McLean Park

McLean Park is one of the main cricket grounds used for international cricket in New Zealand. The Napier stadium is more than 100 years old - it opened back in 1911 - making it a historic location for the sport, while it is notable for being the world's easternmost Test match ground. 

This cricket ground was initially named Sir Donald McLean Park, hosts rugby union as well as cricket, with the ground primarily used for One Day Internationals rather than Tests these days.  

McLean Park became the sixth venue in New Zealand to host a T20 international when it held a match in January 2017, when New Zealand took on Bangladesh. 

Napier hosts domestic T20 matches in the Super Smash, with the Central Stags its home side. Our OCB guide includes everything you need to know including the McLean Park pitch report, so read on to learn more. 

Rugby union's Hawkes Bay Magpies play their home games in the Mitre 10 Cup at the grounds, and it has also been used as the host venue for Rugby World Cup games too. 

McLean Park Pitch Report

The Napier ground is regarded as one of the most batting-friendly pitches in world cricket. McLean Park has hosted seven draws in Test cricket, with only three games producing a result. 

The stadium reportedly has the highest runs per wicket of any Test match venue, with average runs per wicket in the high 30s, higher than Eden Park which is also considered very batting friendly.

The highest score in a T10 is 241/3 (ENG vs NZ) at this venue. Records show an average of 155 in the first innings. The highest chasing score was 177/6 (19.4 overs) for PAK vs NZ.

In ODI matches, the highest and lowest scores are 373/8 and 98/10 respectively, both by New Zealand. Out of a total of 45 matches, the team batting first won only 40% of the time, so the chasing teams seem to have good advantages here and may be able to chase improving surfaces as the games progress.

Sources: Wikipedia, Cricbuzz, Sportsf1. Stats accurate at the time of publishing.

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