SA20 Venue Profile: Pretoria

Venue: SuperSport Park, Centurion

Team: Pretoria Capitals

Capacity: 22 000

History:

SuperSport Park, or as it was previously known, Centurion Park, was first established in 1986 and was the home base of the Northerns cricket team, and now the Momentum Multiply Titans. The first international match at the venue was an ODI played in 1992 between the Proteas and India which the visiting side won by four wickets. The first T20 was played between the Titans and the Lions in 2004 where the Lions won by 10 runs and included the likes of AB de Villiers, who came in at no. 8, Albie Morkel, Justin Kemp, Andre Nel, Charl Langeveldt and Jacques Rudolph.

Best known for:

SuperSport Park is best known for its open grassed embankments and its world-class facilities. It is usually one of the quicker pitches in the country and combined with the thin Highveld air and small boundaries, is a high-scoring venue where fans are generally treated to a boundary feast. Some of the best players to grace the game plied their trade at SuperSport Park before making it big, which includes AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn. This is also the ground where the Proteas posted their highest-ever T20I total, 241-6 against England where Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman made an opening partnership of 170 in only 13 overs.

Players suited to the venue:

The pitches produced at SuperSport Park tend to be on the quick side and have plenty of bounce. Bowlers with good pace who are able to get extra bounce should enjoy bowling at this venue. The Pretoria Capitals, who will have this venue as their home base, made sure that they capitalised on local knowledge by picking up players at the auction who can fulfil this role in Anrich Nortje, Daryn Dupavillon and Josh Little. They will however have to be careful not to get too carried away with the pace and bounce, as batters who are able to handle it successfully will enjoy their time on what tends to be true surfaces with a quick outfield that rewards good strokes. The likes of Rilee Rossouw, Phil Salt and Will Jacks who will form a destructive batting core for the Capitals might be extremely hard to contain once they get going at this boundary-heavy venue.

What to expect:

With the matches being played in peak summertime, expect some thunderstorms from time to time and warm weather that should draw big crowds and create a festive atmosphere. With pitches generally playing fast and true at SuperSport Park, expect plenty of entertainment in the form of boundaries and wickets, with spinners having a smaller role to play here than at the coastal venues.

Highest T20 scores:

Domestic – 231-2 by Dolphins against the Cape Cobras in the 2019/20 season.

International – 241-6 by the Proteas against England in 2009.

Lowest T20 scores:

Domestic – 47 all out by the Titans against the Eagles in the 2003/04 season.

International – 100 all out by the Proteas against Pakistan in 2013.