Carnival time
Get your fill of short-format action at the Premadasa during the World Twenty20
21-Oct-2010
The R Premadasa Stadium: a regular haunt for the cricket fan during the World Twenty20 • Manoj Ridimahaliyadda
Even though Sri Lanka have in recent times encouraged and have benefited from small-town players, Colombo, with its four Test venues and countless first-class ones, continues to be the cricketing capital of the country. International teams visiting the city mostly stay at the Taj Samudra, the site of the first cricket ground in Sri Lanka, the Galle Face Grounds.
The city now usually hosts two out of the three Tests on every tour. It also houses the premier ODI venue of the country, the R Premadasa Stadium, which in turn contains the Max Cricket Academy, from where almost all coaching and training activity above a certain standard is controlled.
The venue
While the Premadasa is fourth on the list of grounds with most ODIs, it has only hosted four T20s - all in 2009 - none of which has been won by Sri Lanka. That figure will jump to 19 (not including the three matches from the corresponding women's tournament) by the time the World Twenty20 trophy is lifted on October 7. The seating capacity was increased from 35,000 to 40,000 for the 2011 World Cup, and you can expect a raucous party-like atmosphere for the T20s.
While the Premadasa is fourth on the list of grounds with most ODIs, it has only hosted four T20s - all in 2009 - none of which has been won by Sri Lanka. That figure will jump to 19 (not including the three matches from the corresponding women's tournament) by the time the World Twenty20 trophy is lifted on October 7. The seating capacity was increased from 35,000 to 40,000 for the 2011 World Cup, and you can expect a raucous party-like atmosphere for the T20s.