Know the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup venues

The 2015 ICC World Cup takes place in Australia and New Zealand; this is just the second time that the two countries are hosting a World Cup tournament, with the last one having been held way back in 1992. There are 49 World Cup matches scheduled in all, and the matches will be staged across 14 venues equally divided between the two Australasian countries. The 7 venues from Australia are Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, while Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson and Wellington are the 7 from New Zealand. All the above mentioned cities hosted at least one World Cup game back in 1992, with Nelson in New Zealand being the only new addition.Here is a more detailed look at all the 14 World Cup venues:

#1 Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

The Adelaide Oval in Australia, which was established in the year 1873 and has a capacity of approximately 31000, has been allotted a total of 4 World Cup matches including a quarter-final. Apart from the quarter-final that will see Australia in action provided they reach the knock-outs, it will also enjoy the privilege of hosting one of the most awaited fixtures of the World Cup, between arch-rivals India and Pakistan on February 15. The other two group fixtures scheduled at the ground are England v Bangladesh and Pakistan v Ireland on March 9 and 15, respectively.

The first ever ODI at the ground was played between Australia and West Indies in December 1975, and, since then, a further 76 ODIs have been held at the ground with the latest being between Australia and England as recently as in January 2014. With the pitch at the Adelaide Oval being renowned for being one of the best batting wickets in Australia in addition to having short square boundaries, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if a batting feast is put on during the World Cup at the expense of bowlers.

Matches

India v Pakistan, 15 February 2015 (Day/Night)

England v Bangladesh, 9 March 2015 (Day/Night)

Pakistan v Ireland, 15 March 2015 (Day/Night)

TBD V TBD, Quarter Final 3, 20 March 2015 (Day/Night)

#2 Eden Park, Auckland

Eden Park, Auckland, will also be hosting a total of 4 matches come the World Cup next year. The first match at Eden Park, which has an approximate capacity of 50,000, will be held between co-hosts New Zealand and Australia on 28 February and, in all probability, see a sell-out crowd. Exactly a week later, South Africa will go head to head against Pakistan, while India will take on minnows Zimbabwe a week after that. It will also be hosting the first semi-final on March 24.

Although the ground hosted New Zealand’s first ever Test win and boasts some of New Zealand’s greatest sporting achievements – including the 1992 ICC Cricket World Cup and the victorious 2011 Rugby World Cup - it has also seen some massive lows: none more so than when the hosts were bowled out for 26, their lowest Test score, against England in 1955.

Matches

Australia v New Zealand, 28 February 2015 (Day/Night)

South Africa v Bangladesh, 7 March 2015 (Day/Night)

India v Zimbabwe, 14 March 2015 (Day/Night)

TBD V TBD, Semi Final 1, 24 March 2015 (Day/Night)

#3 The Gabba, Brisbane

The Gabba, Brisbane, was established in 1895 and has a capacity of around 40000 people. It has hosted a total of 72 ODI matches so far, with its first ever ODI being between England West Indies in December 1979.

The ground has probably been given a raw deal as far as the World Cup is concerned despite being one of the best Australian grounds, as, apart from not being given a single knock-out game, each of its three matches features at least one team which is currently outside the ICC top 8.

Matches

Australia v Bangladesh, 21 February 2015 (Day/Night)

Ireland v United Arab Emirates, 25 February 2015 (Day/Night)

Pakistan v Zimbabwe, 1 March 2015 (Day/Night)

#4 Hagley Oval, Christchurch

Following the devastating 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand’s second largest city, there was extensive damage caused to the iconic Lancaster Park, as a result of which it had to be abandoned as a venue. A new ground, Hagley Oval, has been built in the city consequently, and it has been awarded a total of three World Cup matches including the opening game between New Zealand and Sri Lanka on February 14. Considering the fact that a mere two ODIs have been played at the ground up to this point, teams scheduled to play there will want to have a closer look at the ground and pitch conditions leading up to the World Cup.

Matches

New Zealand v Sri Lanka, 14 February 2015 (Day)

Pakistan v West Indies, 21 February 2015 (Day)

England v Scotland, 23 February 2015 (Day)

#5 Manuka Oval, Canberra

The Manuka Oval, Canberra, hosted its first ever ODI only on March 10, 1992, when South Africa took on Zimbabwe in a World Cup encounter. Primarily known for hosting the annual match between the Prime Minister's XI and an overseas touring side, there was a hiatus of 16 years before it hosted its next ODI, between India and Sri Lanka in February 2008. Since then there has been just one more ODI, between Australia and West Indies in February 2013, which was the first time that Australia had played at the Manuka Oval. And they aren’t going to be adding to that tally anytime soon, either, as they are not scheduled to play even a single game in the Australian capital during the World Cup.

Matches

Bangladesh v Afghanistan, 18 February 2015 (Day/Night)

West Indies v Zimbabwe, 24 February 2015 (Day/Night)

South Africa v Ireland, 3 March 2015 (Day/Night)

#6 University Oval, Dunedin

The University Oval in Dunedin is another one of those grounds that is nascent in terms of international cricket, having hosted a mere 6 Tests and 2 ODIs so far. It has a capacity of 6000, and does not have floodlights as of now, thereby restricting it to hosting only day matches.

Matches

New Zealand v Scotland, 17 February 2015 (Day)

Sri Lanka v Afghanistan, 22 February 2015 (Day)

Afghanistan v Scotland, 26 February 2015 (Day)

#7 Seddon Park, Hamilton

Voted among the 20 best venues in the world to watch sport by The Cricketer magazine, Seddon Park, Hamilton, has been witnessing international cricket since 1981 onwards. The first ever international match at the ground was an ODI between New Zealand and India on February 15, 1981, which the hosts won by 57 runs, and a further 21 ODIs have taken place at the venue since.

