Biggest Cricket Stadiums in New Zealand

Biggest Cricket Stadiums in New Zealand

The following is a list of stadiums in New Zealand, ordered by capacity. Currently, all stadiums with a capacity of at least 11,600 are included. It is actually difficult to account for accuracy here as many grounds use temporary stands, there is much use of standing only embankments and not often are grounds full to enable gauging accuracy. We can only rely on what is stated publicly. Also, some grounds add extra capacity on rare occasions for major matches i.e. Waikato can add 5,000 over a closed-off bordering road. Yarrow has had to close its stands due to earthquake risks. QBE is to get a refurbished reduction. Owen Delany is in a rural area and gets rare serious games. Trafalgar was expanded once to 20,000 for a one of a test match. And Christchurch is about to be replaced with an identical ground to Dunedin - which is New Zealands only covered outdoor stadium

List of Cricket stadiums in the New Zealand by capacity

1) Eden Park, Auckland

Eden Park is the largest stadium in New Zealand. Home to Auckland cricket since 1910, Eden Park also doubles up as a prominent rugby venue during winter. It became the first venue to host two Rugby World Cup finals in 2011, having held the inaugural final in 1987.

It may be recalled that New Zealand tasted their first Test success at Eden Park against West Indies in 1955-56. Looking through the other end of the spectrum, it also played host when New Zealand crashed to their lowest total in Test cricket - against England in 1955.

Interestingly Eden Park, which is located in the suburb of Kingsland less than 3km from the CBD, has also been the stage for hockey. British royalty and Dalai Lama. It will be the scene of one of the semi-finals in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

FACTS

STATS - TEST

STATS - ODI

STATS - T20

2) Sky Stadium, Wellington

Wellington Regional Stadium (known commercially as Sky Stadium through naming rights is a major sporting venue in Wellington, New Zealand.

The stadium was built in 1999 by Fletcher Construction and is situated close to major transport facilities (such as Wellington railway station) one kilometre north of the CBD. It was built on reclaimed railway land, which was surplus to requirements.

The stadium also serves as a large-capacity venue for concerts and is known colloquially as "The Cake Tin".

FACTS

STATS - ODI

STATS - T20

3) AMI Stadium

Lancaster Park, previously known as Jade Stadium and AMI Stadium, was a sports stadium in Waltham, a suburb of Christchurch in New Zealand. The stadium was closed permanently due to damage sustained in the February 2011 earthquake and subsequently demolished in 2019.

The stadium had been the venue for various sports including rugby union, cricket, rugby league, association football, athletics and trotting. It had also hosted various non-sporting events including concerts by Pearl Jam in 2009, Bon Jovi in 2008, Roger Waters in 2007, Meat Loaf in 2004, U2 in 1989 & 1993, Tina Turner in 1993 and 1997, Dire Straits in 1986 and 1991, and Billy Joel in 1987. However the stadium was primarily a rugby and cricket ground and was the home of the Crusaders rugby union team, who compete in Super Rugby. Its capacity was 38,628.

FACTS

STATS - TEST

STATS - ODI

STATS - T20

4) Seddon Park, Hamilton

Seddon Park is a cricket ground in Hamilton, New Zealand. It is the fourth-largest cricket ground in the country, and is renowned for its "village green" setting, affording a picnic atmosphere for spectators.

Seddon Park was named after Richard Seddon, the longest-serving Prime Minister of New Zealand. Hamilton Borough Council named it in July 1906 before it was developed. It was first used for a major cricket match in February 1914, when the touring Australians played a South Auckland XVIII in a two-day match.It has been in constant use since.

Due to sponsorship from Trust Bank and subsequently Westpac, the ground was known as Trust Bank Park from 1990 to 1997, as WestpacTrust Park from 1997 to 2003, and as Westpac Park from 2003 to 2006. It reverted to its original name in 2006, when Westpac decided to end its sponsorship of a number of sporting events and grounds in New Zealand.

Seddon Park was also used for the 1992 Cricket World Cup for one of the world cups matches and 2015 Cricket World Cup for three of the world cups matches.

Seddon Park is a round, well-grassed ground with a centre block of nine pitches, running approximately north to south. These pitches are usually very good for batting. There is an embankment going around three-quarters of the perimeter, with a tall hedgerow outside this embankment.

In addition to cricket, Seddon Park has been used for rugby union, rugby league and hockey matches. It therefore has a flexible stadium environment that can be modified according to sports events.

FACTS

STATS - TEST

STATS - ODI

STATS - T20

5) Carisbrook, Dunedin

Carisbrook (sometimes incorrectly referred to as Carisbrook Stadium) was a major sporting venue in Dunedin, New Zealand. The citys main domestic and international rugby union venue, it was also used for other sports such as cricket, football, rugby league and motocross. Carisbrook also hosted a Joe Cocker concert and frequently hosted pre-game concerts before rugby matches in the 1990s. In 2011 Carisbrook was closed, and was replaced as a rugby ground by Forsyth Barr Stadium at University Plaza in North Dunedin, and as a cricket ground by University Oval in Logan Park.

The grounds final regular capacity was around 30,000, but has hosted crowds as high as 42,000 in the past with temporary seating.Until 1998 the sides of the Caversham bypass motorway allowed a free view of the ground and was known as the "Scotsmans Grandstand". Occasionally trains would slow to a crawl or stop on the track above the stadium, allowing passengers to watch an entire event. In 1998 a new stand and corporate boxes were built that blocked the view.

