All the 15 matches of the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy will be played in two stadiums, Wanderers in Johannesburg and SuperSport Park in Centurion.
Name of the ground: New Wanderers
Johannesburg, South Africa
 New Wanderers |
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What’s Lord’s is to England, New Wanderers is to South Africa — the flagship cricket stadium. Built in 1956, it hosted its first Test against England the same year, which incidentally South Africa had lost by 131 runs. It’s popularly known as ‘The Bullring’ for its imposing design and intimidating structure.
It’s a stadium that’s known for its true pitch, which offers something to both batsmen and bowlers, and lightening fast outfield. It not only has the distinction of hosting 2003 World Cup final but also the greatest One-day international match ever played, where South Africa defeated Australia by chasing a world record target of 434. And of course India won the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 tournament here in 2007, defeating Pakistan in a cliff-hanger.
In quite a sharp contrast, Hugh Tayfield once took 9 for 113 in the 4th Test against England in its inaugural year.
In 1996, the stadium got five new floodlights, each 65 metres high, replacing the earlier four 30-metre high floodlight masts. It boasts of a fully-automatic irrigation system, including underground pop-up sprinklers, which were installed in 2001, thereby making its drainage system truly world class. It also houses an indoor practice nets facility.
The stadium has a seating capacity of 34,000 and interestingly has 182 suites, which are periodically leased to the top corporate companies. With all these facilities at its disposal, it’s no wonder that ‘The Bullring’ is considered one of the finest cricket stadiums in the world.
Name of the ground: SuperSport Park
Centurion, South Africa
 SuperSport Park |
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Opened in 1985, it is one of the newest stadiums in South Africa. It didn’t take long for this stadium to earn a reputation of having one of the quickest pitches in the country. Though known for its good and bouncy tracks, batsmen have also relished their stint at the wicket as ball comes nicely on to the bat. In 1995, it became the eighth Test centre when it hosted the first Test match of the South Africa-England series.
Unlike other stadiums, a large part of the seating area has grass embankments offering excellent viewing to spectators — a perfect place for families to turn up and enjoy cricket during summer.
The stadium is particularly popular among players, as they rate it as a stadium with one of the finest facilities in the world. It offers excellent practice facilities and dressing rooms for players. The outfield is lush green and the ground has very good drainage facility. The stadium has a capacity to accommodate 22,000 spectators.
