Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): A Test match was played between India and Pakistan in 1952, which was held at Lucknow University Ground on the banks of River Gomti. Later, ODI matches were played in 1989 and an India-Sri Lanka Test match in 1994 was played in the KD Singh Babu Stadium. Exactly 25 years later, in 2018, the first T20 International was played between India and West Indies at the Atal Bihari Bajpai Ekana Stadium here. In this way, Lucknow has a rich history of cricket.
The Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium here will host the five matches in the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2023. The first match will be played between Australia and South Africa on October 12. The match between defending champions England and India will be played on October 29.
Pakistan clashed for the first time in Lucknow: The second Test match of the series in 1952 was played between India and Pakistan at the University Ground here. India lost to Pakistan by an inning. Nazar Mohammad, father of former Pakistan player Mudassar Nazar, had scored a century here.
International cricket returned in 1989: International cricket returned to Lucknow's KD Singh Babu Stadium in 1989. Then Sri Lanka and Pakistan reached Lucknow for the Nehru Cup. Pakistan was led by the charismatic Imran Khan. Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka in a thriller, which was watched by a huge crowd.
India defeated Sri Lanka in a Test: In 1994, a Test was played between India and Sri Lanka. In this match at the KD Singh Babu Stadium, India defeated Sri Lanka by an innings within four days. Sachin Tendulkar and Navjot Singh Sidhu scored centuries whereas Anil Kumble took 11 wickets in the match (both innings combined).
When the England team had spread its magic: The three-day match between the Board President's XI and England was played at the KD Singh Babu Stadium in 1993. Navjot Singh Sidhu, Vinod Kambli, Rahul Dravid, Rajesh Chauhan, Mike Gatting and Graham Gooch showed their talent in the game.
The KD Singh Babu Stadium is now a thing of the past and international cricket returned to Ekana in 2018. A T20 International was played between West Indies and India. India defeated the West Indies. Rohit Sharma had scored a brilliant century. Since 2018, international matches have been held at Ekana. Since last year, Indian Premier League matches have also started in Lucknow.
A wave of happiness among Lucknow residents: Vikas Srivastava, who has been umpiring for a long time, says that this is a matter of good fortune for Lucknow. "Such a good stadium is in Lucknow and World Cup matches will be held here. The KD Singh Babu Stadium was not up to the mark. Hence, Ekana has been chosen," he said.
Another umpire Kuldeep said that organising the World Cup is a big opportunity for the young cricketers of Lucknow. Through these matches, new international cricketers may emerge from Uttar Pradesh.
