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Asgiriya Stadium

Coordinates: 7°17′59″N 80°38′02″E / 7.29972°N 80.63389°E / 7.29972; 80.63389
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Asgiriya Stadium
104th Dharmaraja–Kingswood Cricket Encounter
Ground information
LocationAsgiriya, Kandy
Coordinates7°17′59″N 80°38′02″E / 7.29972°N 80.63389°E / 7.29972; 80.63389
Establishment15 January 1915
(Construction began in 1909)
Capacity10,300
OwnerTrinity College
OperatorTrinity College
TenantsSri Lanka Cricket
Kandy Cricket Club
End names
Hunnasgiriya End
Hanthana End
International information
First Test22–26 April 1983:
 Sri Lanka v  Australia
Last Test1–5 December 2007:
 Sri Lanka v  England
First ODI2 March 1986:
 Sri Lanka v  Pakistan
Last ODI16 December 2001:
 West Indies v  Zimbabwe
First WODI29 November 1997:
 Sri Lanka v  Netherlands
Last WODI25 April 2004:
 Sri Lanka v  India
Team information
Sri Lanka national cricket team (1983–2007)
As of 19 August 2024
Source: ESPNcricinfo

Asgiriya Stadium, (Sinhala: අස්ගිරිය ක්‍රීඩාංගනය, Tamil: அஸ்கிரிய மைதானம்) is a cricket ground located in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Uniquely owned by Trinity College, Kandy, it is conveniently situated a short distance away from the city centre. Historically, it was a prominent venue for Test matches when international teams toured Sri Lanka. Asgiriya gained fame as the country's second Test cricket ground in 1982–83 when it hosted Greg Chappell's Australian team, following in the footsteps of the Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium.[1]

History

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Before Asgiriya was built, Trinity College played its cricket matches at Bogambara Stadium. In 1904, when Rev. Alec Garden Fraser became Principal, he recognized the need for a suitable playing field and cricket pitch for the school. Fraser acquired an abandoned wasteland owned by the War Office, located in Asgiriya, just 270 meters from the school. The annual lease for this land was Rs. 30. In 1910, Trinity received permission to construct its own ground. Construction commenced in 1909 and was completed by 1915.[2]

Governor Sir Robert Chalmers officially opened the ground on 15 January 1915. The inaugural inter-school match was contested between Trinity and S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, on 24 and 25 February of the same year.[3]

Prior to achieving Test status, Sri Lanka was mandated by the International Cricket Conference to enhance the infrastructure of its international cricket grounds. In response, Gamini Dissanayake, a former Trinity student and then Chairman of Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka, spearheaded a rapid transformation of Asgiriya Stadium into an international venue. This ambitious project was completed within a remarkably short span of 150 days. President J. R. Jayewardene officially inaugurated the stadium on 5 January 1982. The stadium's pavilion was also opened by the President that same year.[1]

Asgiriya Stadium hosted its first international cricket match against Australia in the 1982–83 season, becoming Sri Lanka's second Test venue after the Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium. (scorecard)

The ground regularly hosted Test matches until the 2007-08 series against England. This Test match holds a significant place in cricket history as Muttiah Muralitharan surpassed Shane Warne to become the leading Test wicket-taker.[4] (scorecard)

Asgiriya Stadium Score Board

Fifteen years after hosting its first Test match, Asgiriya Stadium witnessed Sri Lanka's first Test victory at the venue in 1998 against Zimbabwe. (scorecard)

This success was followed by an even more historic triumph in 1999 when Sri Lanka defeated Australia for the first time in Test cricket. The match is infamous for the horrific collision between Steve Waugh and Jason Gillespie, which resulted in serious injuries to both players and necessitated their airlift to Colombo for medical treatment.[5] (scorecard)

Asgiriya has also played host to a memorable 1996 Cricket World Cup match between Sri Lanka and Kenya. In this encounter, Sri Lanka amassed a world record score of 398 runs, the highest ODI total at the time.[6]

Asgiriya Stadium has hosted a total of 21 Test matches, with Sri Lanka securing seven victories. However, due to the construction of the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, approximately 15 kilometers away, Sri Lanka Cricket gradually shifted the focus of international cricket to the newer venue. This transition began with the West Indies tour of Sri Lanka in 2010–11, where the final Test match of the series was hosted at Pallekele.[7]

