Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
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Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium Dambulla Sri Lanka
Floodlights Yes
End names Press Box End, Scoreboard End
Home team Sri Lanka
Statistics
First ODI Sri Lanka v England - Mar 23, 2001
Profile
Dambulla International Cricket Stadium is the newest cricket venue in Sri Lanka. The Stadium is situated in the North Central Province, close to Dambulla, an agricultural trading town also famous for its ancient UNESCO protected Buddhist Cave Temples which date back to 85 B.C. Built in a stunning location, looking out over the Dambulla Tank (reservoir) and the Dambulla Rock, the 30,000-seater stadium was constructed in just 167 days with the inaugural one-day international match being played between Sri Lanka and England in March 2000. Was later starved of international cricket after complications with the lease - the 60-acre site was leased from the Rangiri Dambulla Temple - and the contractors. Situated in the dry zone, the original rationale behind the project - which was funded by the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCSL) and championed by the then BCCSL President, Thilanga Sumathipala - was that it provided Sri Lanka with the potential to host one-day matches throughout the year. International cricket finally returned in May 2003, the venue staging all seven matches of the tournament because of monsoon rains in the south. The pitch is still bowler friendly - for the seamers in the morning because of the high water table and heavy sweating and in the afternoon for the spinners when the pitch can crumble. Floodlights were installed in 2003. "By Malik Ahmed Sher Awan"
