The R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium (RPS) ( si, ආර්. ප්‍රේමදාස ක්‍රීඩාංගනය, ta, ஆர். பிரேமதாச அரங்கம்; also known as Khettarama Stadium, Ranasinghe Premadasa Stadium or simply as the Premadasa Stadium) is a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

stadium on Khettarama Road,

Maligawatta Maligawatta is a suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Maligawatta is located approximately 3 kilometres north-east from the centre of Colombo, Colombo Fort. The name Maligawatta is from the Sinhalese language which translates into ''garden of the palace'' ...

, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The stadium was, before June 1994, known as the Khettarama Cricket Stadium and is today one of the main venues where the

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

n cricket team play, having hosted more than 100 one day international matches. It is the largest stadium in Sri Lanka with a capacity of 35,000 spectators. It has hosted the

2012 ICC World Twenty20 The 2012 ICC World Twenty20 was the fourth ICC World Twenty20 competition, an international Twenty20 cricket tournament that took place in Sri Lanka from 18 September to 7 October 2012 which was won by the West Indies. The schedule has been pos ...

final between

and West Indies; the

2002 ICC Champions Trophy The 2002 ICC Champions Trophy was a cricket tournament that was held in Sri Lanka in 2002. It was the third edition of the ICC Champions Trophy – the first two having been known as the ICC Knock Out Tournaments. The tournament was due to be h ...

final between Sri Lanka and India and first semi final of the

2011 ICC Cricket World Cup The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and for the first time in Bangladesh. India won the tournament, defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, thus ...

between Sri Lanka and New Zealand. This was where the highest Test score in the history was recorded; 952 by Sri Lanka against India. With capacity exceeding

Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...

in England, the stadium is known as the "home of Sri Lankan cricket".

History

Early history

The stadium is the brainchild of the late

n president

Ranasinghe Premadasa Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa ( si, රණසිංහ ප්‍රේමදාස ''Raṇasiṃha Premadāsa'', ta, ரணசிங்க பிரேமதாசா ''Raṇaciṅka Pirēmatācā''; 23 June 1924 – 1 May 1993) was t ...

, who championed the development of this 40,000-seater concrete bowl, the biggest stadium in Sri Lanka. Opened on 2 February 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 it.

Ground history

The inaugural One Day International was played on 9 March 1986, Sri Lanka v Pakistan. On 28 August 1992 it hosted its inaugural Test match between Sri Lanka and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The venue is best remembered for holding the world record for the highest Test total – 952/6 declared by Sri Lanka against India in 1997/1998 in which former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya scored 340 and Roshan Mahanama 225, the pair sharing a partnership 576 for the second wicket, at that time it was the highest for any wicket in a Test Match. On 10 February 2009 it hosted inaugural T20i match between Sri Lanka & India as well as 1st T20i to be played in Sri Lanka. 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.

Renovation

The Premadasa Stadium underwent a reconstruction project in preparation for the

2011 Cricket World Cup The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and for the first time in Bangladesh. India won the tournament, defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, thus ...

. The stadium has been undergoing large-scale renovations since 2009. It has had its seating capacity increase from 14,000 to 40,000, the media-box accommodating 200 journalists, and other upgrades. The renovations have cost

Sri Lanka Cricket Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is the governing body for cricket in Sri Lanka. It was first registered with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Sports (Sri Lanka), Ministry of Sports as the Board of Cricket for Sri Lanka (BCCSL) on 30 June 1975 as a national spo ...

$8 million. In July 2010, a report filed by the ICC pitch consultant, Andy Atkinson, raised concerns over the condition of the outfield and the pitch claiming he was worried at the slow pace of progress. Although none of the buildings at the stadium were near completion, the 2nd Test of the West Indies tour of Sri Lanka in 2010, was held at the venue in 23–27 November. Sri Lanka Cricket defended choosing the stadium saying that the decision to stage a game was to allow cricketers to acclimatize themselves to the ground ahead of the World Cup games. The Test match was staged using temporary seating for spectators in a corner of the stadium as only players' pavilions had permanent arrangements. Since the press box was not completed reporters and commentators facing technical difficulties used a makeshift arrangement. File:Block B, RPS Colombo.jpg, Renovated Pavilion B File:RPS, Colombo.jpg The main four public stands were refurbished along with the player dressing room area and the corporate boxes. A VIP car park is in the northern end of the ground.

