The stadium is about 10–20 minutes' drive from the capital city, St. John's, and the country's international airport. The venue cost approximately US$60 million to build, with the majority of the funds coming from a Chinese Government grant.[1]
The first Test match staged on the ground began on 30 May 2008 when the West Indies hosted Australia, with the match ending in a draw.
Facilities
The stadium in 2012
The stadium constitutes two main stands: the Northern Stand and the five-story South Stand. In 2008, the roof of the South Stand was damaged by high winds.[2]
Other facilities include a practice pitch for the various cricket teams, training infrastructure and a media centre. Sir Viv Richards Stadium is one of the few state-of-the-art venues that encompass underground passageways for the cricket teams to move about in.[3][4]
Prior to the start of the first Test against England on 13 April 2015, the north and south ends were renamed for two former West Indies cricketers, Sir Curtly Ambrose and Sir Andy Roberts.
Outfield controversy
The ground's second Test match against England on 13 February 2009 was abandoned after only ten balls due to the outfield's dangerous condition.
The groundstaff had applied extra layers of sand after recent heavy rain, and again after a brief shower the morning of the match; this resulted in West Indian bowlers Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards being unable to gain any traction when running in.[5]
The sandy nature of the outfield had earned the ground the nickname of 'Antigua's 366th beach' in the buildup to the game.[6]
Following the abandonment, inquiries were held by the WICB and the ICC: these caused great embarrassment for West Indies cricket.
The ICC subsequently ordered that the ground be suspended from staging any international matches for twelve months, and an official warning was issued to the WICB.
List of five wicket hauls
Tests
Eight five wicket hauls in Test matches have been taken at the venue.[7]
West Indies v 
Australia
Bangladesh
England
South Africa
Argentina v 
Canada
India
