Brian Lara Cricket Academy: A Complete Guide
Introduction
Brian Lara Cricket Academy was inaugurated in 2017 and is a multi-purpose stadium located in Tarouba, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. This stadium is mostly used for cricket matches. BLCA is titled with the former West Indies cricket captain Brian Lara. In this stadium, over 15000 people can sit and watch the match. The north and south ends are present at this venue. The maximum boundary at this stadium is somewhere between 70 and 72 meters and the shortest one is between 60 and 63 meters long. It is one of the high-scoring cricket grounds and is well known as a batting paradise due to its hard and bouncy surface.
This cricket ground allows the ball to easily come to the bat and makes the shots easier for batters. It will become easy for spinners in the later stages because they will get some help from the pitch. This pitch was initially introduced to host warm-up matches during the World Cup in 2007. After that, it served as a cricket academy once the tournament ended. This stadium has hosted 4 T20 World Cup 2024 and hosted the semi-final match that happened between South Africa and Afghanistan.
Ground name- Brian Lara Cricket Academy
Introduced in- 2007
Situated- Tarouba, Trinidad, West Indies
Capacity- 15000
Shortest boundary- 60 meters
Longest boundary- 72 meters
Floodlights- Yes
Bowling ends- North and South
Pitch behaviour- Batting pitch
Own and Run by Government of Trinidad and Tobago
First T20I- 29 July 2022 (West Indies vs India)
First WODI- 11 October 2017 (West Indies vs Sri Lanka)
Brian Lara Cricket Academy stats and records
The average score of the first innings at this stadium is 161 and the highest total at this stadium in a T20 match is 267/3, which is made by England against the home team named West Indies.
Overview of the stats
Total matches- 7
Average score of 1 innings- 161
Average score of 2 innings- 140
Matches triumph by batting first- 3
Matches triumph by bowling first- 4
Highest total- 267/3 by ENG vs WI
Lowest total- 132/10 by ENG vs WI
Highest score chased by- RSAW vs WIW (156/7)
Lowest score chased by WI vs IND (149/6)
Development and expansion: Brian Lara Cricket Academy
The BLCA was appointed in 2004 by the government of Trinidad and Tobago with the help of a state company named UDeCOTT. This stadium is considered to provide a top-notch sporting venue for the venue named 2007 Cricket World Cup. It received the brown package of matches and Queens Park Oval was used as the primary venue. In order to prepare this stadium for the World Cup, the facility had to be prepared by February 2007. The problem of design and construction kept pushing the completion date further along with increasing construction costs.
The delays increased the costs of ground and had become one of the most controversial infrastructure projects started in the city. The opening cost was assessed to be TT$$257 Million due to delays and an increase in the prices of the materials within 2 years costs to TT$700 million in 2009. Further, the cricket ground was finally opened in 2017 at the cost of TT$ 1 billion.
What types of other sports does BLCA host?
As this stadium is situated on 180 acres of farmland in Tarouba, it hosts several other sports. BLCA was designed by a United States architectural firm named Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum. The complex contains an Indoor gymnasium, a School for the training of athletes, an Olympic-sized velodrome, An aquatic centre, and a large car park. It serves as a training facility for cricketers and has four indoor cricket training pitches. All the pitches are boasted with computerised biometrics technology to measure the performance of an athlete. It includes 2-full length run-up pitches for fast bowlers along with a concessionaires’ area. Spectators can easily watch the session from their stadium seats. This stadium also has a separate area for the media industry such as print, radio, and television.
Some facts and figures of BLCA Cricket stadium: Brian Lara Cricket Academy
- The Brian Lara Academy stadium has hosted 8 T20I matches.
- England holds the record for the highest total at this venue with a total score of 267/3 in 5 match series against West Indies in 2023.
- Phil Salt holds the record for the highest individual score at this venue with a score of 119 runs off just 55 deliveries.
- Phil Salt has the record for the most run at this stadium with 157 runs.
- Alzarri Joseph’s is the best bowling figure against New Zealand for 4/19.
- Tim Southee holds the record for most wickets at this venue with a total of 7 wickets in 3 games.
Final words
BLCA is indeed one of the most beautiful cricket stadiums in the world. It is named after Brian Lara, the legendary West Indies Cricketer who holds numerous records as an International cricketer. This stadium serves as a premier venue for cricket matches in the Caribbean. It boasts modern facilities such as player dressing rooms, VIP lounges, media facilities and many more. This stadium hosts both domestic and international cricket matches.
