Sports Venues and Events

Wankhede Stadium is a major cricket ground located in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It has hosted numerous international matches including the 2011 Cricket World Cup final. Nagpur and Pune are also in Maharashtra but have different cricket stadiums.

Wanderers Stadium is located in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is one of the country's premier cricket venues and has hosted numerous international matches including World Cup games. Pretoria and Cape Town have different stadiums, while Bloemfontein is spelled incorrectly.

Sahara Stadium Kingsmead is located in Durban, South Africa. It's a historic cricket ground that has hosted international matches since the 1920s. Sharjah is in the UAE, while Pretoria and Cape Town have their own cricket stadiums.

R. Premadasa Stadium is located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Named after a former Sri Lankan president, it is the country's primary cricket venue and has hosted many international matches since 1986. Kandy, Galle, and Dambulla have different cricket grounds.

Queen's Park Oval is located in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. It is the oldest cricket ground in the Caribbean and has hosted Test matches since 1930. Bridgetown (Barbados), Jamaica, and Barbados (as a country) have different cricket venues.

Sheikh Zayed Stadium is located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It's a major cricket venue that has hosted international matches including IPL games. The other cities listed are homes to famous cricket grounds but not this specific stadium.

The iconic "Old Father Time" weather vane is located at Lord's Cricket Ground in London. It stands atop the Grand Stand and is a famous symbol of the "Home of Cricket". The figure of Father Time removing a bail from a wicket represents the passing of time and is one of cricket's most recognizable landmarks.

The Sahara Stadium (now Kingsmead Cricket Ground) is located in Durban, South Africa. It hosted several matches during the 2003 World Cup including important group stage games. Johannesburg has the Wanderers Stadium, Cape Town has Newlands, and Centurion has SuperSport Park.

Eden Gardens in Kolkata has the largest capacity among cricket stadiums used for World Cup 2011, with approximately 90,000 seats after renovations. It hosted several high-profile matches including the India vs England tie and was one of the premier venues for the tournament.

The 2011 World Cup matches were played across 13 stadiums in three host countries: India (8 venues), Sri Lanka (3 venues), and Bangladesh (2 venues). The total of 13 venues is the correct number.

The Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota, Sri Lanka was newly constructed for the 2011 ICC World Cup. It was one of two new venues built specifically for the tournament, opening just in time for the event. The other options - Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury (Bangladesh), Shere Bangla National Stadium (Bangladesh), and R Premadasa Stadium (Sri Lanka) - were existing stadiums that hosted matches.

The opening ceremony for the 2011 ICC World Cup took place on February 17, 2011 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The actual tournament matches began on February 19, 2011, which often causes confusion. The Shere Bangla National Stadium was one of the playing venues in Mirpur, not the ceremony location.

The high-profile India vs Pakistan semifinal match was indeed scheduled for and played at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali, Punjab. This match was one of the most anticipated games of the tournament, with both Prime Ministers attending. The other venues hosted different matches - Colombo and Dhaka hosted other semifinals and matches.

India played its first One Day International (ODI) match at Headingley, Leeds on July 13, 1974, against England. India lost this inaugural match by 4 wickets. Lord's, The Oval, and Taunton are also famous cricket grounds in England, but Headingley holds the distinction of hosting India's ODI debut.