A cricket ground in Radella, Nuwara Eliya has been redeveloped for national level cricket and will be used for training by the Sri Lanka Cricket team ahead of their tour of New Zealand.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said that a practice game was played at the Radella Cricket Ground in Nuwara Eliya to determine its suitability for national level cricket.
The redevelopment work of the ground commenced following the consent given by SLC Member Club Dimbula Athletic and Cricket Club, the facility’s owners, to use it for national team training.
Following this, a 20-member, highly experienced ground management team headed by Godfrey Dabrera, Manager, International Venues and Facilities of the SLC, worked across a few weeks to restore the ground to make it suitable for national team training.
The ground is now equipped with 4 center turf wickets and 5 newly laid practice turf wickets, as well as other facilities, to enable the successful conduct of the training sessions.
The national team will travel to Radella on the 16th of February to commence a week-long training session before its departure to New Zealand, as Radella has conditions similar to New Zealand.
The Radella Cricket Ground, built in 1856, is situated 4200 feet above sea level and is the only high-elevation cricket ground that can be utilized for national level cricket training in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka will be touring New Zealand to play two Tests, three ODIs and as many T20Is in March 2023. Ahead of the all-important tour, the Sri Lankan team will be training at the Radella Cricket ground, which is situated 4,200 feet above sea level in Nuwara Eliya.
The stadium which was built in 1856 has been renovated and is now ready for the national team to train in, according to Sri Lanka Cricket. The SLC further stated that it is the only high-elevation cricket ground that can be utilized for national-level cricket training in Sri Lanka.
The renovation work of the ground began after permission was given by SLC Member Club, Dimbula Athletic and Cricket Club, the facility’s owners, to use it for national team training.
The Sri Lankan team will travel to Radella on the 16th of February and will train for a week over there before leaving for New Zealand as Radella has similar conditions to New Zealand.
The SLC further revealed that last week, a practice game was also played at the ground to determine its suitability for national-level cricket.
The upcoming tour of New Zealand is extremely important for Sri Lanka as they’re in contention to qualify for the final of the World Test Championship 2023.
They need to win both the Tests against the Kiwis and hope that India whitewashes Australia by 4-0 in the ongoing Test series or the series gets drawn 2-2. Any of the two scenarios will clear the path for Sri Lanka to seal a place in the WTC final.
If they manage to do so, it will be a historic achievement for the Island nation which also won the Asia Cup last year.
