The Bristol County Cricket Ground (also known as Nevil Road), known for sponsorship reasons as the Brightside Ground, is a senior Cricket ground in Bristol, England. It is in the district of Ashley Down. The ground is home to the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. Established in 1889, the ground can hold a maximum of 17,500 for the international matches. The ground is sometimes also referred to as “the Fry's Ground”.
History:
Initially known as “Ashley Down Ground”, it was bought in 1889 by W. G. Grace and has been home to Gloucestershire ever since. It was sold to local confectionery firm J. S. Fry and sons, who renamed it as the “Fry's Ground”. The club bought the club again in 1933 and it reverted to its original name. It was sold again in 1976, this time to Royal and Sun Alliance who renamed the ground as Phoenix County Ground before changing it to the Royal and Sun Alliance County Ground until the ground was again bought by the club and took up its current title. The ground usually hosts one international ODI match every year with temporary seatings thus increasing the ground’s capacity.
Ground:
The ground had long boundaries as compared to other county cricket clubs and one just gets an essence of the old times going into this ground. Floodlights were installed back in 2016 and thus the ground was able to get some world cup matches to its name. Even after all the advancements to this place, it is not yet thought ideal as a proper test match pitch. The two end names are Pavilion End and Ashley Down End Road. The ground now acts as a general sports center, with squash and tennis courts, and in winter the turf acts as the target for a golf driving range.
Profile:
The venue is not beautiful but is stepped in cricket history, from the moment spectators enter via the Grace Gates, the roles that legends such as Gilbert Jessop and Wally Hammond have played is unmistakable. The ground is full of character, fringed by trees, with a solid Edwardian Pavilion. The pitch is good and usually favors spinners more than seamers. It will be the home of three matches of the upcoming world cup.
Records:
One-Day Internationals: In the One-Day internationals played at this particular venue, the highest team total is 369 runs scored by England against West Indies on 24 September 2017. The first match was played between New Zealand and Sri Lanka on 13 June 1983. The highest run-getters are Sachin Tendulkar (352 runs), Rahul Dravid (209 runs) and Joe Root (187 runs). The highest wicket takers are Andrew Flintoff (10 wickets), Liam Plunkett (9 wickets) and Adil Rashid (8 wickets). The last match was played between England and Pakistan on 14 May 2019.
T20 internationals: The first T20 match played at the Bristol County Cricket Ground was between England and Pakistan on 28 August 2006. The highest team total is 201 runs scored by India against England on 8 July 2018. The highest run-getters are Rohit Sharma (100 runs), Mahela Jayawardene (72 runs) and Jason Roy (67 runs). The highest wicket-takers are Hardik Pandya (4 wickets), Abdul Razzaq (3 wickets), and Lasith Malinga (2 wickets). The last match was played between England and India on 8 July 2018.
Fixtures:
Here is the list of fixtures for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 that are ought to be played at the Bristol County Cricket Ground, Bristol:
Team 1 | Team 2 | Date | Time (IST) |
Afghanistan | Australia | 01 June 2019 | 18:00 |
Pakistan | Sri Lanka | 07 June 2019 | 15:00 |
Bangladesh | Sri Lanka | 11 June 2019 | 15:00 |
