View source for Wanderers Stadium

{{Short description|Sports venue in Johannesburg, South Africa}}
{{distinguish|text=[[Old Wanderers]] in Johannesburg or [[Wanderers Cricket Ground]] in Namibia}}
{{Use South African English|date=January 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox cricket ground
|          nickname = The Bullring
|             image = Wanderers Stadium 2024.jpg
|         image_size= 
|           caption = Wanderers Stadium in 2024
|           country = South Africa
|          location = [[Illovo, Gauteng|Illovo]], [[Sandton]], [[Johannesburg]]
|  seating_capacity = 34,000<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wanderers.co.za/about.html |title=www.wanderers.co.za |access-date=18 January 2015 |archive-date=18 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118173043/http://www.wanderers.co.za/about.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| coordinates = {{coord|26|7|52|S|28|3|27|E|type:landmark|display=it}}
|              end1 = Corlett Drive End
|              end2 = Golf Course End
|     international = true
|     firsttestdate = 24–29 December
|     firsttestyear = 1956
|     firsttesthome = South Africa
|   firsttesthomevar = 1928
|     firsttestaway = England
|      lasttestdate = 8–11 March
|      lasttestyear = 2023
|      lasttesthome = South Africa
|      lasttestaway = West Indies
|      firstodidate = 13 December
|      firstodiyear = 1992
|      firstodihome = South Africa
|   firstodihomevar = 1928
|      firstodiaway = India
|       lastodidate = 17 December 
|       lastodiyear = 2023
|       lastodihome = South Africa
|       lastodiaway = India
|      firstt20idate= 21 October
|     firstt20iyear = 2005 
|     firstt20ihome = South Africa
|     firstt20iaway = New Zealand
|     lastt20idate  = 14 December 
|     lastt20iyear  = 2023
|     lastt20ihome  = South Africa
|     lastt20iaway  = India

|     firstwtestdate = 17–21 December
|     firstwtestyear = 1960
|     firstwtesthome = South Africa
|   firstwtesthomevar = 1928
|     firstwtestaway = England
|      lastwtestdate = 24–27 March
|      lastwtestyear = 1972
|      lastwtesthome = South Africa
|    lastwtesthomevar = 1928
|      lastwtestaway = New Zealand
|      firstwodidate = 22 September
|      firstwodiyear = 2013
|      firstwodihome = South Africa
|      firstwodiaway = Bangladesh
|       lastwodidate = 6 February
|       lastwodiyear = 2022
|       lastwodihome = South Africa
|       lastwodiaway = West Indies 
|     firstwt20idate = 21 February
|     firstwt20iyear = 2016
|     firstwt20ihome = South Africa
|     firstwt20iaway = England
|     lastwt20idate  = 3 February
|     lastwt20iyear  = 2019
|     lastwt20ihome  = South Africa
|     lastwt20iaway  = Sri Lanka
|             year1 = 1956 – present
|             club1 = [[Transvaal cricket team|Transvaal]]<br>''now known as [[Highveld Lions cricket team|Highveld Lions]]''
|             year2 = 2018-2019
|             club2 = [[Jozi Stars]]
|             year3 = 2023-present
|             club3 = [[Joburg Super Kings]]
|              date = 17 December 
|              year = 2023
|            source = http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/ground/59120.html Cricinfo}}

The '''Wanderers Stadium''', also known as the '''Bullring''' due to its intimidating atmosphere, is a cricket [[stadium]] situated just south of [[Sandton]] in [[Illovo, Gauteng|Illovo]], [[Johannesburg]] in [[Gauteng Province|Gauteng]], [[South Africa]]. [[Test cricket|Test]], [[One-day cricket|One Day]] and [[First-class cricket|First class]] [[cricket]] matches are played here. It is the home ground for the [[Imperial Lions]] and the [[Joburg Super Kings]].

==History==
The stadium has a [[seating capacity]] of 34,000, and was built in 1956 to replace the [[Old Wanderers Stadium]]. It was completely overhauled following South Africa's readmission to international cricket in 1991. In 1996, five new {{convert|65|m|ft |adj=mid |-high}} [[Floodlights (sport)|floodlight]] masts replaced the existing four {{convert|30 |m|ft |adj=mid|-high}} masts, enabling day-night limited-overs cricket. It is nicknamed 'The Bullring' due to its design and intimidating atmosphere.

