Australia and NZ set for Cricket World Cup

The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup gets underway on Saturday and 14 venues across Australia and New Zealand are ready to shine as 14 countries fight for ultimate glory.

The 2015 edition is the 11th Cricket World Cup and is being jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand between February 14 and March 29. 14 teams will play 29 matches with Australia staging 26 games and New Zealand 23. 14 venues are spread evenly between the two countries.

This is the second time the tournament has been held in Australia and New Zealand with the two counties previously hosting it in 1992. As was the case back then, the Melbourne Cricket Ground will again host the Final on March 29.

As with the majority of international tournaments, all Cricket World Cup stadiums are presented “clean” – free of advertising with the exception of LED screens surround the entire arena at ground level featuring the tournament sponsors.

The action gets underway on Saturday with two matches, highlighted by Australia v England at the MCG. Already, over 85,000 tickets have been sold and the ODI ground record of 87,789 set at the 1992 World Cup Final is expected to be broken with around 90,000 fans predicted.

Also on Saturday, New Zealand faces Sri Lanks at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Games at the Adelaide Oval and Seddon Park in Hamilton complete the action on the weekend. Two of the four games are already sold out and just days out from the start of the tournament, over 825,000 tickets have been sold for the 49 matches.

It’s the second major tournament to be held in Australia already in 2015 with a successful AFC Asian Cup football tournament attracting just under 650,000 fans (average 20,303) to five stadiums across the eastern states. Australia will also host the Netball World Cup later in 2015.

Seven Australian venues will host matches:

MELBOURNE CRICKET GROUND
One of the world’s largest and most famous sporting venues, the Melbourne Cricket Ground will host five matches including the joint-opening match of the tournament, a quarter final and the final. The MCG is the largest stadium being used for the tournament with a capacity of 100,024. It previously hosted the World Cup Final in 1992 and was also the main venue for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. More Info >

SYDNEY CRICKET GROUND
The SCG is regarded as one of the finest cricket venues in the world and will host five matches including a quarter and semi final. The 48,000-capacity venue recently underwent a redevelopment with the new Bradman & Noble grandstand replacing the old stand, while the famous members and ladies stands still stand strong, retaining plenty of character. More Info >

ADELAIDE OVAL
The Adelaide Oval recently underwent a huge redevelopment, with the construction of three new grandstands transforming it into a 53,500-capacity stadium. Despite this, the ground remains one of the world’s most beautiful, largely due to the famous hill and historic scoreboard. Situated on the edge of the CBD, the Adelaide Oval will host four matches including a quarter final. More Info >

THE GABBA
Also known as the Brisbane Cricket Ground, the Gabba is the home of Queensland Cricket and has seen significant change since the old days with a complete redevelopment completed in 2005. Now a 42,000-seat stadium, the Gabba hosts three matches during the tournament. More Info >

WACA GROUND
The WACA in Perth is the only Australian cricket-only venue being used and while some media facilities have been upgraded, it hasn’t seen a major redevelopment since 2002 and undoubtable has the poorest facilities of the seven Australian grounds. With a capacity of around 24,500 with the use of temporary seating, the WACA will host three matches. More Info >

BLUNDSTONE ARENA
The only Australian ground to have a naming-rights sponsor, Hobart’s Blundstone Arena will revert to being known as Bellerive Oval for its three matches during the tournament. A new main grandstand was just completed, boosting capacity to around 20,000. More Info >

MANUKA OVAL
Located in Australia’s capital – Canberra, Manuka Oval is the only non-regular Test Match venue and has only recently seen ODI’s and T20’s featuring Australia come to the ground. With a capacity of 13,550, it is the smallest Australian venue and will host three matches. More Info >

 

New Zealand also has seven venues hosting matches:

EDEN PARK
New Zealand’s largest stadium, Eden Park in Auckland was redeveloped in 2010 with a new grandstand boosting capacity to 50,000. It recently hosted the Rugby Union World Cup Final and host four matches during the Cricket World Cup including a semi final. More Info >

WESTPAC STADIUM
The 34,500-capacity Westpac Stadium will be known as the Wellington Regional Stadium during the World Cup and will host four matches including a quarter final. More Info >

MCLEAN PARK
Located in Napier, McLean Park has a capacity of 22,500 and will host three matches during the tournament. More Info >

HAGLEY OVAL
If not for the 2011 earthquakes, matches in Christchurch would have been played at the 43,000-capacity Lancaster Park, however with that venue closed, Hagley Oval has been developed to host first-class matches. A pavilion, temporary seating and hills give it a 20,000-capacity for the tournament where it’ll host three matches including the joint-opening game featuring the Blackcaps. More Info >

SEDDON PARK
Located in Hamilton, Seddon Park has a 12,000-capacity and will host three matches. More Info >

UNIVERSITY OVAL
Dunedin’s University Oval has a capacity of around 6,000 and hosts three matches. More Info >

SAXTON OVAL
Located in Nelson, Saxon Oval is the smallest venue being used in the tournament with a capacity of just 5,000. It’ll also host three matches. More Info >

Visit the Austadiums Cricket World Cup hub for all the fixtures & results, attendances figures and more. Visit the official website at www.icc-cricket.com for further information and match tickets.