Dubai International Cricket Stadium Pitch Report, Conditions, Matches Records

Updated on Mar 20, 2024 14:24 IST

In this article, we will talk about the Dubai International Cricket Stadium pitch report according to all Cricket formats Test, ODI, T20 and you will also get IPL pitch report for Dubai International cricket stadium (Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium).

You will also get to know about pitch and ground conditions in detail, matches records of all Cricket formats also matches records, Innings average scores of Test, ODI, T20, IPL matches, toss factor, and winning records.

Dubai International cricket stadium is majorly a multipurpose stadium in UAE. This stadium is part of Dubai Sportcity in Dubai. The plan for the structure of the stadium was proposed by architect Awsam Matloob, a native from Canada. Spectators capacity of the stadium is 25,000 and can be extended up to 30,000 at maximum. According to ICC, Dubai International Cricket Stadium is one of the most iconic cricket stadiums in UAE.

Dubai International Cricket Stadium Pitch Report

The pitch is one of the most unusual pitches in which matches are held as it is a bit rough with wide cracks at some parts aiding spin bowlers and small patches of green grass in other parts that aids pace bowlers. Overall, the brownish tinge pitch has large bare surfaces that makes batting very easy. Since it has a small boundary and very little grass on the pitch, it is very good for batsmen. The green patches might aid slow seamers in the initial days but as the days pass, the wicket gets flatter. With patience and performance, spin bowlers can be a great asset to the team in Test matches.

Dubai International Cricket Ground Test Pitch Report

Test Match Pitch Report and Toss Factor:

As the pitch is devoid of grass, the fast bowlers struggle a lot in the early days and hence the team that wins the toss at Dubai International Cricket ground usually decides to bat first to put up a winning score in the scorecard. It is a good wicket for test matches and the average 1st innings score is 450+ in Test matches. The bowlers have to be consistent and by the 2nd and 3rd innings, the footmarks of the previous day bowlers make the pitch abrasive, and the batsmen start struggling to spin bowlers which is the reason for the steep fall in the average scores. In the last innings of the test match, the bowlers will get help from the pitch, pacers will get swing due to cracks developed or dry wind flows. Spin bowlers will be great on the dry and rough pitch.

Here are the last 5 test matches average scores of all 4 Innings at Dubai Cricket Ground:

  • Test Matches 1st Innings Average Score – 467 runs
  • Test Matches 2nd Innings Average Score – 230 runs
  • Test Matches 3rd Innings Average Score – 213 runs
  • Test Matches 4th Innings Average Score – 302 runs

From the average scores in the all 4 innings of the last 5 Test matches at Dubai International Cricket ground, we can conclude that the first innings has a very high average comparatively and with each subsequent innings, the average score deteriorates. Again, in the 4th innings, batting gets easier as the wicket gets flatter.

It is evident that it is easy for batsmen to score runs on the first two days as there is lesser swing. In the fourth innings, the wicket gets much flatter, making batting easier again, but still, spin bowlers can take wickets with a good turn.

Test Matches Winning Record at Dubai International Cricket Stadium:

In the last five Test matches here, the team batting first has won every match. Of the 13 total Test matches played in the stadium, 6 matches were won by the team batting first, 3 were drawn and 4 teams managed to win by bowling first.

Dubai International Cricket Ground ODI Pitch Report

ODI Match Pitch Report and Toss Factor:

In ODI, Dubai ground pitch is batting friendly and you can get a good score in first innings, the bowl will come good on bat and batsmen will enjoy batting here in the power play of the ODI match. Spinners can also come into the play as it will dry and flat pitch and spinners will get good turn and bounce which can trouble any batsman. The team who wins the toss will decide to bat first as in the initial Innings, the flat pitch will help the openers to form or to give nice inertia to scoreboards with fine partnerships. The boundaries are not so big as which are in Australia. So, the total score of 300+ might can be achieved.

Here are last 5 ODI matches average scores of both Innings at Dubai Cricket Ground:

  • ODI Matches 1st Innings Average Score – 263 runs
  • ODI Matches 2nd Innings Average Score – 258 runs

In the case of ODI, at the Dubai International cricket stadium, the hot climate favors the most to batsmen, this helps the team who is building the scoreboard rather than a team who chase the score in second Innings.

