The Oval, currently referred to as the Kia Oval, is an international ground in Kennington, in the London borough of Lambeth, in South London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County cricket club since it was opened in 1845. Its significance can be thought of by the fact that it was the first ground in England to host test cricket. The final test match of the English season is generally played here only. Owned by the Duchess of Cornwall, the Oval came about in the 1890s when an Oval road was laid round what we then called a cabbage pitch. When a subsequent market garden failed, the land was opened as a cricket ground in 1845. And the rest as they call it is history.
History:
The Oval is built on the part of the former Kennington Common. Cricket matches were played throughout the early 18th century. The earliest recorded first-class match was the London vs Dartford on 18 June 1724. In 1868, 20,000 spectators gathered at the Oval for the first game of the 1868 Aboriginal Cricket tour of England, the first your of England by any foreign side. In 1880, the Oval became the first ground hostage a test, after Melbourne Cricket ground (MSG). It was in the year 1882 that Australia beat England by seven runs within two days. ‘The Sporting Times’ issued a mocking obituary notice for English cricket, which led to the Ashes Trophy which is still contested whenever England plays Australia.
Ground:
The Oval once held the record for the highest playing area of any test venue in the world. The record has since been surpassed by the Gaddafi stadium in Pakistan. However, the Oval remains the biggest in Great Britain. Although it is a big ground, it has been home to some of the highest scoring encounters over the years. It has been the home to some of the most cricketing actions over the year. But sometimes, the opposite case is also imaginable.
Profile:
This is where it all began. The first test match was played in England between England and Australia in this ground only. It was played on 6-8 September 2019. More interestingly, this was that particular venue where the legend of Ashes was born just two years after the inaugural test. The Oval has witnessed many iconic knocks which includes Don Bradman (244 runs) and Bill Ponsford put on 451 runs for the second wicket. England themselves scored 903/7 as they beat Australia by an innings and 579 runs in 1938. This ground is also popular for Bradman's infamous duck in his farewell innings. The two end names are the Pavilion end and Vauxhall end.
Records:
Tests: In the test, matches played at Kia Oval through the years, the highest team total is that of England who scored 903/7 dec against Australia in the summer of 1938. The first test match was played between England and Australia on 6-8 September 1880. The highest individual scores on this particular ground are Sir Leonard Hutton (364 runs), Hashim Amla (311 runs) and Sir Viv Richards (291 runs). The highest wicket-takers include Sir Ian Botham (52 wickets), Derek Underwood (45 wickets) and James Anderson (44 wickets). The last test match here was between Australia and India from 7-11 September 2018.
One-Day internationals: The Oval hosted its first ODI international back in 1973 and became only the first English stadium to do so. It was played between England and West Indies on 7 September 1973. The highest team total on this particular ground is 398/5 scored by New Zealand in 2015. The run-getters are Eoin Morgan (573 runs), Marcus Trescothick (528 runs) and Ian Bell (473 runs). The leading wicket takers include James Anderson (30 wickets), Darren Gough (13 wickets) and Andrew Flintoff (359 runs). The last one-day international was played in England and Pakistan on 8 May 2019.
T20Is: In the T20 international matches played at this particular ground, the highest team total is 211/5 scored by New Zealand versus Scotland. The first T20 International match was played on June 28 2007. It was played between England and West Indies. The highest run-getters are Chris Gayle (237 runs), Alex Hales (169 runs) and Paul Collingwood (132 runs). The leading wicket takers are Umar Gul (9 wickets), Saeed Ajmal (6 wickets) and Stuart Broad (6 wickets). The last match was played between England and Sri Lanka on 20 May 2014.
Fixtures:
Here is the list of fixtures for the 2019 ICC cricket world cup that is ought to be played in the coming weeks:
Team 1 | Team 2 | Date | Time (IST) |
England | South Africa | 30 May 2019 | 15:00 |
Bangladesh | South Africa | 02 June 2019 | 15:00 |
Bangladesh | New Zealand | 05 June 2019 | 18:00 |
Australia | India | 09 June 2019 | 15:00 |
Australia | Sri Lanka | 15 June 2019 | 15:00 |
