After the T20 World Cup 2021, New Zealand will tour India, and during that tour, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium in Lucknow is all set to host a Test match for the first time in over 28 years.
The match versus Sri Lanka at the KD Singh Babu Stadium in January 1994 is so far the only Test match held in the “City of Nawabs”. After the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium was renovated in 2016, the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) has been staging first-class matches in the new venue. The stadium was previously known as Ekana Cricket Stadium before being renamed Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium.
The stadium held its maiden international match on November 6, 2018, a Twenty20 International (T20I) between India and the West Indies. Rohit Sharma became the first cricketer to make four hundred in T20Is in the match.
According to a report published by TOI, the BCCI has already decided on the venues for the 2-match Test series in November this year, with the other match scheduled to take place at Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium. Following the Test series, a three-match T20I series will also be played between the finalists of the World Test Championship 2019-21. After returning from a tour of South Africa in late January, India will host Sri Lanka in a two-match Test series and three Twenty20 Internationals in February and March 2022.
Lucknow was shortlisted as a venue for the T20 World Cup: BCCI Official
According to reports, the BCCI believes Lucknow has the potential to become a significant cricketing hub, with the city also being a strong contender for an IPL franchise alongside Ahmedabad, as the BCCI is adding two more teams to the IPL starting next year.It was also stated that the board intends to expose the city to international games before the Indian Premier League’s new franchises are announced.
A BCCI official said to TOI: “The stadium has good facilities and a capacity of nearly 70,000. That’s a good deal for any IPL franchise. Like Ahmedabad, it’s important to give Lucknow exposure to marquee international matches before the IPL teams are finalized. Lucknow was also shortlisted as a venue for the T20 World Cup had it happened in India.”
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