A rebirth for Christchurch
The Hagley Oval has put Christchurch back on the cricketing map after the AMI Stadium was damaged by the earthquake of 2011

The Hagley Oval is all set to welcome top-flight international teams • ICC
While the Hagley Oval has only had a handful of international matches so far - during the World Cup qualifiers in January 2014 - the newly built facilities are set to host New Zealand's first Boxing Day Test in 11 years, against Sri Lanka, as well as the first match of the 2015 World Cup, featuring the same teams. The new set-up looks picturesque, with its lush outfield and floating tensile roof covering the pavilion - a fitting setting, indeed, for the cricket Christchurch has fought so hard to get back.
New Zealand v India, 3rd ODI, March 2009
The third ODI between New Zealand and India in 2009 saw an Indian batting class in session, led by Sachin Tendulkar. On track to record the biggest ODI score, he helped pummel New Zealand's attack, but retired hurt in the 45th over on 163 as India reached a mammoth 392. An excellent Jesse Ryder century and a late partnership between Kyle Mills and Tim Southee gave India a scare, but they still emerged victorious by 58 runs.
A few years earlier, in 2005, in the third ODI of the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, a New Zealand chase led expertly by Scott Styris and Brendon McCullum got New Zealand to the highest ODI score at the time (332), and won them the match. McCullum's unbeaten 50, thrashed from 25 balls, aided Styris' gallant century in chasing down the large total, which had seemed a high mountain to climb after Michael Hussey's 88 from 56 earlier in the day.
Most runs: Nathan Astle 705 at 50.35 | Highest score: Sachin Tendulkar 163* v New Zealand | Most wickets: Daniel Vettori 23 at 31.82 | Best bowling: Simon O'Donnell 5 for 13
Chris Cairns | Stephen Fleming | Nathan Astle | Chris Harris | Shane Bond | Craig McMillan | Richard Hadlee | Rod Latham | Lee Germon
Christchurch is home to Canterbury, which supplied several players to the New Zealand one-day team in the 1990s. They won the one-day trophy seven times in the 1990s. They have also won the first-class Plunket Shield 17 times.