Surat to make international debut by hosting women’s T20I series against South Africa
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Surat’s Lalabhai Contractor Stadium has finally been awarded international status by the BCCI as it is all set to host the five T20Is between India and South Africa’s women's teams. The stadium was founded more than 30 years ago but was renovated in 2009 to prepare it for international games.
After constant requests to the BCCI for over a decade, the governing body of cricket in the nation has decided to grant the Surat District Cricket Association’s request by letting its stadium host international matches. It has been confirmed as the venue for the T20I series between Indian women’s cricket team and South Africa women’s cricket team.Â
The five match series will span from the 25th of September to the fifth of October and will be preceded by a couple of warm up games. The women will be touring the country at the same time as the male team, and will also play an ODI series in Baroda after the T20Is though it won’t be a part of the Women’s Championships.
The construction of the stadium was started in the late 1980s in honour of one of the founders of the Bombay Cricket Association after whom the stadium has been named. The stadium has been hosting the odd-first class game since as long ago as 1993, when it played host to its first Ranji game. Last season, the match between Gujarat and Karnataka took the stadium’s tally to 23 first-class games.
In 2009, the stadium was revamped and two state of the art pavilions were built apart from floodlights for a whooping cost of 8,000 crores, The changes were brought to the 8,000 seater stadium to make sure it had all the amenities to host international ties.
