The Kensington Oval is located in Bridgetown, Barbados. It is one of the most impressive cricket grounds in the Caribbean and the world. It was established in 1882, but it evolved into a modern stadium. It is known for its rich history, picturesque setting, and passionate cricket fans. Even after evolving, it holds the historical charm, which makes it unique. The Kensington Oval is the home ground for the Barbados national cricket team and the Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
- Another name: Pickwick Cricket Club
- Established: 1882
- Capacity: 28,000
- End Names: Malcolm Marshall End, Joel Garner End
- Flood Lights: Yes, 2009
- Pitch: GrassÂ
Advertisements
The Kensington Oval Ground Overview
The Kensington Oval is known for its excellent facilities and the quality of its playing surface. Let’s check out its characteristics-
- Location: The Kensington Oval stadium is located in Fontabelle, a suburb of Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados. It is the centre of the location, which is easily accessible for the local and international visitors.
- Seating Capacity: The stadium has a capacity of around 28,000 spectators. Hence, it is one of the largest cricket stadiums in the Caribbean. It has covered as well as open seating for cricket lovers to enjoy the match as they want.
- Facilities: The Oval stadium has evolved. So, it holds modern amenities, including VIP boxes, media centres, and hospitality suites. In addition, it has a better image system, ensuring that play can resume quickly after rain interruptions.
- Ground Pitch: The pitch at Kensington Oval is known as ideal for batsmen and bowlers. It is most favourable for the fast bowlers as well to record high scores. In addition, the outfield is lush and well-maintained which makes it a premier cricketing venue for national and international matches
The Kensington Oval Record Stats
The Kensington Oval Stadium organised all format matches like TEST, ODI, T20, etc.
Advertisements
STATS – TEST
- Total Matches: 55
- Matches won batting first: 17
- Matches won bowling first: 20
- Average 1st innings Score: 333
- Average 2nd innings Score: 337
- Average 3rd innings Score: 259
- Average 4th innings Score: 148
- Highest total recorded: 749/9 (194.4 Ovs) By WI vs ENG
- Lowest total recorded: 77/10 (30.2 Ovs) By ENG vs WI
- Highest score chased: 311/9 (120.1 Ovs) By WI vs AUS
- Lowest score defended: 81/10 (35.5 Ovs) By IND vs WI
STATS – ODI
- Total Matches: 52
- Matches won batting first: 22
- Matches won bowling first: 28
- Average 1st innings Score: 226
- Average 2nd innings Score: 197
- Highest total recorded: 364/4 (48.4 Ovs) By ENG vs WI
- Lowest total recorded: 91/10 (30 Ovs) By IRE vs AUS
- Highest score chased: 364/4 (48.4 Ovs) By ENG vs WI
- Lowest score defended: 197/8 (50 Ovs) By PAK vs WI
STATS – T20
- Total Matches: 42
- Matches won batting first: 28
- Matches won bowling first: 13
- Average 1st innings Score: 138
- Average 2nd innings Score: 124
- Highest total recorded: 224/5 (20 Ovs) By WI vs ENG
- Lowest total recorded: 43/10 (16.2 Ovs) By WIW vs ENGW
- Highest score chased: 172/6 (18.1 Ovs) By WI vs ENG
- Lowest score defended: 106/8 (20 Ovs) By AUSW vs NZW
The Kensington Oval Iconic Moments
The Kensington Oval witnessed many iconic moments from the national and international matches. Here is some of the iconic moment which is alive in the cricket lover’s hearts-
- First Test Match at Kensington Oval (1930): The inaugural Test match at Kensington Oval was held from January 11 to 16, 1930. This is a test match between the West Indies and England. West Indies won the first-ever Test match at the ground of The Kensington Oval. Clifford Roach’s century in the first innings is the reason for West Indies’ historic win.
- Sir Garfield Sobers’ Historic Innings (1966): On January 31, 1966, Sir Garfield Sobers created an unforgettable innings against England at Kensington Oval. He is an all-rounder cricketer and scored 163 runs which is unbeatable by the opponent team. His performance is the finest display of batting at the Oval.
- The Tied Test Match (1999): One of the unforgettable moments occurred during the 1998-1999 series between the West Indies and Australia. This was the third Test match and it ended in the tie. Brian Lara’s unbeaten 153 runs against Australia, lead to the West Indies’s thrilling one-wicket victory.
- 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup Final: The Kensington Oval was the proud host of the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup Final. This final match was held on April 28, 2007, in which Australia defeated Sri Lanka to win their third consecutive World Cup title. The man of the match is Adam Gilchrist who scored an explosive 149 off 104 balls.
- Sir Vivian Richards Stunning performance: In 1984, Sir Vivian Richards’ innings of 189 runs against England was his stunning performance at the ground of Kensington Oval. Richards’ innings are often remembered as one of the finest displays of batting in ODI cricket.
- Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Highlights: The Kensington Oval Stadium is a key venue for the Caribbean Premier League. There are many thrilling performances and high drama happening at the stadium during the CPL.
- Historic Test Match Victories: Kensington Oval hosted many TEst matches and witnessed victories for the West Indies Test. West Indies’ win against England in 1994, where Brian Lara scored a world-record 375, which was the highest individual score in Test cricket at the time.