The Maulana Azad Stadium (also spelled Molana Azad Stadium) is a stadium in Jammu and is one of the home venues for the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team.[1] It is located on the banks of the Tawi River[2]

Maulana Azad Stadium

Ground information
Location	Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir
Establishment	1966
Capacity	20,000
Tenants	Jammu and Kashmir cricket team
International information
Only ODI	19 December, 1988:  India v  New Zealand
Only women's Test	27–29 November 1976:  India v  West Indies
Only WODI	24 March 1985:  India v  New Zealand
As of 8 December, 2019 Source: ESPNcricinfo

Cricket

Maulana Azad Stadium has hosted home games for Jammu and Kashmir in domestic tournaments since 1966.[1] It has also hosted one One Day International in 1988 between India and New Zealand, which was abandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled.[3][4]

The stadium has played host to one women's test match where India lost to West Indies[5] and one Women's One Day International where India beat New Zealand in 1985.[6]

Other uses

The ground is used for the Republic Day Parade in the state annually.[2] In 1995, three bomb blasts containing RDX were set off by remote control at the stadium during the parade resulting in eight deaths and fifty four injuries.[7] The blasts occurred when Governor General K V Krishna Rao was on stage taking salute[2] with 30,000 people in attendance.[8] Rao himself narrowly escaped the blast.[9] In the year 2000, three solar-activated rockets programmed to hit Maulana Azad Stadium were found by the police a few days prior to the Republic Day Parade.[10] Since the bombing incident in 1995 the entire turf is dug up as part of a security preparations prior to the Republic Day Parade. In 2000, as part of one of these excavations, an ancient structure of brick and plastered lime was unearthed. A newspaper report claimed that the structure was related to water since a drain was found.[2] A lodging centre at the stadium has played host to pilgrims embarking on the Amarnath yatra, from where the yatra flags off.[11]

References