

Twenty20 World Championship 2007
Venues
Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town

The ground hosted its first Test match in March 1889 when England defeated South Africa by an innings and 202 runs. As of June, 2006, there have been 40 Test matches played at the ground of which South Africa has won 13, their opponents 19 and 8 which ended in a draw. The last team besides Australia to beat South Africa there was New Zealand, in 1961. The first One-day International played at the ground was in December 1992 when South Africa beat India by 6 wickets. As of June, 2006, there have been 28 One-day Internationals played at the ground including five in the Cricket World Cup in 2003. South Africa has won 19 of its games there, and the opposition 3 (the West Indies being the most recent opposition victor in 2002).
Over the past five years numerous changes have been made to the ground. This has slightly taken away from its former splendor. Large portions of the grass embankments have been replaced by pavilions increasing the seating capacity to 25,000. Newlands is one of the few cricket grounds in South Africa that tends to favour spinners. Most grounds tend to favour pacemen or batsmen, but the Western Cape has had a history of having very good spinners, a recent example being Paul Adams.
Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, Durban

When a Test series is played in South Africa, this ground usually hosts the Boxing Day Test. This venue hosted the first Test for the South African cricket team after re-admission into international cricket and also hosted the timeless Test against the English cricket team in 1939. This Test lasted from the third to the thirteenth of March and was called off over fears that the English would miss their ship home. The first Test match to be played here was between South Africa and England on January 18, 1923, which resulted in a draw.
It has been renowned as a seamers wicket, and there is also a famous myth regarding how the tide affects batting conditions, as the ground is quite close to the beach. Many batting collapses in matches in the past have been blamed on changes in the tide, but nobody has been able to prove this theory. It is the stadium used every other year for the finish of the Comrades Marathon, an ultramarathon run annually between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Because the run alternates directions each year, it only finishes in Durban in odd-numbered years.
Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

The stadium has a seating capacity of 34,000, and was built in 1956 to replace the Old Wanderers Stadium. It was completely overhauled following South Africa's readmission to international cricket in 1991. In 1996, five new 65 metre high floodlight masts replaced the existing four 30 metre high masts enabling day-night limited-overs cricket. It is nicknamed 'The Bullring' due to its design and intimidating atmosphere. The Cricket World Cup 2003 final was held at the Wanderers Stadium. On 1 October 2004, the Wanderers Clubhouse was virtually destroyed by fire.
The first Twenty20 World Cup, 2007
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