Kensington Oval Stadium: Pitch Report – Bowling and Batting, Records & Stats

Kensington Oval is a historic international cricket venue located in Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies. The ground was established in 1871, making it one of the oldest cricket venues. It is one of the major cricket grounds in the Caribbean, regularly hosting major international matches. Kensington Oval stands as a monument to the West Indian cricketing heritage spanning centuries.

Location and Facts

The city is Bridgetown in Barbados, West Indies, located off the coast of the Caribbean island nation. The ground was established in 1871 when cricket was a separate sport from the modern game. It has a capacity of around twenty-eight thousand spectators for international cricket matches and events. The ground is named after the legendary bowlers, Malcolm Marshall End and Joel Garner End.

These legendary West Indies bowlers made Kensington Oval their home during their playing careers. Today, the ground regularly hosts Test matches, One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals.

Pitch Report for Bowling and Batting

General Pitch Characteristics

The Kensington Oval pitch in Barbados is balanced but also suitable for batting. It offers good bounce and carry while also giving seamers some help early on. This surface helps fast bowlers initially and then helps batsmen settle in early on who hold on early.

This surface generally favours batsmen once they have settled in with consistent pace and bounce. Batsmen can rely on bounce and play their shots with confidence from the crease position. Early sessions when the ball is fresh can help fast bowlers with seam movement.

As the match progresses, the wicket becomes medium and allows spinners to have an impact. This is especially true in the longer format where the pitch deteriorates over five days. Spinners should rely on variety and clever bowling rather than taking too much natural turn.

Format-Wise Pitch Behaviour

Test Matches at Kensington Oval

The surface is balanced but good for high scores when batsmen apply themselves properly. Batsmen often make big scores after bowling first with the new ball. Teams batting first can score over 400 runs in their first innings here.

The bowlers can be helped by the new ball and spinners contribute when the pitch is weak. The first hour of each day is important for bowlers to strike early. Later sessions suit batsmen who can take advantage of the consistently flat surface.

Teams batting first have won 18 matches while teams bowling first have won 20 matches. This historically suggests a slight advantage for teams bowling first at Kensington Oval.

One Day Internationals

The pitch is balanced for bat and ball and the average score is around the mid-200s. Teams batting first can usually score in the range of 220 to 250. Teams batting second can also find success if they get off to a good start in the Powerplay overs.

Both teams batting first and batting second have won at Kensington, reflecting the balanced conditions. The pitch is not conducive to batting first or chasing in ODI cricket. This balance has made for exciting ODI cricket at Kensington Oval over the years.

T20 Internationals

This pitch is also balanced for T20, and even by the standards of the shorter format. This batting track is not easy compared to other T20 venues. Teams often make competitive scores in the 140 to 160 range at Kensington.

Both fast bowlers and spinners can influence games depending on the match situation and conditions. Bowlers who bowl smart cricket can stop the batsmen here even on good surfaces. In T20, teams batting first have a better win ratio than teams bowling first.

Records and Statistics at Kensington Oval

Test Cricket Records

About 56 Test matches have been played at Kensington Oval since the inception of international cricket. The average first innings score here in Test cricket is 331 runs. This shows that the pitch consistently provides good batting conditions for teams batting first.

West Indies have declared the highest team score of 749 runs for 9 wickets against England. West Indies have registered this huge Test score here by batting with patience and power. This innings total is the highest ever in Test cricket at Kensington.

England’s lowest team score in a Test against West Indies is 77 runs. England completely failed to cope with the West Indies’ pace bowling. This is the lowest score ever in Test cricket at this stadium.

Hanif Mohammad’s highest individual score for Pakistan in Tests is 337. Hanif batted with extraordinary concentration and skill during his long innings at Kensington. His 337 runs at this ground are the highest individual scores in Test cricket.

The best bowling figures in an innings are 8 wickets for 38 runs by Lance Gibbs for West Indies. Gibbs destroyed the opposition batting line-up with precision and skill while spinning the ball. His figures in the Test at Kensington were the best in a bowling performance in an innings.

The best bowling figures in a match are 11 wickets for 120 runs by Malcolm Marshall for West Indies. Marshall achieved this feat with pace and aggression throughout the entire Test match at home. His figures of 11 wickets at Kensington Oval in Tests are unmatched.

The record for the most successful chase by the West Indies against Australia is 311 for 9. The West Indies chased the target with great batting depth and determination under pressure.

One Day International Statistics

Since the inception of One Day Cricket, about 53 ODI matches have been played at Kensington Oval. The average first innings score in ODI cricket here is 226 runs. The average second innings score is 198 runs which shows that chasing is a bit difficult.

The highest ODI score at Kensington is 364 runs for 4 wickets by England against West Indies. England’s batting lineup fired on all cylinders to register this huge ODI score. The innings showed how flat the pitch can be for limited overs cricket.

The lowest ever ODI team score by Ireland in an ODI against Australia is 91 runs. Ireland completely failed to cope with the Australian bowling on a helpful surface. This is the lowest ever ODI score at Kensington Oval in international cricket.

The highest score chased is 364 runs for 4 wickets which is the same as the highest total. This chase shows that big targets can be hunted at Kensington Oval.

Read More: Adelaide Oval Stadium: Pitch Report – Bowling and Batting, Records & Stats

T20 International Records

Since the inception of T20 cricket at Kensington Oval, around 53 T20I matches have been played. The average first innings score in T20 cricket at Kensington is around 140 runs. The average second innings score is around 128 runs, which shows that batting first has an advantage.

The highest team score in T20I is 224 for 5 by West Indies against England. After making such a huge T20 score at Kensington, West Indies’ power hitters dominated the bowling. This innings showed how T20 cricket produces aggressive stroke play on a good surface.

The lowest team score of 43 runs by the West Indies women’s team against the England women’s team is. The West Indies women’s team was completely unable to cope with the England bowling on a helpful surface. This is the lowest T20I score recorded at this historic cricket venue today.

England chased down their biggest T20I total of 183 for 2 against West Indies. England showcased their batting depth and power hitting ability to chase down the target. This is the biggest successful T20I chase ever at the Kensington Oval Cricket Ground.