It is one of a number of small grounds in New Zealand and has seen some pretty special batting performances over the years including Richard Levi’s 100 off 45 balls, which is the fastest century in T20 internationals, in February 2012.

Matches

South Africa v Zimbabwe, 15 February 2015 (Day/Night)

India v Ireland, 10 March 2015 (Day/Night)

Bangladesh v New Zealand, 13 March 2015 (Day/Night)

#8 Bellerive Oval, Hobart

The Bellerive Oval, also known as the Blundstone Arena, is the home ground of Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield and Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League. Australia holds the distinction of scoring the highest total in ODI cricket at the ground, having scored 344/7 from 50 overs versus Zimbabwe in 2004.

While Sachin Tendulkar, with 296 runs from 5 games at 59.20, has scored the most number of runs at the Bellerive Oval, Wasim Akram, with 11 wickets from 6 matches, has the most number of scalps.

The ground has been quite favourable to Indian batsmen, by the looks of it, as it was here that Virat Kohli scored a dazzling hundred against Sri Lanka a couple of years back and helped his team pull off a chase of 321 within 40 overs.

Matches

Zimbabwe v Ireland, 7 March 2015 (Day/Night)

Sri Lanka v Scotland, 11 March 2015 (Day/Night)

Australia v Scotland, 14 March 2015 (Day/Night)

#9 Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne

The MCG, up there with Lord’s as the most historic cricket stadium in the world, will rightly be hosting the Cricket World Cup final on March 29. This iconic multi-purpose stadium, which has a gigantic capacity of approximately 100000, is the home ground of the Victorian Bushrangers, the state’s cricket team, and Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League.

Apart from hosting the previous Cricket World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand, it has also hosted the 1956 Olympic Games and 2006 Commonwealth Games as well as international cricket, rugby, rugby league and AFL matches. The first ever ODI, between Australia and England, was played at the MCG on January 5, 1971, and it has hosted a colossal 137 ODI games in total until now.

Matches

Australia v England, 14 February 2015 (Day/Night)

South Africa v India, 22 February 2015 (Day/Night)

Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, 26 February 2015 (Day/Night)

TBD V TBD, Quarter Final 2, 19 March 2015 (Day/Night)

TBD v TBD, Final, 29 March 2015 (Day/Night)

#10 McLean Park, Napier

McLean Park, Napier, which was built in 1911, has a total capacity of 22,500, making it one of the largest grounds in New Zealand alongside Eden Park in Auckland. It is an extremely high scoring ground, with 300 having been crossed on 7 occasions since March 2005.

Nathan Astle and Daniel Vettori have scored the most runs and taken the most wickets at the venue – 743 runs and 25 wickets – respectively. Ricky Ponting, meanwhile, made 141* in Australia’s total of 347/5 against the Kiwis in March 2005, which remains the highest individual score at the ground.

Matches

Pakistan v UAE, 4 March 2015 (Day/Night)

New Zealand v Afghanistan, 8 March 2015 (Day)

West Indies v UAE, 15 March 2015 (Day)

#11 Saxton Oval, Nelson

Saxton Oval is a cricket ground located in the city of Nelson, which has been allotted a total of 3 matches in the World Cup. Having a capacity of 5000, it hosted its first international match when New Zealand played West Indies in an ODI on January 4, 2014.

Matches

West Indies v Ireland, 16 February 2015 (Day)

Zimbabwe v UAE, 19 February 2015 (Day)

Bangladesh v Scotland, 5 March 2015 (Day)

#12 The WACA, Perth

The WACA, Perth, might be nowhere near as fast and bouncy as it was back in the 1980s and 1990s, but it should still be quick enough to provide encouragement to the fast bowlers during the World Cup. Established in 1893 and having a capacity of 22000, there have been 71 ODIs played in the Western Australian capital until now. Dean Jones, having scored 545 runs from 12 innings at 49.54, is the leading run-scorer at the ground, and Wasim Akram, with an impressive 26 wickets from 12 games at 14.42, is the leading wicket-taker.

Matches

India v UAE, 28 February 2015 (Day/Night)

Australia v Afghanistan, 4 March 2015 (Day/Night)

India v West Indies, 6 March 2015 (Day/Night)

#13 Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Sydney

The SCG, which along with the MCG is the premier cricket ground in Australia, has been awarded 5 matches in the World Cup including a quarter-final and semi-final. One of the oldest cricket grounds in the world having been established in 1848, the SCG is the home ground of New South Wales Blues in Australia’s domestic cricket competition and Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League as well as Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL).

The opening match at the SCG will be between South Africa and West Indies on 27 February, 2015, following which Australia takes on Sri Lanka, which should make for a riveting contest with both teams being evenly matched and strong contenders for the World Cup trophy.

Matches

South Africa v West Indies, 27 February 2015 (Day/Night)

Australia v Sri Lanka, 8 March 2015 (Day/Night)

England v Afghanistan, 13 March 2015 (Day/Night)

TBD v TBD, Quarter Final 1, 18 March 2015 (Day/Night)

TBD v TBD, Semi Final 2, 26 March 2015 (Day/Night)

#14 Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington

Wellington Regional Stadium, known as Westpac Stadium for commercial reasons, was built in 1999 in order to have a larger-capacity venue in the city of Wellington, as the Basin Reserve was starting to lose important matches to larger grounds in other parts of the country. The efforts of those involved in building the new stadium have certainly been rewarded, with the 4th quarter-final of the upcoming World Cup being awarded to the ground.

Matches

New Zealand v England, 20 February 2015 (Day/Night)

England v Sri Lanka, 1 March 2015 (Day)

South Africa v UAE, 12 March 2015 (Day/Night)

TBD v TBD, Quarter Final 4, 21 March 2015 (Day/Night)