Located in Blake Park, Tauranga, the Bay Oval stadium sits with the surreal backdrop of Mount Maunganui. Unlike many other stadiums in New Zealand, the Bay Oval isn’t a multipurpose stadium and hosts cricket games solely. Originally developed in 2005, the stadium has hosted 12 T20 games as yet. And the stadium is set to host a T20I game on November 20 between India and New Zealand after a hiatus of over two years.
Bay Oval Stadium: Seating Capacity
The Bay Oval of Mount Maunganui, Tauranga is suitable to seat 10,000 spectators at a time. The seating capacity for this venue is set strictly at 10,000 and doesn’t expand beyond that.
Bay Oval: Boundary Length
The Bay Oval doesn’t compete well with other New Zealand venues when it comes to boundary dimensions. All the boundaries here at Oval range between 60-70 meters. Moreover, the outfield is generally fast with the pitch siding with the batting side too. All in all, Mount Bay is a gaming heaven for the batting side.
Bay Oval Stadium T20 Stats
The Bay Oval stadium of Mount Maunganui has hosted 12 T20 matches in total yet. The ground will host a T20I in over two years with the one scheduled for November 20 between the home team New Zealand and India. The average first innings score at this venue reaches 165. In the second innings, the average drops down to 145. The venue has an intriguing record up its name when it comes to Men’s International Cricket. In the total played 9 T20Is, the chasing team has never won the game at the Bay Oval.
- Highest Recorded Score: 243/5 by New Zealand against West Indies
- Lowest Recorded Score: 124/10 by West Indies against New Zealand
- Highest Score Chased: 117/1 by New Zealand Women against South Africa Women
- Lowest Score Defended: 163/3 by India against New Zealand
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Pitch Details
The Bay Oval is known for its affinity to batters. The pitch offers even bounce, ultimately, placing the ball finely on the bat. The course slows down a bit in the second innings, though it’s unrecognizable most of the time. The pitch, here, provides almost nothing to the bowlers. The runs leak high and the bowlers have to try on different variations to counter the batting attack. Moreover, the outfield here is fast, consequently, benefitting the batter only.
Bay Oval History
The Bay Oval stadium in Mount Maunganui originally opened in 2007 after the completion of the development that kickstarted in 2005. Later in 2017, the management went up to construct the main pavilion. Moreover, in the later part of the redevelopment, six LED towers were fixated to ensure a perfect run of day-night matches in the arena. The stadium hosted its first One Day International in 2014 for the World Cup qualifier between Canada and Netherlands. Subsequently, it hosted the first test match in 2019 for the England tour of New Zealand.