Stadium plan

File:Floodlighted RPS International Cricket Stadium.jpg File:Block A, RPS Colombo.jpg Pavilions A and B are fully equipped with seating in two tiers, lower and higher. Several corporate boxes are built in these two stands. Pavilions C and D are built between the scoreboard in the stadium with a two-tiered seating system. The lower tiers have concrete paving allocated for floor seating and the upper tier includes fully standard seating blocks. The grandstand and top level block above the player pavilions have enhanced quality seating. Pavilions A and B give a moderate view of the scoreboard while the grandstand not only gives good view of the scoreboard but also the game and pitch

After renovation

The R Premadasa Stadium hosted seven successful World Cup matches including a quarter-final and a semi-final. On 10 May 2011

secretary Nishantha Ranatunga confirmed that first edition of

2011 Sri Lanka Premier League The 2011 Sri Lanka Premier League was a postponed Twenty20 cricket league. It was scheduled as the first edition of the new Twenty20 domestic cricket competition in Sri Lanka, from 19 July to 4 August. It was postponed until 2012, which was held ...

's matches would play at R Premadasa Stadium. The tournament was later postponed till 2012 due to financial complications and internal regime change at Sri Lanka Cricket. On 21 September 2011, it was announced that the stadium will host fifteen

matches, including semi-finals and the final.

Ground figures

International Matches

Key

* P Matches Played * H Matches Won by Home Side * T Matches Won by Touring Side * N Matches Won by Neutral Side *D/N/T Matches Drawn/No Result/Tied

Test cricket

*The highest Test total of all time was recorded at the R Premadasa Stadium is 952/6 declared by Sri Lanka against India in 1997. *The lowest Test total is 87 by Bangladesh against Sri Lanka in 2005. * Sanath Jayasuriya scored 340 against India in 1997. This remains the highest score at R Premadasa stadium. * The 36 wickets captured by Muttiah Muralitharan remains the most number of wickets at the R Premadasa stadium. * The best bowling figures in an innings is 7/89 by Rangana Herath against Bangladesh in the 2012/13 season. * Muttiah Muralitharan's 9/60 remains the best bowling figures in a match.

One Day Internationals

*The highest ODI total is 375/5 by India against Sri Lanka on 31 August 2017. * Sanath Jayasuriya has scored 2514 runs and is the highest by a single player at the Premadasa stadium and he held the record for being the highest runs scored in a single cricket ground till January 2018 before Tamim Iqbal take over it. Marvan Atapattu, Aravinda de Silva, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Sachin Tendulkar has scored more than 1000 runs. * Muttiah Muralitharan with 75 scalps has captured the most number of wickets at the Premadasa stadium. *The highest individual score at R Premadasa stadium is 169 by Kumar Sangakkara against South Africa in the 2013 season. *R Premedasa stadium became the first in Sri Lanka and fourth in the world to reach 100 ODIs hosted stadium. * Lasith Malinga has taken two ODI hat-tricks at this stadium. The first came against Kenya in the 2011 World Cup and the second versus Australia on 22 August 2011

Twenty20 Internationals

*First match played on 10 February 2009 involving Sri Lanka and India *Highest team total at the R Premadasa Stadium is 215/5 by Bangladesh against

. *The lowest total is 80 by Afghanistan against England on 21 September 2012. *Sri Lanka has lost 9 of 10 match played in this ground, which is the worst home ground for Sri Lanka.

World Cup Cricket

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and

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

ICC cricket world cups R. Premadasa Stadium hosted nine matches including a quarter-final match and a semi-final match. It has hosted the highest number of cricket world cup matches in

1996 Cricket World Cup

----

2011 Cricket World Cup

;Group matches ;Quarter-finals ;Semi-finals

ICC Champions Trophy Cricket

The

was held in

. Nine matches were played in R. Premadasa Stadium including semi-finals and the final. Other matches were played in SSC.

2002 ICC Champions Trophy

;Group matches ;Semi-finals ;Final

ICC World Twenty20

hosted the

. Fifteen out of twenty-seven matches were played at R. Premadasa stadium, including semi-finals and the final. Other matches were played in Pallekele International Cricket Stadium and Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium.

2012 ICC World Twenty20

;Group matches ;Super 8s ;Semi-finals ;Final

Gallery

File:R_Premadasa_Stadium.jpg, At night, with the lights on (before redevelopment) File:Block C, D of RPS Colombo.jpg, Pavilion C and D, August 2011 File:Floodlights at RPS, Colombo.jpg, Floodlights at the RPS, Colombo File:Sri Lanka vs Australia cricket game in Colombo.jpg, Australia took on Sri Lanka in two ODIs, August 2011 File:Ground Staff pull the on the covers to protect the ground, August 2011.jpg, Premadasa Stadium being fully covered due to rain File:SL v Aus interrupted by rain.jpg, Ground fully masked by covers, August 2011

References

External links

Cricinfo profile on R. Premadasa Stadium
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Final Venue , before = Kensington Oval , after = Sher-e-Bangla , years =

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{{End {{Cricket in Sri Lanka {{Test Cricket Grounds of Sri Lanka {{2012 World Twenty20 Stadiums, state=collapsed {{Colombo , state=collapsed Cricket grounds in Colombo Test cricket grounds in Sri Lanka 1986 establishments in Sri Lanka 1996 Cricket World Cup stadiums 2011 Cricket World Cup stadiums