Sometimes dew factor affects the bowler, as their deliveries don’t get the required grip for spins. Wicket mainly remains flat at late-inning, so spinners can grasp the wicket at death overs. As per records, spinners had to get wickets the most at UAE grounds. Experience majorly works for batsmen’s on such type of pitch.

In the last five ODI matches played here, the team batting first has managed to score more runs mostly but by a small margin.

ODI Matches Winning Record at Dubai International Cricket Stadium:

In the last five matches played here, 2 teams have won by batting first, 2 teams by batting second and 1 match was tied. The ball comes well on the bat and unless the batsman times the shot wrong or is in poor form, it is easy to score in the first innings.

Dubai International Cricket Ground T20 Pitch Report

T20 Match Pitch Report and Toss Factor:

In T20 Dubai Pitch is good for batting and batsmen will enjoy batting here in T20 matches. A total of 15 T20I matches were held in the month of October and November 2019, out of which 12 matches were won by teams batting first. If it is a day match, the first innings is easy for batsmen to score whereas, in the second innings, the pitch gets slow as time passes and the ball does not come easily on the bat because of which it becomes difficult for batsmen to chase the score. Interestingly not every captain who has won the toss has chosen to bat first here. This is because in day-night and night matches, depending on the weather conditions, dew makes it hard for bowlers in the second innings, and the power hitters can take this situation and turn it into an advantage.

Total no. of T20 matches played 62.

Here are last 5 T20 matches average scores of both Innings at Dubai Cricket Ground:

  • T20 Matches 1st Innings Average Score – 137 runs
  • T20 Matches 2nd Innings Average Score – 122 runs

From the average scores of the last 5 T20 matches, it is evident that the average score in the first innings is slightly higher than the second innings. In some cases, the teams batting in the second innings have managed to chase the score. A total of 62 T20I matches have been held here between 2009 and 2019, out of which 34 matches were won by teams batting first, 27 matches by teams batting second and 1 match was tied.

T20 Matches Winning Record at Dubai International Cricket Stadium:

In the last 5 T20I matches held here, all 5 teams that won the toss decided to bat first and 4 matches were won by teams batting first.

Dubai International Cricket Stadium IPL Pitch Report

IPL Match Pitch Report and Toss Factor:

The pitch will favor batsmen in case of IPL matches with occasional gain for spin bowlers. Toss hasn’t played a major factor in predicting the winning team in IPL matches so far. But it has been noticed that teams winning the toss prefer bowling first considering the effect of dew on the pitch. The 2014 season of IPL, abbreviated as IPL 7 was half held in UAE. According to pitch reports and conditions, aid that it could all come down to who plays spin better as the pitches are going to get tired with so much cricket being played on them in extremely hot conditions.

Pitch will mainly help to spin bowlers and in the second innings, it will be easier to bat on this pitch. While discussing toss in this tournament the team who wins the toss doesn’t might be that much avail the benefits as the records denote that there are 50-50 chances of winning or losing the game, because last overs, low scores, might make it easier to chase the score after losing the toss, even then only if the team who wins the toss choose to build a scoreboard.

Now this season of IPL 2021 is already delayed, but after several meets of BCCI, the IPL 2021 is scheduled in UAE will be hosted by UAE. So onwards the Dubai stadium is approached as a fine option for t20 formats.

Recently the Dubai stadium pitches maintained by Toby Lumbsden, the Head Curator of the Dubai International Stadium, works hard to ensure a pitch is suitable to produce competitive cricket and the focus will be majorly on IPL, because as last season held in 2014 had only a half, but this year 2020 the UAE is hosting the whole IPL tournament. To maintain the pitch as well as the outfield under the hot and humid conditions of Dubai isn’t an easy task it will be.

Here are last 5 IPL matches average scores of both Innings at Dubai Cricket Ground:

  • IPL Matches 1st Innings Average Score – 166 runs
  • IPL Matches 2nd Innings Average Score – 144 runs

The average scores in both innings in the last five IPL matches do not differ by a huge margin. In the recent times, the pitch conditions have changed a lot. We can look forward to the results of IPL 2021 season for a better understanding of the pitch as quite a good number of matches will be played at Dubai International Cricket Stadium this year.

IPL Matches Winning Record at Dubai International Cricket Stadium

In the total 32 IPL matches held here in 2014 and 2020, 19 matches were won by teams batting second and 10 matches by teams batting first. 3 matches were tied.

