For a long time in cricket, it has been a common trend to have stands named after players in venues. The Wankhede Stadium has the Sachin Tendulkar stand, the Kensington Oval in Barbados has the 3Ws stand named after Sir Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott, Shane Warne has a stand named after him at the Rosebowl stadium in Hampshire, etc.
However, it is not a common notion to have cricket grounds named after great players. The St.Lucia cricket stadium was renamed the Darren Sammy international cricket stadium earlier this year, but such instances are few and far between.
We now look at five great cricketers on whom grounds could be named in the future:
#5 Brendon McCullum (Christchurch)
Test debuts and finals Tests are often momentous occasions in a cricketer’s career and everyone looks to put in a performance to remember on both these occasions. In recent times, if there was a player, who bid goodbye to the game in an unforgettable manner is Brendon McCullum.
In his final Test at Christchurch, he broke the record for the fastest Test hundred, when he made a 54-ball hundred against Australia in his last Test in Christchurch to round off an enigmatic career in what can be called a fitting way.
McCullum may not have scored 10,000 runs in any format in any format or may not have had 500 dismissals with the gloves in hand, but for his sheer impact, particularly as a captain towards his later years in the game that he will always be remembered for.
#4 Wasim Akram (Lahore)
Perhaps the greatest left-arm fast bowler to have played the gentleman’s game, Wasim Akram was a threat in any condition around the world. Whether it was the old ball or the new, Akram was equally effective and wrecked havoc upon most international teams during his two-decade long career.
In 9 Tests at Lahore, Akram picked up 22 wickets at an average of 23.22 and in ODIs, he took 23 wickets in 18 matches at an excellent economy rate of 4.43.
While Pakistan may not play any matches on home turf at the moment, maybe a few more years down the line they could get back to playing matches at home and at that time, the could be playing in a stadium named after Akram.
#3 Muttiah Muralitharan (Kandy)
As an island, Sri Lanka can certainly be proud of the amount of fine cricketers that they have given to the sport right from the likes of Duleep Mendis to Kumar Sangakkara.
But if there is one man, who has become perhaps the most recognisable figure in the world game from that Emerald Island, it is Muttiah Muralitharan.
The 44-year-old off-spinner currently holds the record for the most number of wickets in Test cricket was born in Kandy and thanks to his exploits during his 18-year career became the city’s favorite son.
During his playing days, he had a staggering record at the Asgiriya Stadium where he took 117 wickets in 16 Tests and also had 6 scalps in 4 ODIs that was played over there, thereby leading the charts in both those lists.
At the Pallekele Stadium, Murali took 3 wickets and might have had more had the venue staged matches earlier in his career, he surely would have had a better track record over there as well.
There were discussions of the venue being named after him, but they didn’t materialise eventually. Maybe in the time to come, it could be renamed after him.
#2 MS Dhoni (Ranchi)
In its long history, Indian cricketers often emerged from big metro cities, until MS Dhoni came along from one of the Tier 2 cities- Ranchi. While people in India knew where the city was located, there is no doubting the fact that it was Dhoni, who played a major role in putting it on the global map.
The wicket-keeper batsman has ben involved in the game for the past 12 years and provided Indian cricket with several memorable moments during this period.
For a large part of his career, he didn’t play a game in his hometown, but in 2013, he got the chance to do that against England and led India to a win on home turf. He may not have a great record as a batsman in Ranchi, but as a captain, he has led India to two wins in three ODIs and also one win in the only T20I played there so far.
But above all else, he has played a role in providing Ranchi an identity of his own and once he is done playing the game should have a facility named after him.
#1 Brian Lara (Trinidad and Tobago)
One of the first names that come to mind when we speak about Trinidad is its Prince - Brian Lara. The 47-year-old is undoubtedly the most popular face in that part of the world and has been revered for many years by fans in that part of the world.
During his playing days, Lara played 12 Tests at the venue, amassing 986 runs at an average of 42.86.
In ODIs, no one has scored more runs than at the venue. Lara amassed 1276 runs in 30 matches at an average of 55.47, 418 runs ahead of Desmond Haynes, who is second on the list.
However, above everything else, just the sheer popularity of the man in the country, he deserves a venue to be named after him.
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