Australia-New Zealand Cricket World Cup/ The Venues

gulfnews.com | Friday, February 13, 2015 | Gulf News Gulf News Friday, February 13, 2015 | gulfnews.com C14 C15 ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015 1 DAY TO GO 1 DAY TO GO ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015 AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND THE VENUES Hagley Oval rises from the rubble Light towers Great Southern Stand: The classic' THE TWO FACES OF AN ICON Constructed in 1984, the iconic main illumination system comprises of six light towers fixed to the ground by concrete piers set down in depth from seven to 12 metres. Multiple energy sources feed the towers to never lose power. A perfect illumination is always achieved by controlling the angle of each of the 844 lamps by computer. Completed in 1992, this side of the MCG had a facelift completed in 2013. This upgrade included the refurbishment of function rooms, the creation of sports bars, as well as food and beverage areas to provide a more family-friendly environment. Also improved the entry points to ensure a more streamlined ticketing process. Stadium in Christchurch to host matches four years after devastating earthquake capable of hosting elite matches. Cricket has been played at the Hagley Oval for al- most 150 years, but the de- cision to develop it into an international ground was a controversial one. $55 million MCG stand capacity -30tonnes 5,000 hours 145% The budget to upgrade the classic face of the MCG. The weight of each steel tube is the effective life of the light globes. Each tower has an average of 140 units. By MARTIN DOWNER Deputy Sports Editor 85m Objection overruled Two hundred people objected to the plans to build a pavilion and em- bankment to enclose the 55% will |hristchurch 'come alive' again Jwhen it hosts three World Cup matches ex- actly four years after New Zealand's second-biggest city was badly damaged by an earthquake. A total of 185 people died and more than 1,000 buildings had to be demol- ished after a 6.3 magnitude quake, which was centred 10km to the south-east, hit on February 22, 2011. One of those structures Gate 7 The head frames of the towers are angled in at 15 degrees in order to provide optimum levels of light. Gate 6 ground, which is part of a large park in the city cen- tre, but the Environment Court gave the go-ahead for redevelopment in Au- gust 2013. Hagley Oval hosted its first Test match last De- cember and will now see three World Cup matches - New Zealand vs Sri Lan- ka on the opening day to- morrow, Pakistan vs West Indies a week later and The historic Melbourne Cricket Ground is a mesmerising blend of old and new. Here Gulf News looks at the contrasting styles of the 161-year-old venue's unforgettable architecture as it prepares to host the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup final. damaged beyond repair was the South Island city's major sporting venue Lancaster Park, which was known as the AMI Sta- South stand North Stand: 'The modern' Gate 5 The redevelopment was completed by 2006 to receive the England vs Scotland on February 23. And Christchurch May- or Lianne Dalziel said: "The eyes of the world are going to just lock on the most beautiful, pic- turesque oval that you could possibly imagine for cricket and I know that cricket fans from all over the world are going to say to themselves 'I wish I'd come'. I just know that the city is going to come alive." 350 hours Commonwealth Games. The old stand was demolished, rebuilt and upgraded with several features, such as the expansion of the National Sports Museum, The Ponsford and Olympic Stands and the MCC Members Pavilion. Seven new bars and restaurants provide a total of 5,000 dining seats, 3,800 of which have views of the pitch. This project rose the MCG stand capacity to the mark of 100,000 people. are spent per week to maintain the turf dium. The remains of the stadium still stand, with only the Hadlee Stand so far demolished, as the fu- ture of the site remains undecided. Since the completion of the new northern stand, the turf suffers a lack of sunlight on one side. An A$2m system called Stadium Grow Lighting, formed by 11 lighting rigs, are placed above the grass to provide light and heat to stimulate the turf growth. The city was forced to forego the 2011 Rugby World Cup matches it was due to host, but top- level sport will return to Christchurch at the ICC $465 million LVL 4 The total cost of the LVL 3 biggest face lift the MCG has had in its history. Rig LVL 2 LVL 1 Gate 4 MCG Stadium 20,000 Sq m Grow lights Brunton Avenue, East Melbourne, Victoria Cricket World Cup. But, rather than rebuild at Lancaster Park - lo- Is the total area of the arena turf, which is 173.6m long x 148.3m wide. In 1992 the arena was completely reconstructed with a sand-based profile, improving its drainage and load-bearing characteristics. 75m 45m Gate 1 WH Ponsford Stand North stand South stand Year opened: 1854 cated in the suburb of Waltham Hagley Oval 320m Approximate local bosses measures opted to turn the historic ground at Hagley Park, just a few kilometres down the round, into a venue Location Hagley Park, Christchurch, Canterbury Capacity 20,000 Year opened c1886 The length of the cricket pitch is 20.12 metres. LVL 4 ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015 LVL 3 LVL 2 LVL1 Gate 2 Giant displays MCC members reserve Two electronic video screen boards are located on level 4 at either end of the new northern stand and are the largest scoreboards in an Australian North stand Is in 11th place 100,024 people Sep 30, 1854 The National AVA Sports Museum in the list of largest sports stadiums in the world and is the biggest for hosting cricket. is the venue capacity, which comprises 95,000 seats and 5000 standing room spaces. is the date of the first cricket match played at the MCG. sports stadium to date. The LED high-definition Scoreboards each measure 25.24m wide and 13.17m high. Located on two levels of the Olympic Stand (Gate 3), the Museum displays more than 2,500 Courtesy Hagley Oval items from Australia's sporting history. The achievements of Australian sport Gate 3 en and women at all levels are showcased within interactive exhibitions, Olympic Stand/ National Sports Museum including important sporting artefacts. 12 Bellerive Oval 3 11 University Oval Sydney Cricket Ground 10 Derwent Street, Hobart, Tasmania 9. Logan Park, Dunedin Year opened: 1920 The Gabba Saxton Oval Year opened: 1914 Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales Wellington Regional Stadium Vulture Street, Saxton Road, Stoke, Capacity: Capacity: Manuka Oval 6. 6,000 Nelson Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland Year opened: 1895 McLean Park 20,000 Year opened: 1854 Griffith, Canberra, Adelaide Oval Year opened: 2010 Australian Capital Seddon Park Latham Street, Napier Capacity: Capacity: 7- War Memorial Drive, North Adelaide, South Australia Year opened: 1911 48,000 The Waca Eden Park Seddon Road, Hamilton Waterloo Quay, Wellington 5,000 Capacity: Territory 8. Year opened: 1929 Reimers Avenue, Year opened: 1950 Capacity: Year opened: 2000 42,000 Nelson Crescent, East Perth, Western Australia 22,500 Capacity: 10 Kingsland, Auckland Year opened: 1900 Capacity: Year opened: 1871 Capacity: 12,000 Year opened: 1890 11 13,550 37,000 Capacity: 53,500 Capacity: Capacity: 24,500 12 50,000 AUSTRALIA NEW ZEAILAND Hagley Oval Sources: mcg.org.au, populous.com, austadlums.com, stadia-magazine.com MCG 3D models and infographic: Hugo A. Sanchez/©Gulf News