Construction of Rangiri Dambulla Stadium to be Completed

Construction work on facilities at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium is to recommence shortly, and is expected to be completed in approximately three months.

Sections of the grandstand, scoreboard and terraces that were unfinished are to be completed, while the ground will be relevelled and re-laid.

The Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium is Sri Lanka's newest international venue and was declared open on 18th March 2001. The first international match was played five days later on 23rd March, a One-Day-International between Sri Lanka and England in which the hosts emerged victorious.

Dambulla also hosted 4-day Unofficial Test Matches between Pakistan `A' and Sri Lanka `A', and also between Canada and Sri Lanka `A.' The last international match was in February 2002, a 4-day Unofficial Test Match between Sri Lanka `A' and Kenya. The venue has also hosted a large number of club, district and provincial matches.

The stadium is located in the most picturesque of surroundings, adjoining an ancient lake, with the low mountain ranges of central Sri Lanka in the distance. From the towering grandstand, spectators have a breathtaking view of the nearby thick jungle, with the famed ancient rock fortress of Sigiriya looming from among the trees.

Dambulla is located in central Sri Lanka, approximately three and a half hours drive from Colombo, and an hour and a half from the major towns of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Matale and Kurunegala.

The resumption of construction follows the payment of Rs. 450 million to contractors by the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka, for work that has been certified by the project's consultant architects. A further Rs. 64 million is to be paid on completion of the project.

Completion was delayed following the appointment of a committee by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports in April 2001, to inquire into the cost of the project, and the suspension of payments to companies involved in the construction, on the advice of the Ministry and the Attorney General. (BCCSL media release)