The Adelaide Oval is one of the most picturesque venues in Australia's sporting ecosystem and has witnessed many exciting matches in its 138-year history. It is the largest stadium in South Australia, with a capacity of 53,583, and primarily hosts cricket and the Australian Football League (AFL).
The stadium witnessed a substantial transformation in the 2010s with the State Government sanctioning AUD 535 million for its re-development. By 2014, the Adelaide Oval was remodelled into one of the most modern stadiums in the world. It now included hotels, restaurants, clubs and cafes, while retaining the historic scoreboard and the hill. The Adelaide Oval is the third largest cricket stadium in the country after the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Perth Cricket Ground.
Unlike most of the challenging pitches in Australia, the Adelaide Oval is renowned for its flat track, enabling the batters, especially in the T20 format, to score heavily. However, the long straight boundaries also bring the spinners into play.
The Adelaide Oval is the home of South Australia, known as the West End Redbacks, in Australian domestic cricket and the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League (BBL).
The first international cricket match – an unofficial Test – at the Adelaide Oval was held on March 1, 1874, with England beating South Africa by seven wickets. England were also victorious in the first official Test match played at the venue, winning by eight wickets against Australia. Adelaide Oval also hosted the first-ever day/night Test match when Australia played Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in November 2015.
Australia played England in the first T20 International held at the Adelaide Oval on January 12, 2011. England won the thriller on the final ball, chasing down the Australian total of 157. There have been five international matches played in the shortest format at the Adelaide Oval.
Adelaide Oval T20I records
Highest Total: The highest total at the Adelaide Oval in a T20I match is 233/2 made by Australia against Sri Lanka on October 27, 2019. It is also the highest T20I score registered by any team in Australia.
David Warner smashed a 56-ball century, while quickfire half-centuries from Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell propelled the Aussies well over the 200-run mark. Australia won the match by 134 runs.
Lowest Total: The lowest total recorded in a T20I match at the Adelaide Oval was also in the same game with Sri Lanka’s score of 99/9 in the run chase.
Adam Zampa spun a web around the Sri Lankan batters, picking three wickets at an economy rate of 3.50. Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins scalped two wickets each to skittle out the batters.
Average First Innings Total: Only five T20 internationals have been played at the Adelaide Oval. The ground has proved high-scoring, with an average first-innings total of 181.
Highest Individual Score: Australian opening batter David Warner’s unbeaten knock of 100 runs from 56 balls in the aforementioned game is the highest individual score in T20Is recorded at the Adelaide Oval.
David Warner stroked 10 fours and smashed four sixes, tormenting the Sri Lankan bowling attack at a strike rate of 178.57.
Best Bowling Figures: Shane Watson of Australia picked up 4/15 runs in his four overs against England in the maiden T20I at the Adelaide Oval, which to date holds the record for the best bowling figures at the venue.
Shaheen Shah Afridi’s spell of 4/22 against Bangladesh and Brandon Glover’s spell of 3/9 against South Africa are the other best bowling figures at the Adelaide Oval.
Most Runs: The Australian T20 World Cup-winning captain, Aaron Finch has scored the most runs in T20Is at the Adelaide Oval. Finch has accumulated 190 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 150.79, including two half-centuries.
Fellow Australian opener David Warner (172 runs) and Virat Kohli (154 runs) have scored the second and third most runs at the Adelaide Oval, respectively.
Most Wickets: Adam Zampa holds the record for most T20I wickets at the Adelaide Oval with eight wickets in only three games. Former Australian all-rounder, Shane Watson previously held the record with six wickets in three matches.
Netherlands' Brandon Glover follows with five wickets at the venue, while Hardik Pandya is tied with four other bowlers with four wickets at the Adelaide Oval in this format.
Highest Partnership: English batters Jos Buttler and Alex Hales hold the record for the highest partnership in T20Is at the Adelaide Oval. The duo registered 170-run opening stand against India in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022, which is also the highest partnership recorded in T20 World Cup history.
Featured image: Brenton EDWARDS / AFP
