Besides the outstanding cricket the venues of Kurunegala and
Dambulla have a great deal to offer. In the heart of the cultural
triangle, this is a great place from which to explore some
of Sri Lanka’s ancient sites and discover some of the
island’s rich heritage.
Welagedara Stadium, Kurunegala
The
Welegadera Stadium is a pretty ground situated at the foot
of the huge granite Elephant Rock and overlooked by a large
Buddha. The venue regularly hosts international teams for
practice matches and although the dressing rooms are a little
rustic the square is excellent. Expect it to be hot though
- the huge rock acts like an oven. Kurunegala is a very friendly
club and they always enjoy hosting teams from UK. With a spin
attack lead by one of the all time leading wicket takers in
Sri Lankan first-class domestic cricket, Ajith Ekanayake,
Kurunegala can be stiff opposition. Kurunegala is 2 hours
drive from Colombo and on the road to Dambulla. It is not
worth staying the night in the area – Red Dot suggests
moving on to Kandy or Dambulla after the game.
Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla
Without
doubt this is one of the most beautiful cricketing venues
in Asia. Looking over the Dambulla Lake, this impressive 30,000
seat stadium was built in only 167 days in order to provide
Sri Lanka with a venue that was dry year round. The wicket
has been known to favour those that bat first; having said
that, England were skittled on this ground for 88 by Sri Lanka
in 2003. The venue has superb facilities with world class
dressing rooms, a monstrous scoreboard and a huge stand for
all your supporters. From the moment your team coach arrives
at the VIP entrance, through the turnstiles and along the
stadium approach, you will be inspired by this world class
cricketing arena.
|