Having hosted a solitary men’s T20I in February 2017 and just nine T20s since 2009, Kardinia Park, also known as Simonds Stadium, in Geelong, will be one of the two hosts of the first-round matches.
Kardinia Park will host the first match — between Sri Lanka and Namibia — on October 16, followed by one between UAE and Netherlands the same day. A total of six first-round matches will be held here in three days.
As Kardinia Park is mainly used for Australian rules football, it is narrower than most cricketing venues. The drop-in pitch is laid down at an angle, making it easier for batters to score boundaries behind square.
Scoring runs at Kardinia Park is not easy as it has the lowest run rate (7.89) in T20s among all venues in Australia. Fast bowlers thrive here, averaging just over 22, while spinners can be economical.
TRIVIA
Situated in the city of Geelong, an hour’s drive from Melbourne, Kardinia Park, with a capacity of 36,000, is the largest Australian stadium outside a capital city. It hosted the Dalai Lama in 2002 for a ceremony and was visited by the spiritual leader again in 2007. The ground is also home to Australia captain Aaron Finch, who led the Aussies to their first-ever T20 World Cup title in 2021.
STATS (ALL T20S)
| Batting first team won | 3 |
| Batting second team won | 6 |
| Highest team score | 196/3 (Perth Scorchers vs Melbourne Stars) |
| Lowest team score | 105 (Melbourne Renegades vs Sydney Sixers) |
| Overall run rate | 7.89 |
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