The Sharjah cricket stadium in the United Arab Emirates has been the stage for many entertaining One Day International clashes and the stadium entered the Guinness Book of World Records during the Pakistan-Sri Lanka 4th ODI for hosting the most number of ODIs.
Sharjah stadium enters Guinness book of records 201 Matches
Constructed in the early 1980's, the Sharjah stadium was a sought after destination for limited overs cricket between 1984 and 2003 and the Pakistan-Sri Lanka match marked the ground's 201st One Dayer.
Vin Sharma, an official of the Guinness book of records, presented a certificate to UAE's minister for higher education and scientific research Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan at the stadium.
Sheikh Nahyan said the achievement made UAE proud. "This is an achievement for Sharjah stadium to get an entry into the world record book," said Sheikh Nahyan, also the chairman of Emirates Cricket Board. "This is something which we are proud of."
Sharjah Cricket Council secretary Mazhar Khan hopes the recognition of the Guinness Book of Records will help Sharjah to stage more cricket. "It is a great achievement and we promise to provide the venue for more and more international cricket."
Apart from the Sharjah cricket ground, there have been only four stadiums which have hosted in excess of 100 One Day Internationals. Two such stadiums are in Australia while Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe also have a ground each which has hosted 100 or more ODIs.
Venues that have hosted most ODIs:
Amongst Asian countries, Sharjah and Premadasa of course top the list of venues that have hosted most number of ODIs. Colombo's SSC, the Gaddafi Stadium at Lahore and the Bangabandhu at Dhaka complete the top five.
Asian venues that have hosted most ODIs:
Sharjah stadium enters Guinness book of records 201 Matches
Constructed in the early 1980's, the Sharjah stadium was a sought after destination for limited overs cricket between 1984 and 2003 and the Pakistan-Sri Lanka match marked the ground's 201st One Dayer.
Vin Sharma, an official of the Guinness book of records, presented a certificate to UAE's minister for higher education and scientific research Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan at the stadium.
Sheikh Nahyan said the achievement made UAE proud. "This is an achievement for Sharjah stadium to get an entry into the world record book," said Sheikh Nahyan, also the chairman of Emirates Cricket Board. "This is something which we are proud of."
Sharjah Cricket Council secretary Mazhar Khan hopes the recognition of the Guinness Book of Records will help Sharjah to stage more cricket. "It is a great achievement and we promise to provide the venue for more and more international cricket."
Apart from the Sharjah cricket ground, there have been only four stadiums which have hosted in excess of 100 One Day Internationals. Two such stadiums are in Australia while Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe also have a ground each which has hosted 100 or more ODIs.
Venues that have hosted most ODIs:
| Ground | Country | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Sharjah Cricket Stadium | UAE | 201 |
| Sydney Cricket Ground | Australia | 138 |
| Melbourne Cricket Ground | Australia | 132 |
| R.Premadasa Stadium, Khettarama, Colombo | Sri Lanka | 103 |
| Harare Sports Club | Zimbabwe | 101 |
| Adelaide Oval | Australia | 71 |
| Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane | Australia | 67 |
| W.A.C.A. Ground, Perth | Australia | 66 |
| Eden Park, Auckland | New Zealand | 63 |
| Gymkhana Club Ground, Nairobi | Kenya | 62 |
Amongst Asian countries, Sharjah and Premadasa of course top the list of venues that have hosted most number of ODIs. Colombo's SSC, the Gaddafi Stadium at Lahore and the Bangabandhu at Dhaka complete the top five.
Asian venues that have hosted most ODIs:
| Venue | Country | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Sharjah Cricket Stadium | UAE | 201 |
| R.Premadasa Stadium, Khettarama, Colombo | Sri Lanka | 103 |
| Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo | Sri Lanka | 59 |
| Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore | Pakistan | 58 |
| Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka | Bangladesh | 58 |
| Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka | Bangladesh | 53 |
| National Stadium, Karachi | Pakistan | 46 |
| Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium | Sri Lanka | 43 |
| Eden Gardens, Kolkata | India | 26 |
| M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore | India | 23 |