Dubai International Cricket Stadium Ground and Pitch Conditions

The nation is favored with sunny days around the whole year mainly, rainy days are quite absent. The hot and dry weather build cracks on pitches which ultimately gives the bounce and a dusty, very dry pitch will favor the spin bowling the reason is that the ball will grip more on dusty pitch-giving the team with the superior spin bowlers a significant advantage during the particular slot of duration initial or death overs.

In Test and ODI matches, the hot day and the dry flat pitch favors batting and the teams winning toss prefer to bat first. Spin bowlers can help cut down the chase in the second, third and fourth innings because the flat pitch and the footmarks cause a good spin. But in T20 and domestic limited-overs matches, dew has a great effect on teams batting second, and hence the teams winning the toss might prefer bowling first.

One side of the boundary is long and the bowlers and fielders will face a tough time on guarding the ball from scoring 2’s and 3’s.

The Dubai International Cricket Stadium is situated near the Persian Gulf. So the warm and moist air winds flow from gulf to land is obvious. The wind is warm all day making the pitch dusty and hard. This helps the bowler. But these conditions get reverse in the night as the warm air starts to cool down which let the moisture to settle on ground and pitch due to dew phenomenon, this mainly favors batsmen’s, as the ball doesn’t swing well and doesn’t get a required bounce. And settled batsmen can rotate the scoreboard for a long duration.

Dubai International Cricket Stadium Boundary Length:

The stadium has two ends namely Emirates Road End and Dubai Sports City End with a boundary length of 65 yards. One side of the boundary is short which will be exposed to the batsmen and easy for them to score. The other side of the boundary is long and the batsmen can hit on the ground to score doubles and triples to create a big total.

Dubai International Cricket Stadium Matches Records

Here, we will be sharing the results and scorecards of the last 5 matches played in each format in Dubai International Cricket Stadium. This in addition to the detailed pitch report and ground conditions explained before will help you develop an understanding of the pitch behavior in all four innings of Test matches and both innings in case of ODI and T20 matches. This will aid in predicting the scores which can help you play and form your team in Dream11 and other similar Fantasy Cricket platforms.

Test Matches Records

A total of 13 Test matches have been played in the stadium between 2010 and 2018. India hasn’t played a single test match in the stadium. The last test match played in the ground was between New Zealand and Pakistan on 24 November 2018, in which Pakistan won by an innings and 16 runs.

Last 5 Test Matches Records:

Test Match 1: New Zealand vs Pakistan on 24 November 2018
Result: Pakistan won by an innings and 16 runs.

Innings:

  • Pakistan First Innings – 418/5d (167 overs)
  • New Zealand First Innings – 90 runs All out (35.3 overs)
  • New Zealand Second Innings – 312 All out (112.5 overs)

Test Match 2: Australia vs Pakistan on 7 October 2018
Result: Match Drawn.

Innings:

  • Pakistan First Innings – 482 runs All out (164.2 overs)
  • Australia First Innings – 202 runs All out (83.3 overs)
  • Pakistan Second Innings – 181/6d (57.5 overs)
  • Australia Second Innings – 362/8 (139.5 overs)

Test Match 3: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka on 6 October 2017
Result: Sri Lanka won by 68 runs.

Innings:

  • Sri Lanka First Innings – 482 runs All out (159.2 overs)
  • Pakistan First Innings – 262 runs All out (90.3 overs)
  • Sri Lanka Second Innings – 96 runs All out (26 overs)
  • Pakistan Second Innings – 248 runs All out (90.2 overs)

Test Match 4: Pakistan vs West Indies on 13 October 2016
Result: Pakistan won by 56 runs.

Innings:

  • Pakistan First Innings – 579/3d (155.3 overs)
  • West Indies First Innings – 357 runs All out (123.5 overs)
  • Pakistan Second Innings – 123 runs All out (31.5 overs)
  • West Indies Second Innings – 289 runs All out (109 overs)

Test Match 5: Pakistan vs England on 22 October 2015
Result: Pakistan won by 178 runs.

Innings:

  • Pakistan First Innings – 378 runs All out (118.5 overs)
  • England First Innings – 242 runs All out (75.2 overs)
  • Pakistan Second Innings – 354/6d (95 overs)
  • England Second Innings – 312 runs All out (137.3 overs)

ODI Matches Records

A total of 35 One Day International matches have been played on this ground from 2009 to 2019. India has played 6 matches here, out of which we had 5 victories and 1 tie. The last ODI match of India played in the ground was between Bangladesh and India on 28 September 2019, in which India won by 3 wickets.

