New Zealand’s matches against England and Bangladesh will be the 20th and 21st ODIs to be played there since it became an international venue in 1999 when New Zealand first played there during the Cricket World Cup, beating Australia.
New Zealand’s match against England, a repeat of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 fixture which England won, will see them play in Cardiff for the fifth time. They have won on three occasions, including their match against Sri Lanka in the tournament in 2013. With two back to back matches at the ground during the tournament, they will be looking to make it a temporary home.
As Cardiff Wales Stadium (Sophia Gardens) celebrates its 50th year as a cricket venue and home to Glamorgan CCC, preparations are underway to host four matches in this summer’s ICC Champions Trophy.
CARDIFF’S ODI RECORDS
India were the first international side to play at the ground when they played Glamorgan in 1967 as the opening fixture and they have been the dominant ODI international side there ever since. They currently hold the following records:
Highest ODI score (team): 331/7 scored against South Africa during ICC Champions Trophy 2013
Highest ODI score (individual): 114 scored by Shikhar Dhawan (India) during ICC Champions Trophy 2013
Most cumulative ODI runs scored (individual): 196 scored by Virat Kohli (India) in four matches between 2011 and 2014
Most ODI wickets: 8 taken by Ravindra Jadeja (India) in four matches between 2011 and 2014
Best ODI bowling figures: 4 for 28 taken by Ravindra Jadeja (India) against England in 2014
Plus three of the four ODI centuries scored at the venue have been by Indian players (Dhawan, Kohli and Raina). Will any of these records tumble during ICC Champions Trophy 2017?
The 19 ODI matches hosted there have seen 7623 runs scored there, so in June New Zealand, England, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan all have the chance to contribute to taking the total over 10,000 runs. Could the milestone come during the Semi Final on Wednesday 14 June? If so, which team will the player be from?
OPPOSITION WATCH – ENGLAND
Their match against New Zealand on Tuesday 6 June in Cardiff will be the second of their ICC Champions Trophy 2017 campaign. They have had mixed fortunes during the previous 10 ODIs they have played in Cardiff, winning five of them. The match looks set to see captain Eoin Morgan play in an ODI there for the 8th time, which is the most for an international player.
After a disappointing series in India, England are currently out in the West Indies for three ODIs, looking to get their preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 back on track. They will then play two ODIs against Ireland and three against South Africa before they get their tournament starts against Bangladesh.
OPPOSITION WATCH – BANGLADESH
Bangladesh’s match against New Zealand on Friday 9 June will only be the second ODI match they have played in Cardiff, with the first coming in 2005 when they beat Australia by five wickets. Mohammed Ashraful scored a century during the match and is one of only four players to have scored ODI 100s in Cardiff. Bangladesh lost the recent Test match against India, the first time the two teams have met on Indian soil. They are currently preparing for their tour of Sri Lanka.
A LOOK BACK AT ICC CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2013
Similar to this year, Cardiff was one of three venues used to host ICC Champions Trophy 2013. Other than one match during the ICC Cricket World Cup 1999, this was the first time the ground was used as part of a major global tournament.
As well as the opening match between India and South Africa, Cardiff hosted three further group matches and the second Semi-Final.
Results:
- India beat South Africa by 26 runs
- New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 1 wicket
- South Africa v West Indies – match tied
- England beat New Zealand by 10 runs
- India beat Sri Lanka by 8 wickets
The five matches saw 2,184 balls bowled and 2,024 runs scored.
331/7 was the highest team total, which was set by India against South Africa
114 was the highest individual score, scored by India’s Shikhar Dhawan (this was one of only three centuries scored during the tournament)
182 was the highest individual cumulative score, scored India’s Shikhar Dhawan (114 against South Africa and 68 against Sri Lanka)
4 was the highest number of wickets in a match, taken by Mitchell McClenaghan and Kyle Mills (New Zealand) and Lasith Malinga
7 was the highest number of cumulative wickets, taken by New Zealand’s Mitchell McClenaghan (4 against Sri Lanka and 3 against England)