Dambulla to return as international venue

Thursday, 13 June 2013 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

ESPNCricinfo: International men’s cricket will return to Dambulla International Stadium in November after a three-year hiatus, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has said.

The stadium is built on lands owned by the nearby Buddhist temple and the hiatus partly resulted from a disagreement between SLC and the clergy, who believed the sale of alcohol and tobacco at the venue was a breach of the lease agreement.

The SLC release said the board had had discussions with senior Buddhist clergy and come to an understanding on the use of the venue. Dambulla had hosted day/night matches in the past but because the stadium floodlights now fall short of the minimum standards required by ICC, it will only host day matches in the near future.

“It was suggested at the executive committee meeting to upgrade or reinstall a new floodlight system as per new ICC regulations in the future by SLC,” the release said. “Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket stadium will host one New Zealand ODI in November 2013.” New Zealand were involved in the last series that was played at Dambulla as well, where they and India were beaten by Sri Lanka.

The stadium has in the past been a valuable asset to SLC, as it is located in Sri Lanka’s dry-zone, which is less susceptible to bad weather during the monsoon seasons. The stadium had hosted a three-match ODI series between West Indies Women and Sri Lanka Women in February this year.