The Melbourne Cricket Ground

The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium which is situated in **Yarra Park ** in Australia. This ground is known as the largest and the greatest ever sports stadium in Australia. It is even known as the premier sporting venue in Australia. The playing area is 172.9 meter long and 147.8 meter wide. It has floodlights which were installed since 1985. Its home teams are Australia and Victoria. Further, sports which are played here at the stadium are football, rugby, soccer, lawn bowls and even squash. The curator of this ground is Tony Ware.

This stadium holds the world record for having the highest light towers in the world. It is serviced by Richmond and Jolimont train stations. In an international basis, the ground is known popularly as the center piece stadium of the Summer Olympics in 1956 and for the ‘Commonwealth Games’ held in 2006. This is an open air stadium which is known to be one of the most popular cricket venues in the world.

History of the stadium

The Melbourne Cricket Ground was built in 1853. It was built when at that time **Melbourne Cricket Club ** was only 15 year old. This club was forced by the Government to move from its site as the route of the first steam train in Australia was being constructed. The train was to pass through the oval. So, since that time itself, this ground has seen and witnessed lots of redevelopments and renovations. Its last redevelopment was in 2006. The seating capacity of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is around 100, 000 which comprises of 95,000 seats and around 5,000 standing room spaces. With six massive light towers that were built in 1984, they almost stand 75 meters high.

Records and Statistics

The first test match played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was between Australia and England in 1877. In 2008, the ground was used for playing the last test match which was played between South Africa and Australia team.

The first ODI was being played in 1971 between Australia and England. The last recorded ODI was played between Australia and New Zealand team in 2009.

With right to Twenty20 matches, the first match was played in 2008 between the teams of Australia and India. The last recorded Twenty20 match held here was in February 2009 between South Africa and Australia.

Entertainment

Melbourne Cricket Ground is also a super stage in Australia and traditionally, it has offered some of the great live drama shows. These shows have even thrilled millions of viewers worldwide. Some of the memorable events held were the Olympic Games, Test Cricket, the Commonwealth Games and even the Australian Football’s Grand Final.

Apart from its sporting events, the ground has even witnessed lots blockbuster music concerts. People from all over Australia, and also from all parts of the world, speak respectfully about this ground, which is well known as any other stadium in the world.

Tours

There are even tours which are held to offer a treasure trove of cricket history and some of the unforgettable experiences. The highlights of the tour are a visit to the long room, Bill Lawry Cricket Center, MCC Museum, the viewing rooms of the Melbourne Cricket Ground and a walk on the entire area. Such tours depart every afternoon in a daily basis.