3 of the most scenic cricket stadiums

Wankhede, Eden gardens, Ferozeshah Kotla: While these cricket stadiums will resonate with the buzz of the 2011 World Cup that begins tomorrow, the trip gets into the mood with a pavilion view of the world's most stunning cricket arenas

Newlands, South Africa
The vote is unanimous for this scenic cricket stadium. Set against the backdrop of the Table Mountain, Devil's Peak and a blanket of clouds, Newlands is considered a favourite sporting arena in South Africa as well as across the world.

Newlands Cricket Ground, South Africa. Pic/AFP

The original ground witnessed its first game in 1889 where England defeated South Africa by an innings and 202 runs. The first One Day International was played in 1992 where India lost to South Africa by 6 wickets. Newlands is home to the domestic team Cape Cobras. It has witnessed many changes and today, its seating capacity is 25,000. It also hosted five World Cup matches in the 2007 edition. This ground, believed to favour spinners, is officially referred to as Sahara Park Newlands.u00a0

Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh
With the mighty Himalayas in the background, this stadium is the home ground of the Himachal Pradesh state cricket team. Snow capped mountains and pine tree vegetation make it an automatic choice for India's most scenic cricket stadium. With a capacity of 21,000, it caught the imagination of cricket fans the world cover when it hosted IPL matches. Situated at a height of 1,457m above sea level, it even hosted a tour match against an Indian Board's XI in 2005. The steady breeze that comes in from the mountains aids seam bowling on this pitch.

Adelaide Oval, Australia
Established in 1871, this picturesque stadium, with a seating capacity of 40,000 is a favourite among Australia's sporting-crazed spectators. It boasted of crowds up to 50,962 for a Bodyline series Test in 1932! Sir Don Bradman made the highest score ever at the ground in the 1931-32 series against South Africa while in the same Test Clarrie Grimmett collected fourteen wickets. Home to domestic team Southern Redbacks, the stadium stands in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide. The arrangement here favours batsmen who play square of the wicket and is overall, a batsmen's paradise. The famous Hill, created in 1898 was made from earth extracted from the banks of the Torrens River.

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