The Kardinia Park Stadium

Kardinia Park Stadium is a prominent cricket venue located in South Geelong in Victoria. It is owned and operated by the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust. It is the home ground of the A-League club Western United and AFL club Geelong Football Club. Apart from cricket, other sports like rugby and Australian football are also played at this venue. With around 36,000 capacity, it is the largest stadium in a regional city in Australia. Kardinia Park has been a prominent sports venue, as football used to be played here even in the 19th century. Before the 1940s, Corio Oval was the primary stadium for football in Geelong, while Kardinia Park was the secondary stadium. Over the years, Kardinia Park emerged as a major sporting venue in South Geelong, Victoria.

While football has been played here for a long time, it has started hosting cricket matches only recently. It was announced in 2016 that international cricket matches would start happening at Kardinia Oval. So far, the ground has hosted only one T20 international match here between Australia and Sri Lanka. It was a thrilling encounter, as Sri Lanka chased 173 runs and played till the match’s last ball to win it. Kardinia Park is one of the venues of the upcoming T20 cricket world cup 2022’s matches.

Kardinia Park Cricket Stadium Pitch Overview

Kardinia Park does not offer a belter pitch, which means the batters can’t just start hitting the bowlers all over the park. The batters get their chances to score runs, while even bowlers can restrict batters to a small total if they ball intelligently.

In other words, both batters and bowlers get opportunities to excel at this ground. More than the pitch, the unusual dimensions of this ground can trouble batters. This ground is mainly used for Australian football; as a result, it is narrower than other cricket grounds.

To deal with this, the authorities laid off a drop-in pitch at such an angle to open more squares of the wicket. As a result, there are a few short pockets in the fine-leg region, while the straight boundary is quite long.

While playing on this ground, the batsmen must adjust to the pitch conditions and unusual dimensions to score runs. Those who adapt better will have an advantage over those who don’t.

Kardinia Park Stadium T20I Stats

As only one T20 international has been played at Kardinia Park cricket stadium, the statistics below show the result of that match, which was played between Australia and Sri Lanka. Australia posted a decent total of 173 runs, and it seemed they were on the course to win this match.

However, Sri Lanka showed a lot of character in chasing the total. It finally came down to the last ball, as Sri Lanka chased 173 runs successfully.

Average 1st Innings scores - 173
Average 2nd Innings scores - 176
Highest total recorded - 176 | Sri Lanka 2016-2017 v Australia
Highest score chased - 173 | Australia 2016-2017 v Sri Lanka
Highest Individual Innings - 84 | 2016-2017 Australia v Sri Lanka

Kardinia Park Cricket Stadium Stats

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 matches scheduled at Kardinia Park

Kardinia Park will be the venue of six matches of the upcoming . All of these will be from the qualifiers stage.

Did you know?

In May 2002, Kardinia Park hosted the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. Interestingly, the Dalai Lama revisited the park in 2007. Over the years, Kardinia Park has hosted notable people, including the former AFL star Gary Ablett, who had a near-divine status in this town.

Kardinia Park Pitch Conditions for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Betting

The pitch at Kardinia Park offers conducive conditions for both batters and bowlers to excel. Unlike some grounds, which offer only batsman-friendly or bowler-friendly conditions, Kardinia Park provides equal opportunities to excel for both.

This is why cricket matches here are expected to be even contests. They are neither expected to be high-scoring 200-runs plus kinds of matches. Nor are they going to be low-scoring games.

For bettors, it is essential to predict how a pitch will play. Therefore, Fun88’s experts analyze tons of data before a match starts to assess pitch conditions. Watch out for this space as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 begins because we will bring more pitch-related insights for you.

FAQs on Kardinia Park Stadium

1. Who is the sponsor of Kardinia Park?

The fund provider, GMHBA, is the sponsor of Kardinia Park. That’s why it is also known as GMHBA stadium.

2. When did Kardinia Park formally open for sports events?

Kardinia Park formally opened for sports events in 1941.

3. Which sports are played at Kardinia Park?

Cricket, rugby, and Australian football are played at this venue.

4. Are authorities increasing Kardinia Park’s capacity to 40,000?

The Victorian Government is investing $3.9 million in the redevelopment of Kardinia Park. As a result, the stadium’s capacity will increase to 40,000.