Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Sooriyawewa, Hambantota

The Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Sooriyawewa, Hambantota, stands as one of Sri Lanka's premier cricket venues, named after the former president who championed its construction. Built as part of the ambitious Hambantota development project, this modern facility represents Sri Lanka's commitment to developing cricket infrastructure beyond traditional centers like Colombo and Kandy. The stadium's pitch characteristics reveal fascinating insights into its playing conditions. In One Day Internationals, the venue has produced relatively modest scoring, with first innings averaging just 187.33 runs across three matches. Teams batting first have struggled significantly, winning only 33.33% of ODI encounters. The Twenty20 format tells an even more compelling story, where the average first innings score drops to 121.33 runs across three matches, with batting first proving completely unsuccessful – a 0% win rate that suggests challenging conditions for opening batsmen. These statistics indicate that the Hambantota pitch tends to favor bowlers, particularly in the crucial first innings. The low scores and poor batting-first records suggest conditions that may offer assistance to seamers early on, or perhaps spin-friendly surfaces that become increasingly difficult as matches progress. While the stadium has hosted only six international matches in available records, its strategic location in Sri Lanka's southern province and modern facilities position it as an important venue for domestic and regional cricket development, serving communities beyond the traditional cricket heartlands.