Boland Park

When the ball goes for a six, it does not disappear into the stands; it travels towards the rocky slopes. The stadium opened in 1996, but its identity is tied to the sudden influx of international cricket that followed. It hosted three matches during the 2003 Cricket World Cup, including a game where Canada’s score of 36 became the lowest aggregate in World Cup history. That match was played here, under the same blue sky and against the same grey mountains. Another notable moment came in 2012, when Sri Lanka were dismissed for 43, their lowest ODI total, a score so low it seemed to reflect the pressure of the surroundings. The venue does not host rugby; that sport is played at Boland Stadium in Wellington, about 100 kilometres away. Here, the only game is cricket, and the only sound is the ball hitting the bat. The capacity is 10,000, but the size of the crowd does not matter as much as the view from the stands. You look up, and the mountains are still there, watching the game. The ground is not a temple of cricket, but it is a place where the game is played with the mountains as its only true opposition.