Sharjah will host its 300th international men’s match with an Afghanistan-Bangladesh ODI on Wednesday. (X)
The iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday became the first international cricket venue to host 300 men’s matches with the first Afghanistan-Bangladesh ODI.
The historic United Arab Emirates venue has hosted 252 ODIS, 38 T20s and 10 Test matches ahead of Wednesday’s game. Sri Lanka and Pakistan played the first-ever match at the venue in an Asia Cup ODI in 1984.
Host to several memorable tournaments in the 1990s, legendary India batter Sachin Tendulkar has recorded seven ODI tons, including the famous ‘Desert Storm’ onslaught against Australia at the venue in 1998. Tendulkar’s seven centuries have only been matched by Pakistan’s Saeed Anwar on the ground.
To commemorate Tendulkar’s feats at the venue, the West Stand at the venue was renamed as the ‘Sachin Tendulkar Stand’ on the occasion of the batting maestro’s 50th birthday in 2023.
Overall, Pakistan have nearly featured in 50 percent of the games held at the venue, appearing in 144 contests and 93 of them. Sri Lanka (87) and India (72) make up the top 3. India have won 35 matches at their venue before their last appearance in 2000.
| Ground | Span | Mat | Tests | ODIs | T20Is |
| Sharjah Cricket Stadium | 1984-2024 | 300 | 9 | 253 | 38 |
| Sydney Cricket Ground | 1882-2024 | 291 | 112 | 161 | 18 |
| Melbourne Cricket Ground | 1877-2024 | 287 | 116 | 152 | 19 |
| Harare Sports Club | 1992-2024 | 267 | 39 | 182 | 46 |
| Lord’s, London | 1884-2024 | 227 | 147 | 70 | 10 |
| Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka | 2006-2024 | 211 | 28 | 120 | 63 |
| R.Premadasa Stadium, Khettarama, Colombo | 1986-2024 | 207 | 9 | 151 | 47 |
| Kennington Oval, London | 1880-2024 | 200 | 107 | 76 | 17 |
