Amidst the gloom following the outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic, came the glorious news on Friday that Galle has emerged as the winner of a poll conducted to find the world’s finest cricket ground. Cricket statistician Jarrod Kimber had initiated the poll on twitter for which 16 cricket grounds were shortlisted. Newlands in Cape Town, MCG in Melbourne, Lord’s in London and Galle made it to the semis and the final was a David versus Goliath affair – Galle versus Lord’s. Eventually, it was Galle that came out on top receiving as many as twice the number of votes as Lord’s. While 34% of those who took part in the poll voted for the home of cricket, an overwhelming number of 64% picked our beloved cricket ground.
Ex cricket chief Thilanga Sumathipala is a maverick. He has got this uncanny ability to think out of the box and it was his visionary thinking that saw Galle being made an international venue in 1998 when the Kiwis were in town. That was in June and later that year to celebrate the golden jubilee of independence, three ODIs had been scheduled at the venue in the tri-nation Nidahas Trophy tournament. But those games were hit by rain.
Soon with television images carrying the stunning view of the stadium, Galle became a popular attraction. The new ground was creating buzz in the cricketing world. There was a problem though in 2001 when England were slotted to visit for a first ever three Test series.
Galle beats Lord’s in ‘Cricket Ground World Cup’ poll
When SLC sent the proposed itinerary to their British counterparts, Lord’s were worried about Galle’s choice for the opening Test match. The England and Wales Cricket Board had concerns about playing international cricket in unchartered territory. Their concern was that thousands of Barmy Army fans would struggle for toilet facilities as Galle had no permanent stands other than the lone building where Galle Cricket Club was housed. Thilanga’s response was prompt and the problem was solved by installing mobile toilets. Thus Galle became a favourite destination among the English. To date, there are fans that travel from all parts of United Kingdom just for the Galle Test alone and they are more than happy to watch the proceedings from the Galle Fort.
Galle’s priceless setting makes it a people’s favourite. A stone’s throw away from the Indian Ocean with the Old Dutch Fort build in the 17th century as the backdrop, there aren’t too many better sights to watch a cricket contest. Queenstown in New Zealand’s south island where the movie Lord of the Rings was shot and Newlands in Cape Town come close when it comes to setting but Galle offers far better things than the any other cricket ground does.
Situated in the heart of the city, the venue is just a two minute walk from the Railway Station. If you commute by the bus, it gets even easier as you just have to use the zebra crossing to get to the venue from the bus. Those who travel in private vehicles never run short of parking space as the adjoining Butterfly Bridge can accommodate numerous vehicles. Accommodation, from five star facilities to basic bed and breakfast is just ten minutes away as within the Fort there are plenty of options.
Not that the Galle Stadium has not encountered major problems. It was completely destroyed by the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 and legendary spinner Shane Warne, who had earlier that year taken a match bag of ten wickets at the venue, visited the ground and pledged support.
A World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO, the venue has often got into trouble with environmentalists who have an axe to grind. They constantly object to the pavilion that was put up in 2010 as it is blocking the view of the Galle Fort from the road. The matter was discussed in the Parliament as well.
SLC was forced to demolish the indoor nets and last year there were serious threats that the venue will lose its international status. Local politicians were playing to the gallery and wanted the ground to be accessible for the general public for recreation purposes rather than it being used exclusively for cricket. They had even identified a location in Galle where the new ground was going to be built. Many appealed against such a move and that included Rangana Herath as well. Their efforts died a natural death after change of government in November last year.
Kudos to SLC for maintaining the ground well and developing it. Recently the board passed a sum of Rs. 25 million for upgrading facilities at the venue and the recent recognition is certainly a feather in SLC’s cap.
Galle usually is the preferred choice for the opening contests of a series as Sri Lanka have an excellent record here having won 19 of the 33 games. It remains the favourite venue for many Sri Lankan players.
