The eighth edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is set to kick off in Australia on the 16th of October. A ‘Group A’ encounter between Sri Lanka and Namibia at the Simonds Stadium Geelong will set the beginning of the marquee event. The 29-day-long tournament will be played across 7 venues in Australia. A total of 6 T20 World Cup games will be played at the Simonds Stadium Geelong, hence, in this article, we will be discussing the Pitch Report of the venue.
All the games set to be held at the Simonds Stadium are group stage games where the Group A teams – Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Namibia, and UAE will be seen featuring. The Top 2 sides in the group point table after these games will be moving ahead to the Super 12 stage.
Geelong T20 Records
Only 1 T20 international has been played at Geelong’s Simonds Stadium so far. The game was played back in 2017 when Sri Lanka managed to defeat the hosts Australia while chasing a 173-run total. However, 7 Big Bash League (BBL) games have been played in Geelong. You can find the records below.
Geelong BBL Records
Total Match Played: 7
Teams Batting First Won: 3
Batting Second Won: 4
Tie: 0
Avg. Score in 1st bat: 155
Highest Score: Perth Scorchers 196/3
Lowest Score: Melbourne Renegades 105/10
Simonds Stadium Geelong Pitch Report for ICC T20 WC 2022
The pitch at the Simonds Stadium provides good assistance to both, the batters as well as the bowlers. The pacers get the ball moving in the initial phase of the match which tends to trouble the batters a bit. However, later the batters can play their shots and post good totals on the board.
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As the match progresses at the Simonds Stadium, it is seen generally seen that the spinners start receiving some turn. This makes it an even competition between the bat and the ball as the batters then have to play the spinners cautiously. Chasing a total may turn a bit difficult at the Simonds Stadium due to the slower nature of the pitch in the second innings. Therefore, it would be a wiser option to bat first after winning the toss here. 160 would be a competitive total on the Simonds Stadium pitch, Geelong.