Photo Credit: Wikipedia Photo
There’s plenty more T20 action coming to the St George’s Park Cricket Stadium after the successful hosting of SA20 matches featuring the local Sunrisers team.
This time it will be the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, with the first ball due to be bowled at the iconic stadium in less than a fortnight.
Fans will find that the stadium has a completely new look for the tournament, but that the action and entertainment will once again have them clapping their hands, stomping their feet and dancing in the aisles, says Dr Mark Williams, Chair of the Nelson Mandela Bay Local Organizing Committee.
St George’s Park Cricket Stadium was selected as one of just three venues for the tournament – the other two being Cape Town and Paarl.
“To have been selected as one of only three cities to host this tournament proves that St George’s Park is not only a first-class cricket stadium, but that we are a first-class city with the necessary infrastructure to host international sporting events.
“It is another chapter in the St George’s history of cricket transformation. In 1960 the stadium hosted the first international cricket match involving South Africa women, when they played a test against England, which ended in a draw.
“In 2023, the action will be much faster and the crowd will be treated to spectacular boundaries as the teams play off the pitch prepared by our world-class grounds team.
“They have been working day and night after the SA20 to ensure that St George’s Park Cricket Stadium remains a sought-after venue for local and international matches and series,” says Williams
The first ICC Women’s T20 World Cup match will be played in Cape Town on Friday 10th February when South Africa meet Sri Lanka.
Williams urges local cricket lovers to bring their families to be part of the action.
“You don’t want to miss the opportunity of seeing the world’s top women cricketers in action.
“Women’s sport is one of the fastest growing sectors in the sports industry. Cricket, in particular, has seen tremendous support from stakeholders across the world.
“Locally, we have a number of promising schoolgirls who are provincial and Proteas players of the future.
“We look forward to hosting fans and teams from across the world and are sure the residents of the Nelson Mandela Bay will come out and show their support,” he adds.
The fixtures for St George’s Park are as follows:
14TH FEBRUARY Australia vs Bangladesh 19:00
16th FEBRUARY Sri Lanka vs Australia 15:00
18TH FEBRUARY England vs India 15:00
South Africa vs Australia 19:00
20th FEBRUARY India vs Ireland 15:00
A double header derby on Saturday 18th February will see the top four women’s teams in action.
The clash between South Africa and Australia at 19:00 will be the not-to-be-missed duel of the tournament.
Tickets for the matches are available on www.ticketpros.co.za and at the stadium ticket office (09:00-16:00) weekdays.
