Springbok Park, Chevrolet Park, Goodyear Park, and OUTsurance Oval, is a cricket oval in Bloemfontein, South Africa. It is currently used mostly for cricket matches. It is the home of the Knights cricket team. The stadium holds 20,000 people and opened in 1989.
| Ground information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa | ||||
| Coordinates | 29°7′0.04″S 26°12′18.97″E / 29.1166778°S 26.2052694°E | ||||
| Establishment | 1989 | ||||
| Capacity | 20,000 | ||||
| Owner | Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality | ||||
| Operator | Free State | ||||
| Tenants | Free State | ||||
| End names | |||||
| Loch Logan End Willows End | |||||
| International information | |||||
| First Test | 29 Oct – 1 Nov 1999: South Africa v  Zimbabwe | ||||
| Last Test | 6–10 October 2017: South Africa v  Bangladesh | ||||
| First ODI | 15 December 1992: South Africa v  India | ||||
| Last ODI | 29 January 2023: South Africa v  England | ||||
| First T20I | 8 October 2010: South Africa v Zimbabwe | ||||
| Last T20I | 26 October 2017: South Africa v Bangladesh | ||||
| Only WODI | 14 May 2018: South Africa v Bangladesh | ||||
| First WT20I | 19 May 2018: South Africa v Bangladesh | ||||
| Last WT20I | 20 May 2018: South Africa v Bangladesh | ||||
| Team information | |||||
| |||||
| As of 29 January 2023 Source: Cricinfo | |||||
History
editThe ground hosted its first one-day international in December 1992 when South Africa cruised to an eight-wicket victory over India. In October 1999 it was accorded full Test status with the visit of Zimbabwe.[1]
Early in 1994 at the ground Hansie Cronje smashed 251 with 28 fours and six sixes against the touring Australians. The ground played its part in South African Test history when, fittingly, Allan Donald, who as a Free State cricketer played many times at the ground, became the first South African to capture 300 Test wickets during the First Test against New Zealand in November 2000.[1]
In March 2003 Feiko Kloppenburg and Klaas-Jan van Noortwijk of The Netherlands scored a century in the same match as Netherlands posted their only win in 2003 Cricket World Cup against Namibia.[2]
On 7 March 2007, Irish vocal pop band Westlife held a concert for The Love Tour supporting their album The Love Album.
This was the stadium where Colin Ingram scored his maiden ODI century in his first international match, the first South African to score a century on his ODI debut.[3]
Springbok Park boasts some of the best lights in the country and is regularly used for day/night matches, when the grassy banks become colourfully filled with spectators and a carnival atmosphere prevails. It is just 10 minutes walk from the city centre, with Bloemfontein coach station adjacent to the ground.[1]
A naming rights arrangement saw the ground renamed Goodyear Park due to sponsorship by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company until the 2007/08 season when it was renamed the OUTsurance Oval. It has since been renamed again as Mangaung Oval.[citation needed]
Zimbabwe are scheduled to play South Africa in a one-off test in March 2024.[citation needed]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Mangaung Oval". Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- ^ "39th Match, Bloemfontein, Mar 3 2003, ICC World Cup". Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- ^ "South Africa v Zimbabwe 2010-11". CricketArchive. Retrieved 4 November 2020.