Centurion Park Explained

Ground Name:Centurion Park
Nickname:Centurion
Logo Image:SS Park Logo.jpg
Owner:SuperSport
Tenants:South Africa national cricket team
Coordinates:-25.8597°N 28.1953°W
Country:South Africa
Location:Centurion, South Africa
Seating Capacity:22,000
End1:West Lane End
End2:Hennops River End
International:true
Firsttestdate:16–20 November
Firsttestyear:1995
Firsttesthome:South Africa
Firsttesthomevar:1994
Firsttestaway:England
Lasttestdate:26–28 December
Lasttestyear:2023
Lasttesthome:South Africa
Lasttestaway:India
Firstodidate:11 December
Firstodiyear:1992
Firstodihome:South Africa
Firstodihomevar:1928
Firstodiaway:India
Firstodiawayvar:1947
Lastodidate:15 September
Lastodiyear:2023
Lastodihome:South Africa
Lastodiaway:Australia
Firstt20idate:29 March
Firstt20iyear:2009
Firstt20ihome:South Africa
Firstt20ihomevar:2004-WFB
Firstt20iaway:Australia
Lastt20idate:26 March
Lastt20iyear:2023
Lastt20ihome:South Africa
Lastt20iaway:West Indies
Firstwodidate:13 March
Firstwodiyear:2002
Firstwodihome:South Africa
Firstwodiaway:India
Lastwodidate:12 February
Lastwodiyear:2016
Lastwodihome:South Africa
Lastwodiaway:England
Firstwt20idate:21 February
Firstwt20iyear:2018
Firstwt20ihome:South Africa
Firstwt20iaway:India
Lastwt20idate:6 February
Lastwt20iyear:2019
Lastwt20ihome:South Africa
Lastwt20iaway:Sri Lanka
Year1:1995–present
Club1:Northerns
Year2:2004–present
Year3:2018-2019
Club3:Tshwane Spartans
Year4:2023-present
Club4:Pretoria Capitals
Date:28 December
Year:2023
Source:http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/ground/59079.html Cricinfo

Centurion Park is a cricket ground in Centurion in South Africa. It is also known as SuperSport Park since television company SuperSport bought shares in the stadium. The capacity of the ground is 22,000.[1] [2]

The Titans cricket team have played most of their home games here since 2004. The ground was home to the Titans' predecessor team Northerns (previously Northern Transvaal) since 1986. It is also the home ground of the Pretoria Capitals.

Name

The town of Verwoerdburg was renamed Centurion at the end of apartheid, with the politically neutral new name of the town coming from that of the cricket ground.

Notable fixtures

Test matches

The first Test match at Centurion was held in November 1995, as the opening match of the first post-apartheid tour of South Africa by the England cricket team; however, the match was drawn after being severely affected by rain.[3]

Centurion was the venue for the notorious fifth Test match of the next England tour in 2000, when (after three days' play were lost to rain) South African captain Hansie Cronje forfeited his team's second innings to allow for a result on the final day of the match, which England won.[4] It was later revealed that Cronje had done so after being approached by a bookmaker and offered money to stop the match ending in a draw.[5]

Further controversy occurred in 2001, when the scheduled third Test between South Africa and India at Centurion was declared to be an "unofficial" Test after the Board of Control for Cricket in India refused to accept the International Cricket Council's match referee, Mike Denness, who had disciplined several Indian players in the previous match at Port Elizabeth.[6]

In December 2010, India batsman Sachin Tendulkar scored his 50th Test century at Centurion in the first Test of the 2010–11 Indian tour of South Africa.[7] [8]

From the summer of 2018/19, the ground usually hosts a Boxing Day Test.

One-Day Internationals

Centurion was a venue for the 2003 Cricket World Cup which took place in South Africa. It was also selected as a venue for the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy and hosted the final on 5 October 2009.

Other cricket competitions

The 2009 Indian Premier League was held in South Africa, and Centurion was one of eight grounds used. It hosted twelve matches, including one of the semi-finals.

Supersport Park also hosted a domestic and continental Sixes tournament, where home side, the Titans, came out on top in the domestic competition, and South Africa winning the continental competition against Kenya in the final.

Other sports

Centurion hosted an Australian rules football practice match in 2008 between Carlton and Fremantle.[9]

Music

On 17 September 2011, Irish vocal pop band Westlife held a concert for Gravity Tour supporting their album Gravity.

Records

Cricket records

Test records

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: SuperSport Park. 2020-12-26. TravelGround. en.
  2. Web site: Cricket Grounds in South Africa • CricTours. 2020-12-26. CricTours. en-GB.
  3. Web site: Full Scorecard of England vs South Africa 1st Test 1995/96. ESPNCricinfo. 31 August 2021.
  4. Web site: Full Scorecard of England vs South Africa 5th Test 1999/00. ESPNCricinfo. 31 August 2021.
  5. Web site: An offer too good to be true. Martin. Williamson. ESPNCricinfo. 28 October 2006. 31 August 2021.
  6. News: Cricket outrage unites Indians . Sanjoy . Majumder . . 23 November 2001 . 7 January 2022.
  7. Web site: Statistics / Statsguru / SR Tendulkar / Test Matches. ESPNcricinfo. 30 December 2017.
  8. Web site: 1st Test, India tour of South Africa at Centurion, Dec 16-20 2010, Match Summary, ESPNCricinfo. ESPNcricinfo. 30 December 2017.
  9. Web site: Dockers down Blues in Pretoria - World Footy News . https://web.archive.org/web/20120905011442/http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20080203133054368 . 5 September 2012 .