FACTS

STATS - TEST

6) McLean Park, Napier

Rugby and Cricket are the two major sports events held at Napiers McLean Park. Established in 1911, the stadium was built on the 10 acres of land donated by Sir Douglas in memory of his father, Sir Donald McLean, who was a local politician and a government official. Sir Donald McLean Park was the official name of the ground, before it took its current name, McLean Park. It is a square dimensional ground, covered by four stands and a huge grass bank behind the sightscreen at one end.

Located in Hawkes Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island, Napier is one of New Zealands driest cities, because of which the square at McLean Park doesnt have the spice that other grounds in the country have. The pitch here is regarded as batting-friendly and it is generally considered to be a very good wicket for limited-overs cricket. In fact, it is one of the worlds highest-scoring grounds at present.

A Test match between hosts New Zealand and Pakistan in 1979 was the first international cricket match to be played at this venue. Since then, the BlackCaps have featured in 9 Test matches, winning one, drawing six, and losing two. Quite clearly, not a happy hunting ground for the hosts in the longest format of the game.

Four years later, New Zealand and Sri Lanka locked horns with each other to open McLean Parks ODI account on March 19, 1983. Although enjoying a good run at the start, as years went by, oppositions found ways to tackle New Zealands strategies at this ground and the BlackCaps have suffered quite a few setbacks in the last 10 years.

FACTS

STATS - TEST

STATS - ODI

STATS - T20

7) Hagley Oval, Christchurch

Christchurch waited almost three years since 2011 for international cricket to return to the city. Most parts of the city were severely damaged by the earthquake in February 2011, including Lancaster Park, previously the venue for international cricket in Christchurch. The last game played here was an ODI that involved New Zealand and Pakistan. Later in 2013, Canterbury Cricket got the approval from the Environment Court to develop Hagley Oval as an international venue.

Hagley Oval is situated in the central city of Christchurch. The first time the Plunket Shield, New Zealands domestic first-class cricket tournament, was played here was in 1907. It is the home ground of Canterbury who have been playing here since 1979. The venue has hosted three Womens Test matches and six Womens ODIs. Apart from that, two World Cup qualifier games were held here in January 2014. Scotland played both the matches, one against Kenya and the other against Canada.

The venue made its Test debut on Boxing Day 2014, when New Zealand and Sri Lanka locked horns to kick-off the 2-Test series. It is also the ground which will launch the 2015 World Cup, again involving New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

FACTS

STATS - TEST

STATS - ODI

STATS - T20

8) Queenstown Events Centre, Queenstown

Opened in 1997, the venue is located on Queenstown Lakes District Council–owned land and is a multi-purpose indoor and outdoor venue. The Stadium has a capacity of 19,000 spectators with 6,000 permanent seating and normally 13,000 temporary called in.

Regarded as one of the most spectacular international cricket venues in the world, the ground is located between the foot of the Remarkables and the shores of Lake Wakatipu with Queenstown International Airports Runway threshold nearby affording amazing views of large aircraft taking off and landing. The venue hosts regular international cricket matches, Highlanders rugby games, trade shows, exhibitions, seminars and concerts. It is also a "home ground" for Otago Cricket.

On 1 January 2014, at the Queenstown Events Centre New Zealand Black Caps Corey Anderson broke Shahid Afridis 17-year-old record of the fastest One Day International (ODI) hundred by one ball, scoring his in 36 balls. He eventually ended with an unbeaten 131 that featured 14 sixes and 6 fours Along with Jesse Ryder, he helped New Zealand set the team record for the most sixes in an ODI innings.

FACTS

STATS - ODI

9) Owen Delany Park, Taupo

The park is named for Owen Delany, who was a major figure in the Taupo sporting scene from 1953, when he formed the United Wanderers Cricket Club. In 1954 he reformed the Taupo Rugby Football club. The Taupo council named the new sports ground Owen Delany Park in recognition of the time and effort Delany had put into the establishment of the park and also his involvement in sport in Taupo over the previous thirty years. Delany attended the first One Day International held at the ground in 1999. In the 1995 Queens Birthday Honours, Owen Delany was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to sport.

The park itself covers several hectares of land on the north-eastern outskirts of Taupo. The main stadium contains a partially covered grandstand with 90 percent of the remaining perimeter formed as a raised grass embankment. The playing surface contains a Rugby field with a cricket pitch in the centre and a grass athletics track forming the boundary. A further two levels of grass surface provide up to five rugby fields and three artificial cricket pitches.

FACTS

STATS - ODI

10) Basin Reserve, Taupo

The Basin Reserve (commonly known as "The Basin") is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand. It has been used for Test matches and is the main home ground for the Wellington Firebirds first-class team. The Basin Reserve is the only cricket ground to have New Zealand Historic Place status (Category II) as it is the oldest test cricket ground in the country.[1] The ground has been used for events other than cricket, such as concerts, sports events, and other social gatherings, but now it is mostly used for cricket, particularly Test matches.

The Basin Reserve is two kilometers south of the Wellington CBD at the foot of Mount Victoria. Government House, St Marks Church School, and the Wellington College boys school are to the south of the Basin, across the street. At the eastern end of the basin is the Mount Victoria Tunnel, which increased the traffic flow around the Basin Reserve when it was built in 1931.

FACTS

STATS - ODI

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