In December 2014, plans were unveiled to renovate and upgrade Asgiriya Stadium, including the installation of a new electronic scoreboard.[8]

Unique setting and legacy

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Nestled amidst the picturesque mountains of Kandy, the ancient hill capital of Sri Lanka, Asgiriya Stadium is widely regarded as one of the most scenic cricket grounds in the world by ESPNcricinfo.[9]

A distinctive feature of Asgiriya is its ownership and maintenance by Trinity College, Kandy, an elite private boys' school. This makes it the only Test-class cricket stadium globally managed by a secondary educational institution. The ground has served as a breeding ground for numerous Sri Lankan cricketers who went on to represent the country at the highest level. Notable alumni include Ranjan Madugalle, Ravi Ratnayeke, Nilantha Ratnayake, Kumar Sangakkara, Kaushalya Weeraratne, and Niroshan Dickwella.

Statistics and records

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As of 19 August 2024

Source: ESPNcricinfo - Asgiriya Stadium

Key milestones

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The Hunnasgiriya-end of Asgiriya Stadium
  • 1892 – Cricket is introduced at Trinity College.
  • 1909 – Work on Trinity's Asgiriya ground commence.
  • 1915 – Governor Sir Robert Chalmers, declares open the new Asgiriya playing field with its pavilion and gymnasium.
  • 1915 – The first inter-school cricket match to be played at Asgiriya takes place, between Trinity College, Kandy, and S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. Trinity beat St Thomas' by an innings and 18 runs. Sir Robert Chalmers graces the occasion.
  • 1969 – Marylebone Cricket Club faced off against Central Province in a 50-over cricket match.
  • 1982 – Asgiriya gains Test cricket venue status.
  • 1983 – First Test match takes place, between Sri Lanka and Australia.
  • 1986 – First ODI takes place, between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
  • 1996 – Hosts a 1996 Cricket World Cup fixture between Sri Lanka and Kenya with Sri Lanka making a record 398, the highest score at the time.
  • 2001 – Sri Lanka cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan scored his only career half-century and his highest Test score of 67 against India at Kandy in 2001, which included three sixes and five fours.

World Cup cricket

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1996 Cricket World Cup

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Main article: 1996 Cricket World Cup
6 March 1996
Scorecard
Sri Lanka 
398/5 (50 overs)
v
Kenya 
254/7 (50 overs)
Aravinda de Silva 145 (115)
Tito Odumbe 2/34 (5 overs)
Steve Tikolo 96 (95)
M Muralitharan 2/40 (10 overs)
 Sri Lanka won by 144 runs
Asgiriya Stadium, Asgiriya, Kandy, Sri Lanka
Umpires: Steve Dunne and V. K. Ramaswamy
Player of the match: Aravinda de Silva (Sri)
  • Kenya won the toss and elected to ball first.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Senhas, Chaniru; Pathiraja, Nimuthu; Rehan, Anandakumar (26 April 2023). "From a hill to a cricket ground – The Asgiriya stadium". Trinity College. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  2. ^ Sridheran, Sharmeegan (6 May 2020). "Test venues in Sri Lanka: The Oldies". ThePapare. Archived from the original on 19 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  3. ^ Marikar, Hafiz (30 January 2011). "Great cricketers have played on Trinity College grounds". Sunday Observer. Archived from the original on 19 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  4. ^ Miller, Andrew (3 December 2007). "Murali sparks delirium in Kandy". ESPNCricinfo. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  5. ^ Matthey, James (15 August 2020). "Cricket news: Steve Waugh reveals gruesome moment that changed everything". news.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  6. ^ McGlashan, Andrew (1 September 2016). "From 334 to 481: the rise of the highest ODI total". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 23 February 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  7. ^ Clementine, Rex (28 November 2010). "Sangakkara regrets Asgiriya losing Test status". Island Cricket. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  8. ^ Marikar, Hafiz (27 December 2014). "Asgiriya Stadium gets face-lift". Daily News. Archived from the original on 19 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  9. ^ Miller, Andrew (25 February 2013). "The venue that karma forgot". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
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