Established in 1986-87, the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium is located in Centurion, Gauteng in South Africa. 

Originally named Centurion Park, the stadium was renamed SuperSport Park after South African-based television channel company SuperSport bought shares of the stadium. The venue is the home of the Northern Transvaal team in domestic cricket. 

The stadium has a seating capacity of 22,000 spectators and has played host to 26 Test matches to date. South Africa have won 21, drawn three and lost two Tests at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium. 

The first-ever Test match at the SuperSport Park was held in 1995 between England and South Africa. However, the match ended in a draw after rain played spoilsport throughout the course of the match. 

In December 2010, Sachin Tendulkar scored his 50th Test hundred at the venue in the first Test of the 2010-11 Test series between India and South Africa. 

Since December 2018, SuperSport Park has hosted the majority of Boxing Day Tests in South Africa. 

SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium Test records

Highest team total: South Africa’s 621 runs against Sri Lanka in December 2020 is the highest Test score at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium. Riding on Faf du Plessis’ 199, the Proteas reached the mammoth total in reply to Sri Lanka’s first innings score of 396 in the first of the two-match Test series. Sri Lanka could not recover from there on as they lost the Test match by an innings and 45 runs. 

Lowest team total: England’s 101 all-out against South Africa in 2016 is the lowest Test score by a team at the SuperSport Park. Chasing a target of 382 for victory in the fourth innings, England were bundled out for the paltry score as none of their batters went past the 25-run mark. South Africa won the Test match by a huge margin of 280 runs. 

Most runs: Former South African cricketer Hashim Amla with 1356 runs is the leading run-scorer at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Test cricket. Amla has a staggering average of 76 at the venue which includes as many as five hundreds and eight fifties. 

Highest individual score: Hashim Amla’s 208 against West Indies in 2014 is the highest individual score in Tests at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. Timing the ball crisply right from the onset, Amla decimated the West Indian bowling attack as South Africa posted 552 runs in the first innings of the first Test. The West Indian team were bowled out for 131 after being asked to follow on at 201. South Africa won the match by an innings and 220 runs, their third-largest margin of victory in Test cricket. 

Most wickets: Dale Steyn with 59 wickets in 10 Test matches has picked up the most number of wickets at the SuperSport Park Stadium in Centurion. The speedster has four five-wicket and one 10-wicket haul to his name at the venue with a wicket every 32nd ball he has bowled. Steyn registered his best bowling figures of 6/34 at the venue against West Indies in 2014.     

Best bowling figures: Kyle Abbott’s 7/29 against Pakistan in 2013 is the best bowling figures at the Centurion. The right-arm pacer made the best use of the bowling conditions on offer as Pakistan were bundled out for 156 in reply to South Africa’s first innings score of 409. Abbott’s heroics enabled the Proteas to win the match by an innings and 18 runs and seal the three-match Test series 3-0. 

SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium first-class records

Highest team total: Lions’ 609-all out against Titans in Sunfoil series in 2016 is the highest team total at the SuperSport Park in Centurion in first-class cricket. Batting first, The Lions at one stage were reduced to 156-5 before centuries from Dwaine Pretorius (118) and Bjorn Fortuin (116) took them to the mighty total. In the end, the match ended in a draw as the Lions failed to dismiss Titans in the second innings after imposing a follow on at 230. 

Lowest team total: Titans’ 57 all-out against Knights in 2016 is the lowest team total at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. 

Highest partnership: Dean Elgar and Rilee Rossouw’s 480 run-stand against Titans in 2010 is the highest partnership in first-class cricket at the venue. The duo put on a record stand for the second wicket and broke the then held record for the highest partnership for any wicket in South Africa’s domestic cricket. 

Highest individual score: Eagles’ batter Rilee Rossouw’s 319 against the Titans in 2010 is the highest score at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in first-class cricket. The southpaw reached the triple hundred landmark in 276 balls smashing 47 fours and eight sixes in the innings. 

Best bowling figures: Natal B bowler Ant Botha’s 8/53 is the best bowling figures in first-class cricket at Centurion. Botha achieved the feat back in 1998 against Northerns B.

Author: Kaustubh Potdar

Featured photo: Stephane De Sakutin / AFP