Antigua Recreation Ground


Antigua Recreation Ground is the national stadium of Antigua and Barbuda. It is located in St. John's, on the island of Antigua. The ground has been used by the West Indies cricket team and Antigua and Barbuda national football team. It had Test cricket status. It was also known as the Old Recreation Ground, or the Old Rec.
A number of great cricketers, including Andy Roberts and Richie Richardson, began their first-class careers there.
One of Antigua's most famous sons, Viv Richards, scored the fastest Test match century off 56 balls
against England in the "Blackwash" series of 1986 at the Recreation Ground. It was also where Brian Lara twice set the record for highest individual Test innings, scoring 375 in 1994 and the current record of 400 not out in 2004, both times against England.
In May 2003 the West Indies completed the highest ever successful run chase in Test Cricket at the ARG, making 418/7 against Australia in their fourth innings to win by 3 wickets.
Antigua is considered to be a good wicket on which to bat — hard and dry whilst not offering much bounce or movement to bowlers. This is colloquially known as a "featherbed".
After the building of the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium for the 2007 World Cup, no further Test cricket was expected at the Recreation Ground. However, due to the abandonment of the Second Test between West Indies v England on 13 February 2009 after just ten balls, an extra Test, called the Third Test, began at the Antigua Recreation Ground on 15 February 2009, despite concerns about the dilapidated condition of the stadium.
Like many other cricket grounds in the Caribbean, the Antigua Recreation Ground traditionally hosts a variety of off the field entertainment, particularly music, both live and recorded, during breaks in play. For many years, an entertainer called Gravy would operate in the stands, usually in fancy dress.

List of five-wicket hauls

A total of 16 five-wicket hauls were taken in Test matches on the ground.
No.BowlerDateTeamOpposing TeamInnORWResult
1Colin Croft27 3 1981125746Drawn
2Carl Rackemann7 4 198421615West Indies won
3Joel Garner7 4 19843635West Indies won
4Ian Bishop12 4 19901845West Indies won
5Waqar Younis1 5 19931281045Drawn
6Courtney Walsh8 4 19951546Drawn
7Curtly Ambrose27 4 1996232685Drawn
8Danny Morrison27 4 1996320615Drawn
9Curtly Ambrose13 6 19971375West Indies won
10Muttiah Muralitharan13 6 19972345West Indies won
11Curtly Ambrose3 4 19991945Australia won
12Courtney Walsh25 5 2000126835West Indies won
13Wasim Akram25 5 20002616West Indies won
14Wasim Akram25 5 2000430495West Indies won
15Jermaine Lawson9 5 20031787West Indies won
16Graeme Swann15 2 2009224575Drawn