Wanderers Stadium

The Bullring
Wanderers Stadium in 2024
Ground information
Location	Illovo, Sandton, Johannesburg
Coordinates	26°7′52″S 28°3′27″E / 26.13111°S 28.05750°E / -26.13111; 28.05750
Capacity	34,000[1]
End names
Corlett Drive End Golf Course End
International information
First Test	24–29 December 1956:  South Africa v  England
Last Test	8–11 March 2023:  South Africa v  West Indies
First ODI	13 December 1992:  South Africa v  India
Last ODI	17 December 2023:  South Africa v  India
First T20I	21 October 2005:  South Africa v  New Zealand
Last T20I	14 December 2023:  South Africa v  India
First women's Test	17–21 December 1960:  South Africa v  England
Last women's Test	24–27 March 1972:  South Africa v  New Zealand
First WODI	22 September 2013:  South Africa v  Bangladesh
Last WODI	6 February 2022:  South Africa v  West Indies
First WT20I	21 February 2016:  South Africa v  England
Last WT20I	3 February 2019:  South Africa v  Sri Lanka
Team information
Transvaal now known as Highveld Lions (1956 – present) Jozi Stars (2018-2019) Joburg Super Kings (2023-present)
As of 17 December 2023 Source: Cricinfo

The Wanderers Stadium, also known as the Bullring due to its intimidating atmosphere, is a cricket stadium situated just south of Sandton in Illovo, Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa. Test, One Day and First class cricket matches are played here. It is the home ground for the Imperial Lions and the Joburg Super Kings.

History

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 (213 ft) floodlight masts replaced the existing four 30-metre-high (98 ft) masts, enabling day-night limited-overs cricket. It is nicknamed 'The Bullring' due to its design and intimidating atmosphere.

On 1 October 2004, the Wanderers Clubhouse was virtually destroyed by fire.^[2]

Events

Wanderers Stadium hosted a rugby union test match in April 1980 between South Africa and the South American Jaguars while Johannesburg's normal venue, Ellis Park Stadium, was being redeveloped.^[3]

On 12 March 2006, this stadium hosted one of the greatest One-day international matches ever played between South Africa and Australia in which a world record score of 434 was chased down by South Africa.

The stadium hosted the 2009 Indian Premier League's second semi-final and the final in which the Deccan Chargers beat the Royal Challengers Bangalore to grab the championship title. It also hosted the final of Champion League Twenty20 in the 2010 and 2012 edittion.

The 2003 Cricket World Cup and 2007 T20 World Cup finals were held at the Wanderers Stadium.

On 18 January 2015, the Wanderers stadium saw South Africa's AB de Villiers break the 19-year-old record for fastest ODI half-century, previously held by Sri Lankan maestro Sanath Jayasuriya, by making 50 off 16 balls against the West Indies. In the same match, he also broke Corey Anderson's fastest ODI century record (held for one year and seven days) by making 100 off 31 deliveries. He finished on 149, caught on the boundary in the final over, scored off 44 balls with a strike rate of 338.63.^[4]

On 21 February 2016, AB de Villiers scored the fastest 50 (21 balls) for South Africa in a T20I against England.^[5]

In July 2018, the stadium hosted former US President, Barack Obama at the Nelson Mandela Lecture.^[6]