On 1 October 2004, the Wanderers Clubhouse was virtually destroyed by fire.<ref>{{cite web |title=A blaze destroys Wanderers Cricket Club {{!}} South African History Online |url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/blaze-destroys-wanderers-cricket-club |website=www.sahistory.org.za |access-date=1 April 2024}}</ref>

==Events==
Wanderers Stadium hosted a [[rugby union]] test match in April 1980 between [[South Africa national rugby union team|South Africa]] and the [[South American Jaguars]] while Johannesburg's regular venue, [[Ellis Park Stadium]], was being redeveloped.<ref>{{cite book |title=Test Match Grounds of the World |year=1990 |publisher=Willow Books |isbn=0002182823 |author= Michael Owen-Smith |editor=Tim Jolland |page=186}}</ref>

On 12 March 2006, this stadium hosted [[Fifth ODI, Australian cricket team in South Africa in 2005–06|the greatest One-day International match]] ever played between South Africa and Australia in which a world record score of 434 was chased down by South Africa.

The stadium hosted the [[2009 Indian Premier League]]'s second semi-final and the final in which the [[Deccan Chargers]] beat the [[Royal Challengers Bangalore]] to grab the championship title. It also hosted the final of [[Champions League Twenty20|Champion League Twenty20]] in the [[2010 Champions League Twenty20|2010]] and [[2012 Champions League Twenty20|2012 edition]].

The [[2003 Cricket World Cup final|2003]] [[Cricket World Cup]] and [[2007 ICC World Twenty20 final|2007]] [[ICC Men's T20 World Cup|T20 World Cup]] finals were held at the Wanderers Stadium.

On 18 January 2015, the Wanderers stadium saw South Africa's [[AB de Villiers]] break the 19-year-old record for the fastest ODI half-century, previously held by Sri Lankan maestro [[Sanath Jayasuriya]], by making 50 off 16 balls against the [[West Indies national cricket team|West Indies]]. In the same match, he also broke [[Corey Anderson (cricketer)|Corey Anderson]]'s fastest ODI century record (held for one year and seven days) by making 100 off 31 deliveries. He finished on 149, caught on the boundary in the final over, scored off 44 balls with a strike rate of 338.63.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-west-indies-2014-15/engine/match/722341.html | title = South Africa vs West Indies 2nd ODI 2015| publisher = ESPNcricinfo|access-date = 18 January 2015}}</ref>

On 21 February 2016, AB de Villiers scored the fastest 50 (21 balls) for South Africa in a T20I [[English cricket team in South Africa in 2015–16|against England]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-england-2015-16/content/story/974979.html|title=Dominant SA cruise to nine-wicket win|date=21 February 2016|work=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=21 February 2016}}</ref>

== Trivia ==
In July 2018, the stadium hosted former US President, [[Barack Obama]] at the [[Nelson Mandela]] Lecture.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://m.news24.com/Video/SouthAfrica/News/watch-live-obama-to-deliver-mandela-centenary-address-in-joburg-20180717 |title= Barack Obama delivers Mandela centenary address in Joburg |date= 17 July 2018 |work= News24 |access-date= 17 July 2018}} </ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Test cricket grounds]]
*[[List of international cricket centuries at the Wanderers Stadium]]
*[[List of international five-wicket hauls at the Wanderers Stadium]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links ==
{{Commonscat}}

{{Greater Johannesburg|sports}}
{{S-start-collapsible|header={{S-sta|et}}}}
{{Succession box
 | title = [[Cricket World Cup]]<br>Final Venue
 | before = [[Lord's]]
 | after = [[Kensington Oval]]<!-- [[2007 Cricket World Cup]] -->
 | years = [[2003 Cricket World Cup|2003]]
}}
{{End}}

[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1956]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Johannesburg]]
[[Category:Cricket grounds in South Africa]]
[[Category:Highveld Lions]]
[[Category:Test cricket grounds in South Africa]]