flat deck: bat first, and bat big.

New Zealand (4)

Kauri Park: International stadium, Auckland. 57 m boundary, played by day. A rugby ground in disguise: tiny, and the ball disappears.
Quayside Ground: Club ground, Port Kerrin. 57 m boundary, played by day, a seaming pitch. Masts in the marina behind the bank and a breeze off the water that swings it all afternoon.
Lakeshore Park: Club ground, Taraweka. 57 m boundary, played by day, a seaming pitch. Snow on the peaks across the lake and a lush, seaming square.
Fernhill Green: Club ground, Ruakaha. 56 m boundary, played by day, a seaming pitch. Tree ferns over the fence and a green, slow-drying square: the seamers bowl all day.

South Africa (9)

Table Bay Oval: International stadium, Cape Town. 67 m boundary, played by day. Mountain behind, oaks in front. Slightly swinging, smooth outfield.
Bullring Oval: Franchise ground, Johannesburg. 66 m boundary, played under lights, pace and bounce. A steep bowl on the Highveld: thin air, a quick outfield and bounce that climbs.
Golden Mile Park: Franchise ground, Durban. 63 m boundary, played into the evening, a seaming pitch. Humid sea air off the Indian Ocean: the ball swings late and the crowd sings.
Vineyard Park: Franchise ground, Paarl. 65 m boundary, played into the evening, a slow, low pitch. Mountains and vines round a grass bank: slow and gripping, the spinners love it.
Jacaranda Park: Franchise ground, Centurion. 66 m boundary, played into the evening, pace and bounce. Grass banks and braai smoke on the Highveld: true pace and bounce, and runs.
Bayside Oval: Franchise ground, Gqeberha. 64 m boundary, played into the evening, a slow, low pitch. The oldest ground in the land, a brass band in the stand and a slow, low square.
Copperfield Oval: Club ground, Copperfield. 62 m boundary, played by day, pace and bounce. Mine dumps on the skyline and thin Highveld air: it flies off the bat and off the pitch.
Summit Field: Club ground, Highkloof. 63 m boundary, played by day, pace and bounce. The highest ground in the cups: the ball carries, and so do the drives.
Quarry Ground: Club ground, Steenrots. 61 m boundary, played by day, a pitch with something for everyone. Cut out of an old quarry, rock walls on three sides: the noise bounces round.

West Indies (3)

Trade Winds Oval: International stadium, Bridgetown. 65 m boundary, played into the evening. Steel bands, rum-coloured stands. Hit it and the island hears.
Seawall Park: Club ground, Coral Bay. 56 m boundary, played into the evening, a batting pitch. Steel band on the seawall and a short square boundary: a batting party.
Highfield Bowl: Club ground, St Corwin. 60 m boundary, played into the evening, pace and bounce. Up on the hill, hard and quick: the fast men run in downhill with the wind behind.

Sri Lanka (3)

Lion Rock Stadium: International stadium, Colombo. 68 m boundary, played into the evening. Tent roofs, palm trees and spin. The ball grips and the crowd hums.
Emerald Field: Club ground, Kalupura. 58 m boundary, played into the evening, a slow, low pitch. Tea-country green on the hills and a humid, gripping strip that turns more as it dries.
Palmgrove Oval: Club ground, Wellagama. 57 m boundary, played into the evening, a turning pitch. Coconut palms on every side and a dry, dusty strip: it turns square by the tenth over.

Bangladesh (2)

Delta Bowl: International stadium, Dhaka. 70 m boundary, played by day. Folded concrete roof, a wall of noise. Turns early, sixes late.
Tidewater Green: Club ground, Char Nadi. 57 m boundary, played into the evening, a slow, low pitch. River damp and a slow, low strip: the spinners do the work and the dew comes down.

Afghanistan (1)

Hindu Kush Ground: International stadium, Kabul. 66 m boundary, played by day. Snow peaks and thin air. The ball flies and the spinners bite.