Inaugural home venues of the 10 Test playing nations
It is nearly 140 years since the first international Test match was played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground between hosts Australia, and England. Since then, Test cricket has gone through a huge transformation, and as many as 10 Test nations are currently playing under the affiliation of the International Cricket Council.
Often referred to as the “Home of Cricket”, the Lord’s Cricket Ground has hosted 133 Test matches, the most by any venue. But the Lord’s did not host the first ever Test match on English soil, another ground in London, The Oval, staged England’s first home match in Test cricket.
Let us have a look at the venues which hosted the inaugural international Test match of each Test playing nation:
#1 Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, 1877 (Australia vs England)
Match count: 109
Probably the most iconic cricket ground till date, the Melbourne Cricket Ground boasts of hosting the first ever international cricket match and is still the largest cricket stadium in the world with a capacity of 100,000. It was in the year 1877, that Australia faced off with England in the first ever Test match with Aussie opener Charles Bannerman scoring the first ever century.
Bannerman was unbeaten on 165 when he retired hurt after he injured his index finger with the team’s total at 240 for the loss of 7 wickets. A low scoring match, the hosts outplayed the Englishmen and won the Test match by 45 runs.
The MCG has so far hosted 109 Tests, second only to The Lord’s, which has witnessed 133 matches. Apart from Tests, the mammoth stadium witnessed the first ever One-Day International match in 1971 against their old rivals. The Melbourne Cricket Ground has also hosted two Cricket World Cup finals, one in 1992 and the other in 2015.