Key stats for Australia’s T20 World Cup venues | cricket.com.au

by Admin
May 1, 2024

Take a look at what to expect from each ground the Aussies will visit during their 2024 men’s T20 World Cup campaign

Australia will play at least four matches (and up to nine should they reach the final) at up to six different stadiums across the Caribbean in the 2024 men’s T20 World Cup.

They begin their campaign in the familiar surrounds of Barbados for their first two matches where Australia won the 2007 ODI World Cup final and lost the T20 version in 2010.

Australia have only played T20 internationals at two venues in the Caribbean – Kensington Oval in Barbados and Daren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia – meaning the four other grounds will be completely foreign in the shortest format.

Bridgetown, Barbados

Fixtures

10th match: Australia v Oman, 8.30pm, June 5 (10.30am, June 6 AEST)
17th match: Australia v England, 1pm, June 8 (3am, June 9 AEST)
Final: 10.30am, June 29 (12.30am, June 30 AEST)

The same venue where Australia were thrashed by England in the T20 World Cup final in 2010 will again host the tournament decider in 2024. Australia have only played one T20I in Barbados since, losing to the West Indies by 14 runs and their win-loss record in the shortest format at the iconic coastal venue is 2-4.

Spin has traditionally played a role at Kensington Oval, including the Aussies’ victory over Sri Lanka in the 2007 ODI World Cup final when Brad Hogg, Michael Clarke and Andrew Symonds shared four wickets between them. England leg-spinners Rehan Ahmed and Adil Rashid also took five of the six West Indies wickets to fall in the last T20I at the venue in December 2023, but the visitors lost that match after being bowled out for 171 batting first.

North Sound, Antigua

Fixtures

24th match: Australia v Namibia, 8.30pm, June 11 (10.30am, June 12 AEST)
44th match: Super Eight (if qualified) v TBC (D2), 8.30pm, June 20 (10.30am, June 21 AEST)

Australia have never played a T20 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, which was built for the 2007 ODI World Cup. Their last match at the Antiguan venue was the drawn second Test in 2008, while they also played three matches there during the 50-over showpiece a year prior, winning all three by huge margins as they went undefeated to lift the trophy for a third consecutive time.

The last T20 internationals in North Sound were in 2021 during the American regional qualifiers for the 2022 T20 World Cup, and the West Indies last played a T20 there in 2013. Argentinian medium pacer Hernan Fennell was the leading wicket-taker during that tournament, while left-arm quick Sheldon Cottrell was the Antigua Hawksbills’ leading bowler during their two seasons in the CPL in 2013 and 2014. It’s currently the most economical pitch for fast bowlers in T20Is of all the venues Australia is scheduled to play at during the World Cup.

Gros Islet, St Lucia

Fixtures

35th match: Australia v Scotland, 8.30pm, June 15 (10.30am, June 16 AEST)
51st match: Super Eight (if qualified) v TBC (A1), 10.30am, June 24 (12.30am, June 25 AEST)

The Daren Sammy Stadium in Gros Islet is the Caribbean venue where Australian teams have the most T20 experience, playing nine matches there stretching back to the 2010 World Cup. But it hasn’t necessarily been a happy experience for Australia, with five of those matches coming during the Covid-bubble tour of 2021 where they lost the series 4-1, which were also the last T20 internationals played at the venue.

New T20 skipper Mitch Marsh led the charge for Australia during the series played exclusively at the stadium, finishing with the most runs, wickets and best economy rate for the visitors. It was the start of a golden run for Marsh in the Aussie side, who was named player of the final in the nation’s maiden men’s T20 World Cup triumph later that year.

Kingstown, St Vincent

Fixtures

48th match: Super Eight (if qualified) v TBC (C1), 8.30pm, June 22 (10.30am, June 23 AEST)

While nothing in T20 cricket can be considered a certainty, Australia will play at the Arnos Vale Ground if they qualify for the Super Eight stage, with their likely opponent trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand if they also reach the second round. The match would be Australia’s first T20 at the picturesque beach side venue that is also situated next to an airstrip.

Only two T20 internationals have been played at the ground – back-to-back clashes across two days between West Indies and Pakistan in 2013. Spin looks to be the way to go, with almost two-thirds of the wickets in that series taken by the slower bowlers, who also conceded close to two runs per over less. Australia’s most recent appearance in Kingstown was for three ODIs in 2012 where left-arm finger spinner Xavier Doherty led the attack with seven wickets.

Tarouba, Trinidad

Fixtures

First semi-final: 8.30pm, June 26 (10.30am, June 27 AEST)

The Brian Lara Stadium will host the first semi-final and it’s another venue Australia have no experience on, with the Tarouba facility only constructed in 2017. While the stadium hosted the Caribbean Premier League final that year, it didn’t host a T20 international until July 2022.

In keeping with the name the stadium bears, it is the most batter friendly of all the venues Australia could play at during the World Cup with an average first innings score of 185. England smashed the second highest T20I total (3-267) by a Test playing nation there last December.

Providence, Guyana

Fixtures

Second semi-final: 10.30am, June 27 (12.30am, June 28 AEST)

While Australia have never played there, Providence Stadium has hosted the second half of the past two CPL seasons, including all finals. Similar to T20 internationals played at the venue, the wickets in the CPL have been split pretty evenly between pace (266) and spin (257) over the past 10 years with South African leggie Imran Tahir the leading bowler there with 34 scalps in 22 matches.