R. Premadasa Stadium

Ground information Location :Maligawatta, Colombo C Establishment: 1986 Capacity 35,000 Owner: Sri Lanka Cricket Tenants Sri Lanka Cricket End names: Khettarama End Scoreboard End

History R. Premadasa Stadium (also known as Ranasinghe Premadasa Stadium) is a cricket stadium situated on Khettarama Road, Maligawatta, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The stadium was, prior to June 1994, known as the Khettarama Cricket Stadium and is today one of the main venues in which the Sri Lankan cricket team play. The stadium is the brainchild of the late Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa, who championed the development of this 35,000-seater concrete bowl, the biggest stadium in Sri Lanka. Opened on February 2, 1986 with a match between a Sri Lanka 'B' side and an England 'B' team, the stadium was built on swampland previously used by monks ferrying across to the Khettarama temple adjacent to the stadium. he inaugural One Day International was played on April 5, 1986 between Sri Lanka and New Zealand. On August 28, 1992 it hosted its inaugural Test match between Sri Lanka and Australia. The venue is best remembered for holding the world record for the highest Test total - 952/6 declared by Sri Lanka against India in 1997/1998 in which former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya scored 340 and Roshan Mahanama 225, the pair sharing the highest partnership for any wicket in Test cricket with 576 for the second wicket. Since that record-breaking match, it has hosted just one Test against New Zealand. Invariably flat, the pitches are slow in pace and low in bounce. A new training center has been developed behind the stadium with 16 practice pitches and dormitories for the Sony Max Cricket Academy which started in 2003. Renovation The Premadasa Stadium is currently undergoing a reconstruction project in preparation for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. In July 2010, a report filed by the ICC pitch consultant, Andy Atkinson raised concerns over the condition of the outfield and the pitch claiming he was worried at the slow pace of progress[Although none of the buildings at the stadium were near completion, the 2nd Test of the West Indies tour of Sri Lanka in 2010, was held at the venue between 23-27 November. Sri Lanka Cricket defended choosing the stadium saying that the decision to stage a game was to allow cricketers to acclimatize themselves to the ground ahead of the World Cup games. The Test match was staged using temporary seating for spectators in a corner of the stadium as only players' pavilions had permanent arrangements. Since the press box was not completed reporters and commentators facing technical difficulties used a makeshift arrangement. Test cricket The highest Test total at the R Premadasa Stadium is 952/6 declared by Sri Lanka against India in 1997. The lowest Test total is 86 by Bangladesh against Sri Lanka in 2005. Sanath Jayasuriya scored 340 against India in 1997. This remains the highest score at R Premadasa stadium. The 36 wickets captured by Muttiah Muralitharan remains the most number of wickets at the R Premadasa stadium. The best bowling figures in an innings is 6/18 by Muttiah Muralitharan against Bangladesh in the 2005/06 season. Muttiah Muralitharan's 9/60 remains the best bowling figures in a match. One Day Internationals The highest ODI total is 363/5 by India against Sri Lanka on February 03, 2009. Sanath Jayasuriya has scored 2514 runs and is the highest by a single player at the Premadasa stadium. Marvan Atapattu, Aravinda de Silva, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Sachin Tendulkar has scored more than 1000 runs. Muttiah Muralitharan with 69 scalps has captured the most number of wickets at the Premadasa stadium. The highest individual score at R Premadasa stadium is 150 by Gautam Gambhir against Sri Lanka in the 2008-2009 seasons.