UP Cricket Association, E/23, Ashram Building, PO HN Shastri Nagar, Kamla Nagar, Township, Kanpur - 208 005 (Phone: 0512 - 2240933/2218076)
Also or formerly known as Modi Stadium
Established 1945
Capacity 45,000
Floodlights Yes
End names Mill Pavilion End, Hostel End
Home team(s) Uttar Pradesh
Other sports Football
Curator Shivkumar
Current local time 08:00, Sun Jul 06, 2008 (UTC +0530)
External links Weather
Constructed in one of the most polluted cities in India, Kanpur's Green Park
stadium, situated close to the river Ganges, accommodates 39,255 - mostly uncovered - spectators. Established in 1945, the ground, which has seen frequent changes, lacks the tradition which some of the other premier Test grounds boast of. Its floodlights are slung low, and were used for the first time last year in a Test featuring South Africa. A number of dull drawn games have been the feature of the Tests at Kanpur, thanks to lifeless pitches; this, in part, is the fault of the region's soil, for it does not encourage bounce and pace.
For long not too many fixtures were held here, until the local cricket association
prepared a ground fit for international cricket. And if the eyes and lungs can adapt
and overcome the thick smog that pervades the city, the pitch is a batsmen's paradise. Mohammad Azharuddin hit the last of his three consecutive hundreds during his sensational debut. In 1986-87, Sri Lanka and India produced 1096 runs and lost only 17 wickets. In the 90s, India and West Indies produced an average of 73 runs per wicket. More recently, Shahid Afridi blitzed a 45-ball century, playing through the line and swinging across and one could sense him almost closing his eyes as he smote the ball; it was that kind of pitch.
(Rahul Bhatia)
