Known as “The Esplande”, the Galle International Cricket Stadium is encircled by the Portuguese built fort – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Indian Ocean.
The fort was first bulit by the Portuguese rulers, but it was the Dutch who fortified it extensively in the 17th century. The cricket ground that is present now, was initially a race course built in 1876. The race course became a cricket stadium, officially in 1927, with the first turf being laid out in 1945. It hosted its first Test match in 1998.
The boxing day tsunami in 2004 left the stadium in debris and the future of the stadium was bleak. But thanks to Shane Warne and Sir Ian Botham, the stadium was re-built amidst concerns being expressed by various organisations about the possibility of losing the World Heritage site status.
This ground now, is the most favorable Test venue for Sri Lanka, with the first match of every Test series being played at Galle. Adorned by the Galle fortress in the backdrop and the Indian Ocean on both sides, it is one of the most picturesque stadiums in the world.
Sri Lanka is the third youngest Test playing team. The first and the second are Zimbabwe and Bangladesh respectively.
After being awarded Test status in 1981, Sri Lanka have beaten all Test sides, with most of their victories coming against Bangladesh and the least – 1 coming against Australia. However, Sri Lanka is yet to record a Test win in India and Australia.
The Royal-Thomian encounter, dubbed as the “battle of the blues”, is the second oldest cricket series, only behind the annual fixture between St Peter’s College, Adelaide and Prince Alfred College played since 1878. The battle of the blues which has been played since 1879, is older than The Ashes.
The series is played annually, across three days and attracts island wide attention. Playing in the big match encounter is considered as one of the most prestigious moment in a Royalist’s or Thomian’s career.
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