Let's get back to the Stadium itself. Fringed on both sides by the Indian Ocean, it is one of the most picturesque grounds in Sri Lanka with competition coming from Asgiriya and
perhaps now, the Dambulla International Stadium. Tony Greig in his commentaries praises this venue to the hilt. With the Dutch Fort in the background and the two sea-side views it is indeed picturesque and gives one the sense of 'openness' which other grounds like the MCG for instance or even Eden Gardens in Kolkatta (Calcutta) do not give the cricketer out there in the middle or the spectator.
By Pelham Juriansz
The Galle Stadium four months ago. One of the ground and the other taken from the Galle Ramparts.
The million dollar question is "Will it be ready for the English tour in October?"
I vaguely remember my first glimpse of the Galle International Stadium (well in those days it was simply the Galle Esplanade or the ground on which 'Big Matches' like the Richmond- Mahinda and Galle CC played their games) and its environs way back in the mid 1960's when first the Methodist Church visited and then as a family of Juriansz' we holidayed at Hikkaduwa and made the inevitable journey slightly further 'down South' to what some describe as the 'sleepy town of Galle', the southern capital of Sri Lanka.
Then in 1974 I had the opportunity of playing on this ground when playing Under 16 cricket for S. Thomas. Four months ago I made a trip 'down South' as we call it and happened to have my camera with me and took whatever my non-digital camera could take.
Well at that stage the Galle International Stadium was in a state of repair and according to the Secretary of Sri Lanka cricket, K. Mathivanan, the Stadium should be ready for the Series against England in October. Well, to put the record straight we have heard this kind of story before when the SLC President, Jayantha Dharmadasa said that the Stadium would be ready for the South African series last year. The South Africans came and went and nothing happened at the Stadium. Shane Warne was blamed for not delivering the goods. In other words he had promised a certain sum of money that never materialised. A good enough scapegoat considering the fact that a certain bottle-loving individual is in charge of the funds down South.
Anyway never mind. The cricket out there goes on despite the fact that Bedi is throwing googlies' at Murali, and Murali on the other hand despite having been robbed of bowling at his favourite venue has crossed the 700 barrier, only the second time this has been achieved in the history of the game. No mean feat. After all Shane Warne too has fond memories of this ground having captured his 500th scalp here.
Let's get back to the Stadium itself. Fringed on both sides by the Indian Ocean, it is one of the most picturesque grounds in Sri Lanka with competition coming from Asgiriya and perhaps now, the Dambulla International Stadium. Tony Greig in his commentaries praises this venue to the hilt. With the Dutch Fort in the background and the two sea-side views it is indeed picturesque and gives one the sense of 'openness' which other grounds like the MCG for instance or even Eden Gardens in Kolkatta (Calcutta) do not give the cricketer out there in the middle or the spectator.
The unique feature of the ground is that one has many vantage points and the match out in the centre could be seen from high up on the Dutch Fort itself which on a clear day is a beautiful sight indeed. One for Poets and artists! With the Indian ocean visible on two sides of the ground and the famous clock tower of the 16th-century Dutch fort towering above, Galle's international stadium was one of the most scenic venues in the world, until it was devastated - along with the entire Southern coast of Sri Lanka - by the terrible tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004.
For a time, the future of the venue was in some doubt - especially given the political schisms that had formed at boardroom level in Sri Lanka's cricket administration - but thanks to international support from such luminaries as Ian Botham and Shane Warne (the latter has still to come up with anything concrete) who had taken his 500th Test wicket on the ground earlier that year in 2004, a pledge was made to rebuild the ground from scratch. Until the disaster, Galle had been something of a Sri Lankan stronghold, with six wins and two defeats in 11 matches, the majority of these engineered by Muttiah Muralitharan, who had taken 87 wickets in those games.
First Test in 1998
This ground hosted its first match on 29 February 1984 and Test cricket was first played on the ground on 3 June 1998. The ground favours spin bowling thus the phenomenal success of spin wizard Muthiah Muralitharan. Consequently Sri Lanka has won six of the 11 Tests played here. As mentioned earlier Shane Warne took his record-breaking 500th Test wicket here in March 2004.
The ground was devastated by the tsunami resulting from the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Sri Lanka cricket first announced that they planned to rebuild the ground by August 2006, in time for South Africa's tour then but a year later one is left to wonder the folly of empty promises.
The cost to reconstruct may be as high as $4 million. The ground is now scheduled to be ready for use when England tours here in October 2007. Seeing is believing!
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