ICC World Twenty20 Venues
The river Thames separates two historic cricket grounds – Lords and the Oval - in London. The ground has hosted over 90 Tests already.
This is the historic venue where the legend of the Ashes was born a couple of years after the inaugural Test, in August 1882. The sight of the iconic gas chamber behind the ground is a familiar sight for every cricket-fan around the world.
Legend has it that during World War II, the prisoners of war were kept in that chamber. The historic Oval is the ground where Sachin Tendulkar played his 100th Test and where England reclaimed the Ashes after a gap of 18 years in 2005.
It has witnessed many historic matches like the dramatic one-wicket win by England in 1902 inspired by Gilbert Jessop's hundred, and Australia's 701 in 1930 as Don Bradman (244) and Bill Ponsford (266) put on 451 for the second wicket.
Owned by the Duchy of Cornwall (who is the Prince of Wales, hence his feathers have appeared on Surrey's badge since 1915), The Oval came about in the 1790s when an oval road was laid round what was then a cabbage patch.
When a subsequent market garden failed, the land was opened as a cricket ground in 1845 after 10,000 turfs were brought in from Tooting Common. It has been Surrey's headquarters ever since, even though it has been well outside the county boundary for many years. Apart from cricket, the Oval has also staged other important sporting events including the first FA Cup final in 1872. Currently, the stadium has a capacity to hold 23,500 spectators.
London
One of the busiest cosmopolitan cities of the world, London is home to Madame Tussaud’s, London Eye and the London Bridge, amongst a host of other tourist attractions. It is often said that you can experience summer, winter and monsoon all within a span of a few hours in this city.
