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BRIDGETOWN, April 9: Guide to the two remaining venues being used for the World Cup Super Eights:
QUEEN'S PARK STADIUM (St George's, Grenada)
Status: Refurbished.
Investment: US$40 million.
Capacity: 17,000 of which 13,000 will be permanent.
Originally constructed in 1998, the Queen's Park Stadium was destroyed six years later by the ravages of Hurricane Ivan.
The stadium, located on the National Stadium complex, has been rebuilt with the assistance of the Chinese government and boasts VIP suites and boxes, improved player facilities, an electronic scoreboard, and a state-of-the-art public address system.
The old Queen's Park had hosted a One-day International in 1983, but the refurbished ground became the 84th Test venue when West Indies played New Zealand there five years ago, and also hosted eight ODIs before its devastation.
Located on the outskirts of the capital of the Spice Isle, it will host six Super Eight matches.
Tale of the Track: Expected to be easy-paced with predictable bounce
KENSINGTON OVAL (Bridgetown, Barbados)
Status: Reconstruction.
Investment: $67.5 million.
Capacity: 30,000 of which 15,000 will be permanent.
Affectionately described as ‘the Mecca of Caribbean cricket’, Kensington Oval is steeped in history, and it was the venue for the first Test in the Caribbean.
The ground will host six Super Eight matches and the final on April 28.
Only two buildings — the Mitchie Hewitt Stand and the Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith Stand — remain from the old facility, and they have both been enhanced with improved seating and sightlines.
A statue of Sir Garfield Sobers now forms the focal point of the exterior, and the ground has been given a comprehensive facelift to meet international standards, with upgrades undertaken to provide additional seats, as well as improved player, media, and sponsor facilities.
Tale of the Track: Unknown, since the pitches had to be shifted 20 metres north east to accommodate the expansion, but a few warm-up matches between local club sides were held to test the surface and it played true.—AFP
