Magnificent - that is the best way to describe the Wanderers. You can look around the stadium all day long and you’ll still be fascinated by the view.
Watching live cricket being played in this stadium doesn’t do justice to it. Not even close. You might want to visit the stadium for it’s name, fame and game, but there is something more to it than all that.
It is a landmark unto itself. The giant trees surrounding the stadium, the extending landscape beyond the stadium, the stands and the green lawns - it takes your breath away every time you look at it.
For any cricket journalist, it is a dream to sit in the press box and cover a game of cricket at the Wanderers. There are four stadiums that are considered to be temples in the mind of every cricket journalist: Lord’s Cricket Ground in England, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, WACA in Perth and Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, not particularly in that order. And they itch to make it to them, so they can check it off their bucket list. Lord's, because it’s the mecca of cricket, Wankhede because that is Sachin Tendulkar’s home, WACA because of the bouncy wicket and Wanderers because that’s where you’ll see the melting pot of sports culture in South Africa.
All this from what they’ve heard from people visiting the stadium and from live television.
Wonder what they would say when they actually visit Wanderers.
Kids playing cricket in a cordoned off area in the lawn, people grilling meat and enjoying a glass of soda, fans singing along with to Bryan Adams’ Summer of 69’ and children playing in the make-shift tub pool: A high-calibre cricket game on a Sunday at the Wanderers? Dream come true, eh? I’d bet on it, considering the Uber was on a 2.5X surge across the city since 8am yesterday, the road leading to the stadium was blocked off a mile away from the stadium, and the street vendors were going all out to get fans to buy South African-themed hats, jerseys and wigs.
There are some stadiums where you look around and you are fascinated. And then the feeling wears away. There are some stadiums where there is just nothing of interest except for the cricket match, if that. And then there is the Wanderers. The feeling just never goes away.
M.A. Chidambaram stadium is spectacular, but in a “tug and push”, kind of way. You have to play rough to get to your seat. You also probably have to fight with a bunch of fans before they realise they are in your seat. It is rugged and rustic and there is nothing like it. But the Wanderers is glorious in an elegant and pretty way. The splendid ground and stands are juxtaposed with beautiful green trees and plants that bring out its prettiness.
It is unfair to compare a cricket ground in the US with the beauty that is the Wanderers, considering they are not a major cricketing nation, but if you witnessed India play West Indies at The Central Broward Regional Park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, you will know that that stadium has something to offer too. It is pretty, but in a very quaint way. The view comes to mind. The closest I have witnessed to the view from the Wanderers is Fort Lauderdale. The greenery, the mountains and the sprawling landscape is majestic, like at the Wanderers.
SuperSport Park is in a different category altogether. You’d want to go there when you want to have a relaxed, laid-back day with your family. But, if you’re looking for something intense and fiery, the Wanderers is your answer.
Cricket journalist or fan, the Wanderers should definitely be on your list - the TV does not do justice to the gorgeousness that is the Wanderers.
I can cross this off my list. Next stop: Newlands. According to Herschelle Gibbs, it is the best ground in the whole world. I sense bias in his answer, but ...
The Star