Question

The smallest cricket stadium in the World is:

• A. Wanderers - South Africa
• B. Eden Park - New Zealand
• C. Lord's - England
• D. Eden Gardens - India

Hint:

It's useful to know both extremes. While Eden Park (New Zealand) is known for being the smallest in terms of boundary size, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, is the largest cricket stadium in the world by seating capacity.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understand what "smallest" means for a cricket stadium. In cricket, "smallest" usually refers to the playing area, specifically the length of the boundaries from the center pitch. Shorter boundaries make it easier for batters to hit fours and sixes.

Step 2: Evaluate the options.
The Wanderers in Johannesburg, Lord's in London, and Eden Gardens in Kolkata are all large, iconic stadiums with standard or large boundary sizes. Eden Gardens, in particular, is known for its huge crowd capacity.
Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, is a multi-purpose stadium primarily designed for rugby. When configured for cricket, its rectangular shape results in unusually short straight boundaries (behind the bowler and wicket-keeper) and very short square boundaries.

Step 3: Conclude based on boundary size. Due to its short boundaries, especially the straight ones which can be as short as 55 meters, Eden Park is widely recognized as the smallest international cricket venue. This often leads to very high-scoring T20 and ODI matches.