Sharjah Cricket Stadium Milestone: Most ODIs Hosted by Venue, Stats & Record Ahead of AFG vs SA 1st ODI

Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah, UAE will mark an incredible milestone of 250 One Day International matches at the venue when Afghanistan and South Africa lock horns in the first ODI of the three-match series on Wednesday (September 18).

Afghanistan led by Hashmatullah Shahidi and South Africa captained by Temba Bavuma will in fact play all the three matches of the series at the Sharjah venue, which last hosted a 50-over game earlier this year in March.

Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah set to host 250th ODI Image Courtesy ACBOfficial X Handle — Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah set to host 250th ODI (Image Courtesy: ACBOfficial X Handle)

The iconic venue, which staged it's first-ever ODI in 1984, has played host to some memorable moments in the game, including the "Desert Storm" innings by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar against Australia in 1998.

Sharjah Cricket Stadium has been a neutral host to several teams and tournaments over the years. The venue, however, has hosted the home nation - United Arab Emirates - only in eight ODIs so far with the first match being staged in 1994.

Other teams including South Africa and Afghanistan have played several games at the iconic venue. In 12 outings, the Proteas have won 10 and lost 2, while Afghanistan has won 17, lost 8 in their 26 ODIs at the Sharjah venue.

Now, as Sharjah prepares to host it's 250th ODI, here is a look at the stats and record from the venue followed by the venues from across the globe to host most ODIs:

Sharjah Cricket Stadium ODI stats and records

Matches: 249
Won Batting 1st: 132
Won Chasing: 115
Highest Total: 364/7 by Pakistan vs New Zealand in 2014
Lowest Total: 54 All Out by India vs Sri Lanka in 2000
Highest Score: Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka) - 189 off 161 balls vs India in 2000
Best Bowling Figures: Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) - 7 for 30 vs India in 2000
Most Runs: Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan) - 2464 runs in 59 innings
Most Wickets:
Most Sixes: Shahid Afridi (Paksitan) - 65 sixes
Most Fours: Saeed Anwar (Pakistan) - 215 fours
Most 100s: Sachin Tendulkar (India) & Saeed Anwar (Pakistan) - 7 centuries each
Most 50s: Inzamam-ul-Haq (Pakistan) - 17 fifties

Most ODI Matches at a single venue

Sharjah Cricket Stadium, established in 1982, is the only venue to have hosted more than 200 ODIs so far with two of Australia's old venues in Sydney and Melbourne as well as Zimbabwe's Harare and Bangladesh's venues hosting over 100 One Dayers.