Smallest Cricket Stadium In The World

We are in the year 2024, and the popularity of cricket and its global brand value is increasing day by day as the many new cricket playing nations are getting recognized like Ireland, Netherlands, UAE, Nepal etc. But the most important thing which requires in order to have a smooth display of cricket, is the the ground. There are multiple cricket grounds around the world, which does not fulfill the demands of the fans, due to ther small spectator capacity.

Hence, today we are going to take a brief look on the some of the smallest cricket stadium in the world in terms of their seating capacity which it can handle at a time. All these following cricket grounds are the ones where the international cricket is actively being played.

List Of Smallest Cricket Ground In The World

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1) Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium – Pakistan

The title of being the smallest cricket stadium in the world goes to, Rawalpindi Cricket ground of Pakistan which is located in Rawalpindi city with the seating capacity of only 15,000 visitors for a match. The stadium was established in 1992 and became the prominent ground for cricket during the cricket world cup 1995-96.

The first international match which was hosted in Rawalpindi stadium was the ODI game between the Pakistan and Sri lanka in 1992. Whereas in 1993, it hosted its first ever test game for the home team Pakistan vs Zimbabwe.

The famous name of Shoaib Akhtar, ‘Rawalpindi Express’ which you might have heard many times, was given to him because it was his home and debut ground of his career.

2) Sharjah Cricket Stadium – UAE

Sharjah Cricket stadium of the United Arab Emirates, ranks as the 2nd smallest cricket stadium in the world for having the the spectator capacity of 16,000 peoples only. It is the homeground of UAE cricket team, which was built in 1982 by Bukhatir Group.

Moreover, Sharjah Cricket ground is not only used for the matches of UAE team, but also used as neutral venue for many international cricket team, especially for India and Pakistan.

The popularity of Sharjah stadium was increased more, when the IPL season of 2014, 2020, and 2021 took place in UAE which led it to recognize as one the best choice for international cricket.

3) Trent Bridge – England

In the Nottingham city of England, There is a famous ground named ‘Trent Bridge’ which holds the rank of 3rd smallest cricket stadium of the world as it only allows 17,000 people to experience the beauty of England’s popular test cricket. It is also considered as one of the oldest cricket ground, as it hosted it first ever test game in 1899 between England and Australia.

Despite being one of the smallest cricket ground of world, Trent Bridge is one of the favorite stadium of cricket fans due to its mesmerizing atmosphere and the architectural beauty of the ground. However, it ranks in top in the list of biggest cricket ground of England.

4) Hagley Oval – New Zealand 

Yet another iconic ground which holds the historical and spiritual values of cricket. The Hagley Oval, which is located in the Christchurch central city of New Zealand was built in 1851 with the total seating volume of 18,000 spectators, which makes it the 4th smallest cricket stadium in the world. 

It is one the busiest cricket ground in entire New Zealand, as it is quite suitable for all three formats for the play. Furthermore, it also holds some of the iconic moments of New Zealand cricket such as, Brendon McCullum scoring fastest century in the history of Kiwis and hosting the opening match of iconic 2015 world cup edition and many more.

5) Headingley – England

I think the Aussies and English cricket fans can never forget the Headingley cricket ground, as it gave us the one of the best test inning of a player when Ben Stokes stole the match from the hands of Australia in Ashes 2019-20.

The Headingley cricket ground which is situated in Leeds, England comes under the one of the smallest cricket ground of world as it only has the seating capacity of 18,350 visitors. Apart from Test cricket, Headingley ground does not get much chances for the white ball games especially against the teams like India and Australia.

6) St George’s Park Cricket Ground – South Africa

I think there are very few individuals who might know that, apart from India and UAE, Indian Premier league (IPL) has also been played in South Africa. Yes in 2009, the second season of IPL was shifted to South Africa in which the St George’s Park Cricket Ground was one of them to host the IPL matches.

However, The capacity of St George’s Park ground limits the maximum number of spectators to watch the match till 19,000 people. The gap between its first ever test and ODI game is quite shocking, The ground conducted its first test game in 1889 against England and the first ODI game on the same ground was played in 1992. You know why? It’s simple, because ODI cricket came in the late 1980s and 90s.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the smallest cricket stadium of the world?

Pakistan's Rawalpindi cricket stadium and Sri Lanka's Colombo Cricket ground, both ranks as the smallest cricket ground of the world with the spectator capacity of 15,000 people.

What is the seating capacity of Sharjah Cricket Stadium?

One of the best stadium of UAE, Sharjah Cricket ground has the seating capacity of only 16,000 visitors who can experience the live cricket action.