Pallekele International Cricket Stadium is a cricket stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The stadium opened on 27 November 2009 and became the world's 104th Test venue in December 2010.

Location and background

The stadium is located about 15 km east of Kandy on the A26 highway. The stadium is wholly owned by Sri Lanka Cricket and has a capacity of 35,000.

History

The stadium was built for the 2011 Cricket World Cup along with Hambantota International Cricket Stadium. In July 2010, The Central Provincial Council in Kandy announced plans to rename the stadium to honour the legendary Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan, but hasn't officially done so yet. The first Test match on this stadium between Sri Lanka and the West Indies was played from 1 to 5 December 2010. The first One Day International match at the venue was played between New Zealand and Pakistan on 8 March 2011. Pallekele is also the host for the Kandurata cricket team. On 21 September 2011, it was announced that the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium would host nine 2012 ICC World Twenty20 matches.

Notable events

Statistics and records

Source: ESPNcricinfo – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium

2011 Cricket World Cup

The following 2011 Cricket World Cup matches were played in Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. The first official international match was between Pakistan and New Zealand on 8 March 2011. A total of three matches were played at the venue during the 2011 World Cup.

2012 ICC World Twenty20

Sri Lanka hosted the 2012 ICC World Twenty20. Nine matches were played in Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.