The last 5 ODI matches records.

ODI Match 1: Australia vs Pakistan on 31 March 2019
Result: Australia won by 20 runs.

Innings:

  • 1st Innings – AUS 327/7 (50 overs)
  • 2nd Innings – PAK 307/7 (50 overs)

ODI Match 2: Australia vs Pakistan on 29 March 2019
Result: Australia won by 6 runs.

Innings:

  • 1st Innings – AUS 277/7 (50 overs)
  • 2nd Innings – PAK 271/8 (50 overs)

ODI Match 3: Bangladesh vs India on 28 September 2018
Result: India won by 3 wickets.

Innings:

  • 1st Innings – BAN 222 RUNS All out (48.3 overs)
  • 2nd Innings – IND 223/7 (50 overs)

ODI Match 4: Afghanistan vs India on 25 September 2018
Result: Match Tied.

Innings:

  • 1st Innings – AFG 252/8 (50 overs)
  • 2nd Innings – IND 252 runs All out (49.5 overs)

ODI Match 5: India vs Pakistan on 23 September 2018
Result: India won by 9 wickets.

Innings:

  • 1st Innings – PAK 237/7 (50 overs)
  • 2nd Innings – IND 238/1 (39.3 overs)

T20 Matches Records

A total of 62 International T20 matches have been played on this ground from 2009 to 2019. India has not played a single T20I match here. The last match played in the ground was between Netherlands and PNG on 2 November 2019, in which Netherlands won by 7 wickets.

Last 5 T20 Matches Records:

T20 Match 1: Netherlands vs PNG on 2 November 2019
Result: Netherlands won by 7 wickets.

Innings:

  • 1st Innings – PNG 128/8 (20 overs)
  • 2nd Innings – NL 134/3 (19 overs)

T20 Match 2: Ireland vs Namibia on 2 November 2019
Result: Ireland won by 27 runs.

Innings:

  • 1st Innings – IRE 135 runs All out (19.1 overs)
  • 2nd Innings – NAM 108 runs All out (18.2 overs)

T20 Match 3: Namibia vs PNG on 1 November 2019
Result: PNG won by 18 runs.

Innings:

  • 1st Innings – PNG 130/5 (20 overs)
  • 2nd Innings – NAM 112/5 (20 overs)

T20 Match 4: Ireland vs Netherlands on 1 November 2019
Result: Netherlands won by 21 runs .

Innings:

  • 1st Innings – NL 158/4 (20 overs)
  • 2nd Innings – IRE 137/9 (20 overs)

T20 Match 5: Hong Kong vs Oman on 30 October 2019
Result: Oman won by 12 runs.

Innings:

  • 1st Innings – OMAN 134/7 (20 overs)
  • 2nd Innings – HKG 122/9 (20 overs)

IPL Matches Records

A total of 32 IPL matches were played in the stadium in 2014 and 2020.

Last 5 IPL Matches Records:

Dubai IPL Match 1: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals on 10 November 2020 (Final Match)
Result: Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Capitals by 5 wickets.

Innings:

  • 1st Innings – DC 156/7 (20 overs)
  • 2nd Innings – MI 157/5 (18.4 overs)

Dubai IPL Match 2: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals on 5 November 2020 (Qualifier 1 Match)
Result: Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Capitals by 57 runs.

Innings:

  • 1st Innings – MI 200/5 (20 overs)
  • 2nd Innings – DC 143/8 (20 overs)

Dubai IPL Match 3: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals on 1 November 2020
Result: Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals by 60 runs.

Innings:

  • 1st Innings – KKR 191/7 (20 overs)
  • 2nd Innings – RR 131/9 (20 overs)

Dubai IPL Match 4: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals on 31 October 2020
Result: Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Capitals by 9 wickets.

Innings:

  • 1st Innings – DC 110/9 (20 overs)
  • 2nd Innings – MI 111/1 (14.2 overs)

Dubai IPL Match 5: Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders on 29 October 2020
Result: Chennai Super Kings beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 6 wickets.

Innings:

  • 1st Innings – KKR 172/5 (20 overs)
  • 2nd Innings – CSK 178/4 (20 overs)