Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah became the first venue to host 300 international matches. The first ever match played at the venue was the Asia Cup game between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 1984. It was an ODI match.
The first ODI between Afghanistan and Bangladesh played on 6th November 2024 was the 300th match at the iconic venue. The venue has hosted 252 ODIs, 38 T20Is and 10 Test matches.
Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) has hosted 291 matches. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) has hosted 287 matches and is third in the list.
Not many big teams have played at the venue in recent times. Pakistan has played 144 matches at Sharjah. India has played 72 matches with Sri Lanka playing 87.
It has hosted quite a few memorable matches during the 90s. Sachin Tendulkar’s legendary “Desert Strom” knock came at Sharjah in 1998. Tendulkar has most centuries at the venue; 7. Former Pakistani opener, Saeed Anwar has also scored the same number of hundreds at Sharjah.
On Sachin’s 50th Birthday in 2023, the West Stand of the venue was renamed after the legendary batter. It’s the “Sachin Tendulkar Stand”.
Players with most runs and wickets at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Pakistan’s Younis Khan has the most runs at Sharjah in tests. He has scored 603 runs in 9 matches at an average of 33.50 including 2 hundreds and 3 fifties to his name at the venue. Legendary spinner Late Shane Warne is the highest wicket-taker at the venue in tests. He has picked up 16 wickets in just two games.
Pakistan’s Inzamam ul Haq is the highest scorer at the venue in ODIs. He has 2464 runs in 59 innings at an average of 50.28 including 4 hundreds and 17 fifties. Wasim Akram has the most wickets at Sharjah; 122 wickets in 77 matches.
Afghanistan’s Mohammed Nabi leads the chart with 480 runs in 24 innings in T20Is. The highest wicket-taker in T20Is at the venue is also from Afghanistan. Rashid Khan has 27 wickets at the venue in 14 matches.
