Nairobi Gymkhana Club is a cricket ground and team in Nairobi, Kenya. It hosted two matches during the 2003 Cricket World Cup. The ground has a capacity of 7,000 people. It is located north of the central business district, but not far from it. The ground is the main cricket venue in the country and the only one which could in any way be described as a major ground.
| Ground information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Nairobi, Kenya | ||||
| Capacity | 7,000 | ||||
| End names | |||||
| City End Forest Road End | |||||
| International information | |||||
| First ODI | 28 September 1996: Kenya v  Sri Lanka | ||||
| Last ODI | 11 October 2010: Kenya v  Afghanistan | ||||
| First T20I | 1 September 2007: Kenya v  Bangladesh | ||||
| Last T20I | 21 June 2023: Kenya v  Uganda | ||||
| First WT20I | 13 December 2022: Kenya v Uganda | ||||
| Last WT20I | 21 December 2022: Kenya v Uganda | ||||
| Team information | |||||
| |||||
| As of 21 June 2023 Source: CricketArchive | |||||
Cricket
The ground is home to a cricket team of the same name, which is one of the oldest cricket clubs in Kenya. Earlier the ground was called Suleman Verjee Indian Gymkhana having been donated by the Suleman Verjee family at a time when no recreational facilities of scale were available to Indians in Kenya. The land was allocated by the Governor of Kenya to the Indian Association in 1927.[1]
The ground is home to one of Kenya's oldest and most influential clubs, the Gymkhana has hosted colonial and other important matches since the early 1900s but it really began to develop as Kenya became a serious force in world cricket in the 1990s.
It has become the main cricket ground in Kenya and hosts International games for the National team. It was at this ground, that Shahid Afridi scored the (then) fastest ODI century in 1997 from just 37 balls.
Investment in the ground accelerated with ICC grants which enabled it to host the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy although since then it has suffered from a lack on investment resulting from Kenya's internal problems. The ground itself is a mixture of grass banking and wooden stands, with a modern pavilion on one side and a new media centre, constructed for the 2000 tournament, at one end.[2]
As with many such clubs in Kenya, the Gymkhana is home to a variety of other sports as well as providing comfortable accommodation. Situated almost 5,500 feet above sea level, it is one of the highest first-class grounds.[3]
Facilities
The Gymkhana club also has an small inside area with a badminton court and further in, an outdoor area with a swimming pool and a restaurant.
Transportation
Nairobi Gymkhana is situated a 20-minute taxi ride and is about 15 km from the airport. Parking near the ground is limited.
List of Centuries
One Day Internationals
List of five-wicket hauls
One Day Internationals
| No. | Bowler | Date | Team | Opposing Team | Inn | O | R | W | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allan Donald | 3 October 1996 |  South Africa | Kenya | 2 | 9 | 23 | 6 | South Africa won[22] |
| 2 | Waqar Younis | 4 October 1996 |  Pakistan | Sri Lanka | 2 | 8.5 | 52 | 5 | Pakistan won[23] |
| 3 | Aasif Karim | 10 October 1997 | Kenya | Bangladesh | 2 | 10 | 33 | 5 | Kenya won[24] |
| 4 | Sunil Joshi | 26 September 1999 |  India | South Africa | 1 | 10 | 6 | 5 | India won[25] |
| 5 | Shayne O'Connor | 11 October 2000 |  New Zealand | Pakistan | 1 | 9.2 | 46 | 5 | New Zealand won[26] |
| 6 | Jason Gillespie | 30 August 2002[a] |  Australia | Pakistan | 2 | 10 | 22 | 5 | Australia won[27] |
| 7 | Jason Gillespie | 7 September 2002[b] | Australia | Pakistan | 1 | 10 | 70 | 5 | No result[c][29] |
| 8 | Collins Obuya | 24 February 2003[d] | Kenya | Sri Lanka | 2 | 10 | 24 | 5 | Kenya won[30] |
| 9 | Mashrafe Mortaza | 15 August 2006 | Bangladesh | Kenya | 1 | 10 | 26 | 6 | Bangladesh won[31] |
| 10 | Chris Mpofu | 19 October 2008 |  Zimbabwe | Kenya | 1 | 10 | 52 | 6 | Kenya won[32] |
Twenty20 Internationals
| No. | Bowler | Date | Team | Opposing Team | Inn | O | R | W | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nehemiah Odhiambo | 4 February 2010 | Kenya |  Scotland | 1 | 4 | 20 | 5 | Kenya won[33] |
| 2 | Sandeep Lamichhane | 29 August 2022 |  Nepal | Kenya | 1 | 4 | 9 | 5 | Kenya won[34] |