The Rose Bowl, currently known as the Ageas Bowl for some sponsorship reasons, is a cricket ground situated in West End, Hampshire, England. It is home to Hampshire County Cricket Club, who have been there since the summer of 2001. The ground has been used for hosting one-day internationals which include some matches of the 2004 Champions Trophy. Two T20 internationals have also been played here, as well as Test matches in 2011, 2014 and 2018 which saw England play Sri Lanka and India respectively.
History:
Hampshire had used their previous home ground, the County Ground, Northlands Road in Southampton right from 1985. But it was a cramped location, surrounded by residential buildings which meant that expanding the ground was largely impossible. But Hampshire wanted to encourage International cricket to the County, which would not have been possible with Newlands Road. So talk of a new stadium was taking the rounds all over the place and eventually a site was selected just outside Southampton in the village of West End. Hampshire's first scheduled county match at the Rose Bowl was a List A match in the 2001 Benson and Hedges Cup against Essex on 2 May. Though the match was called off without a single ball bowled due to heavy pourings, therefore the first completed match on this ground was a List A in the same competition against Surrey on 4 May. A match which Hampshire lost dramatically.
Ground:
The early years at the ground were notable for immature wickets that favored seam bowling, resulting in many low scoring encounters over the years. The quality of these pitches drew much criticism. But as the pitches settled down, higher scores became more frequent. A plan was called in for the construction of two matching stands either side of the pavilion to increase the permanent capacity to just over 15,000. The redevelopment plans led to the ECB granting test status to the Rose Bowl. The two ends are the Pavilion End and Northern End.
Profile:
The Rose Bowl, Hampshire’s most state-of-the-art ground has been a regular and a fine fixture on the international circuit. The ground, shaped like a circular amphitheater, and its highlight- the three-storey pavilion with the canopied roof- is a splendid piece of architecture. But it received widespread criticism when access to the ground for England's key fixture against Sri Lanka proved extremely difficult, as 16,000 spectators descended. The ground saw the United States being dismissed for 65 against Australia in the 2004 Champions Trophy. Ian Bell and Kumar Sangakkara scored the first test centuries on this ground.
Records:
Tests: In the test matches played at this very ground, the highest team total is 569 for 7 declared, scored by England against India in 2014. The lowest team total is 178 all out, scored by India against England in the same match itself. The Rose Bowl hosted its first ever test match on 16-20 June 2011. It was between England and Sri Lanka. The last match was when India played England in the summer of last year. The highest run scorers are Ian Bell- 309 runs, Alastair Cook- 249 runs and Gary Ballance 194 runs. The leading wicket takers are Moeen Ali- 17 wickets, James Anderson- 13 wickets and Stuart Broad- 9 wickets.
One-Day Internationals: The first ever one-day international at this ground was played in 2003 between South Africa and Zimbabwe. In all the one-day internationals played at the Rose Bowl, the highest team total is 359 for the loss of three wickets, scored by New Zealand against England in 2013. While the lowest team total is 65 all out by the United States against Australia in 2004. The leading run scorers in the 50-over format at the ground are Eoin Morgan- 539 runs, Ian Bell- 417 runs, and Joe Root- 249 runs. While the leading wicket takers are Graeme Swann and James Anderson- 12 wickets and Stuart Broad- 9 wickets. The last one-day match on this ground was played between England and West Indies on 29 September 2017.
T20Is: The Rose Bowl has hosted an international T20 match much before the format really blossomed in 2007. England played against Australia on July 13, 2005. The highest team total at this ground is a staggering 248 for 6 scored by Australia against England in 2013. A match where Aaron Finch scored 156 runs off just 63 balls. The lowest team total is 79 all out, scored by Australia against England in a match where they were chasing a total of 179 runs. The leading run scorers are Aaron Finch- 156 runs, Marcus Trescothick- 113 runs, and Jos Buttler- 100 runs. And the leading wicket takers are Paul Collingwood- 6 wickets, Jon Lewis- 4 wickets and Darren Gouch- 3 wickets.
Fixtures:
Here is the list of fixtures of the Cricket World Cup 2019 that is ought to be played in Rose Bowl, Southampton:
Team 1 | Team 2 | Date | Time (IST) |
India | South Africa | 05 June 2019 | 15:00 |
South Africa | West Indies | 10 June 2019 | 15:00 |
England | West Indies | 14 June 2019 | 15:00 |
Afghanistan | India | 22 June 2019 | 15:00 |
Afghanistan | Bangladesh | 24 June 2019 | 15:00 |
