Sylhet Stadium

Sylhet International Cricket Stadium (SICS) () also known as Sylhet Stadium and previously known as Sylhet Divisional Stadium, is a cricket stadium in Sylhet, Bangladesh. SICS is surrounded by hills and has a scenic view and it is the only cricket stadium having a green gallery. The stadium was significantly expanded in 2013, to host matches for the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 and 2014 ICC Women's World Twenty20. The stadium hosted its first international match on 17 March 2014 with Ireland taking on Zimbabwe. The stadium hosted 2022 Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup.

History

The stadium was built in 2007, as a divisional cricket stadium. The stadium is surrounded by hills and has a scenic view. England Lions, England Under-19 and Nepal Under-19 have played here.

The venue hosted its first test match in November 2018, becoming the eighth test venue in Bangladesh, where the home team lost to Zimbabwe by 151 runs. The venue hosted its second test five years later, in 2023, since the first test match was played here in 2018.

In November–December 2023, Bangladesh played a test against New Zealand and won the match by 150 runs which was their first test win against New Zealand at home and their first test win at this venue.

Renovation and expansion

The stadium was expanded and renovated to host matches of the 2014 ICC World Twenty20. The renovation began in June 2013 and ended in mid-November 2013. The main pavilion building and the media center have been constructed, floodlights have been installed, and seating arrangements were modified. Another more striking part of the stadium is the newly built, country's first 'Green gallery'.

The venue was again renovated in 2017 in order to upgrade the venue to an international standard stadium. A second tier was built in the east side gallery, increasing the seating capacity by 5,000 and the green hillock was remodified. As a result, the venue hosted the first leg of BPL 2017 matches.

Statistics

;Records
* In a 2014 ICC World Twenty20 qualifying match between Ireland and Netherlands, both teams were fighting for a spot in the Super 10. Ireland batted first & scored 189–4. Netherlands needed to win the match within 13.5 overs to qualify for Super 10's. If they do so, they would qualify for Super 10's. If they only win the match without winning it in 13.5 overs, then Zimbabwe will qualify for the Super 10's. But if their current opponents win, then Ireland would be qualified. This match holds a few records.
** 1- Netherlands scored the fastest 100 in just 6.6 overs, the fastest for any team in T20I.
** 2- Netherlands scored the fastest 150 in just 10.3 overs, the fastest for any team in T20I.
** 3- Netherlands won the match with 37 balls to spare, the fastest win for any team in T20I chasing 180 runs.
* Taijul Islam became only 4th Bangladeshi bowler to take a 10 wicket-haul in Test cricket. He also holds the record of third best bowling figure (11/170) in a test match by any Bangladeshi bowler.
* In March 2020, when Zimbabwe toured Bangladesh, in the three-match ODI series, few records were created:
** In the first ODI:
*** Bangladesh won the match by 169 runs, their biggest winning margin in ODIs.
*** Mashrafe Mortaza took his 100th wicket as captain in ODIs and his 700th wicket of his career.
** In the Second ODI, Tamim Iqbal became the first batsman for Bangladesh to score 7,000 runs in ODIs.
** In the third ODI:
** Tamim Iqbal and Liton Das made a partnership of 292 runs which is the highest partnership for any wicket for Bangladesh.
*** Liton Das scored 176 runs off 143 balls, the highest individual score by any Bangladeshi batsman in ODIs.
*** Liton Das hit 8 sixes, and a total of 24 boundaries (16 fours and 8 sixes), the most by any Bangladeshi batsman in an ODI match.

International centuries

Shai Hope scored the first century at this ground in its inaugural ODI match when West Indies toured Bangladesh in 2018-19. Liton Das became first Bangladeshi batsman to score a century at the venue when Zimbabwe toured Bangladesh in March 2020.

Test centuries

ODI centuries

Women's Twenty20 International centuries

The following table summarises the Women's Twenty20 International centuries scored at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

Under-19 ODI centuries

The following table summarises the Under-19 ODI centuries scored at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

Sylhet Outer Cricket Stadium

Sylhet Outer Stadium or Sylhet rocket Stadium Academy Ground is a cricket ground in Sylhet, adjacent to the main stadium. Initially it was built for practice purposes for players during international matches. However, later it was developed to international standards with BCB expecting to host international matches, particularly Test matches on this ground.

History

The ground hosted its first international match on 1 October 2022 during the 2022 Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup, with Bangladesh taking on Thailand. The venue hosted nine matches of the Women's Asia Cup, while 15 matches were hosted on the main stadium.

Gallery

File:সিলেট আন্তর্জাতিক ক্রিকেট স্টেডিয়ামের গ্যালারি.jpg, Newly built grandstand
File:Sylhet International Cricket Stadium 06.jpg, Giant screen
File:Sylhet International Cricket Stadium(SYLHET).jpg, Crowded stadium during a BPL match
File:Sylhet International Cricket Stadium (45).JPG, The green hillock at the ground
File:Sylhet International Cricket Stadium 08.jpg, The roof of the main pavilion
File:Sylhet International Cricket Stadium (Construction 2015) 02.jpg, The green hillock at the ground
Spectator at Sylhet International Stadium on March 2023.webm, People cheering after Shakib Al Hasan hit a boundary during the first Bangladesh vs Ireland ODI
Panoramic view of Sylhet Cricket Stadium in 2023 (cropped).jpg, Panoramic view of the ground

See also

* List of stadiums in Asia
* List of international cricket grounds in Bangladesh
*Stadiums in Bangladesh

References

External links

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{{Test cricket grounds in Bangladesh

Cricket grounds in Bangladesh
Sport in Sylhet
Buildings and structures in Sylhet
Sports venues in Sylhet