R. Premadasa Stadium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
R. Premadasa Stadium is a cricket stadium situated in Khettarama, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The stadium was prior to June 1994 known as the Khettarama Cricket Stadium and is today home to the Sri Lankan cricket team.
The stadium is the brainchild of the late Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa, who championed the development of this colossal 40,000-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.
The 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 1997/98 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.
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