Pallekele to host India – Pakistan Asia Cup match on Sept. 2
Kandy is awaiting the cricket clash between Pakistan and India on September 2nd in Kandy at the Pallekele Stadium. Two days after, India will play Nepal in their second group stage game on September 4th, also at the same venue. Pakistan are grouped with India and Nepal in Group A while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are in Group B. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Four stage with the top two teams in this phase advancing to the final. The Asia Cup will be played in the 50-overs format this time. It is essentially a preparation run for five of the six teams. But on a sad note there are no tickets for Kandy’s cricket lovers for the game. The tickets have all been sold out at a high rate.
Today the Pallekele Cricket stadium stands tall because former minister of sports Lakshman Kiriella took the initiative in 2000 and turned a block of land into this wonderful cricket facility. The levelling, grading, making the turf wicket and its periphery were handled by professionals. This venue is now one of the most picturesque cricket venues in this country. It is located in the centre of the Dumbara Valley surrounding the hills of Hunasgiriya, Nuckles Range and the Hantane Mountain. This stadium was built for the Cricket World Cup.
This stadium became the 104th Test venue in the World and the first Test match was played between West Indies and Sri Lanka; however the match was washed out due to rain. This sports facility also serves as the country’s eighth test cricket venue. The stadium is located within a half and hour drive from the Kandy City. The length of the Pallkelle stadium is 243 metres, the width is 189 metres, the height 22 metres, the radius of the stadium from the boundary line is 100 meters, the length of the pitch is 90 metres and the width of the pitch is ten metres. The outfield of the ground is covered with Australian bermuda grass and the Infield of the ground is covered with lush Blue Grass.
When Kiriella was the Minster of Tourism and Sports, the first discussion regarding the stadium was chaired by him on 19th December 2000 at the Tourism Ministry premises. Officials of the BOI and Sri Lanka Cricket were present for discussions regarding the venue at Pallekele to be prepared for cricket. The facility included a high Tech International Training Centre. The Minister requested the BOI and Sri Lanka Cricket to make Pallekele an eco-friendly stadium in keeping with the panoramic beauty of the Dumabara Valley. It was Kiriella who requested the BOI chairman to release this land for an international Cricket Ground. A very big hand should go to the Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket D S de Silva to co-ordinate and complete the stadium and meet the deadline and facilitate the ICC inspection teams. He ensured that all aspect of getting the job done were handled well.
This stadium is one of the best in Kandy. At a Central Provincial Council meeting held in 2010, it was unanimously decided to rename this stadium as “Muthiah Muralitharan Cricket Stadium” so as to pay a tribute and honour to the legendary World’s highest wicket taker in Test Cricket. The Pallekele stadium is now fully owned by Sri Lanka Cricket and the facility now displaces cricket’s earlier venue in Kandy; the Asgiriya Stadium which hosted both Test and One day Internationals from 1983 to 2007. This stadium was built by the State Engineering Corporation and is designed along on the lines of Super Sport Park in Centurion, South Africa.
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