5 cricket stadiums that have hosted the most number of international matches

Hosting an international cricket match is not just a privilege for the stadium authorities but the city as a whole. An international stadium puts the city on the world map helping it in gaining international recognition which in-turn plays a big role in its development.

Getting an international status is not easy as it sounds and maintaining the status in no less easy. ICC as the regulatory authority has the sole power to award an international status to a cricket venue after a number of inspections overseeing the parameters such as standard of the dressing room, boundary length, hospitality and hotels in the city among others.

Since, the first ever Test being played in 1877 at Melbourne, more than 2000 Tests and close to 4000 ODIs have been played. Here are the major venues that have hosted the most numbers of international matches over the 140-year rich history of the internationals.

#5 Harare Sports Club, Zimbabwe (186 matches)

Located in Zimbabwe, Harare Sports Club was established in 1900 but hosted its first international match only after a 92 years wait. The sports club was used to host domestic matches until Zimbabwe got its Test status in 1992 and the ground became an international venue. The stadium hosted its first international match, a Test against India.

Since its inaugural Test, Harare Sports Club has been host to 186 international matches that includes 136 ODIs, 34 Tests and 16 T20Is.

#4 Lord's, London (203 matches)

Lord's cricket stadium which is also regarded as the 'Home of Cricket' is one of the most iconic cricket stadiums in the world. It's a venue where each and every cricket player dreams of playing at. Even cricket fans from all over the world wish to watch at least a match at the Lord's in their lifetime.

Established in 1814, Lord's hosted its inaugural international match in 70 years later in 1884, a Test match between England and Australia. Since its first international match, the stadium has hosted 203 international matches including 135 Tests, 60 ODIs, and 8 T20Is. Lord's also holds the record for hosting most number of Test matches in the world.

#3 Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE (257 matches)

Sharjah Cricket Stadium is located a few miles away from Dubai and was established in 1982. Following the success of ODI cricket, many tournaments were held at the venue in Sharjah. The ground has been the home ground of Afghanistan cricket team since 2010 and has also acted as a neutral venue for Pakistan cricket team after international cricket moved out of Pakistan following the attack on Sri Lanka cricket team in 2009.

Sharjah stadium has hosted a world record of 234 ODI matches. In addition to this, it has been host to 9 Tests and 14 T20Is taking up the total to 257.

#2 Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia (266 matches)

The iconic venue located in the beautiful city of Sydney is one of the oldest cricket stadiums in Australia. Established in 1848, the ground hosted its first international match in 1882, a Test match between Australia and England.

Sydney Cricket Ground has hosted a total of 266 matches including 106 Tests, 155 ODIs, and 5 T20Is. The ground comes second on the list of hosting the highest number of ODIs only behind Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Also with 106 Tests, SCG has hosted the third most number of Tests in the world.

#1 Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia ( 269 matches)

Melbourne Cricket Ground is the largest cricket stadium in the world in terms of seating capacity. It has a seating capacity of 1,00,024 and leads the Eden Gardens in Kolkata by 34,024 seats. Eden Gardens has a seating capacity of 66,000.

Established in 1853, the stadium hosted its first international match between Australia and England in 1877. Since then MCG has hosted 269 international matches including 110 Tests, 148 ODIs, and 11 T20Is. It comes second on the list of hosting the most number of Test matches and third on the list of staging the most number of ODIs.