Mallakam Sri Baskaran Cricket Ground

Mallakam Sri Baskaran Cricket Ground, Jaffna also known as Mallakam Cricket Ground, (Sinhala: මල්ලකම් ශ්‍රී බාස්කරන් ක්‍රිකට් ක්‍රීඩාංගණය, Tamil: மல்லகம் ஸ்ரீ பாஸ்கரன் கிரிக்கெட் மைதானம்) is a cricket stadium in Mallakam, Jaffna District, Sri Lanka. The ground was named after late philanthropist Sri Baskaran as a tribute for donating the land which was used to construct the cricket ground.[1] The cricket ground is currently owned and managed by the Jaffna Cricket Association.[2]

The ground was built under the initiative Cricket Gamata program which was launched by the Sri Lanka Cricket. It was revealed that renowned philanthropist Sri Baskaran donated his land on a 60-year lease agreement for the purpose of using it as a cricket ground.[3] The cricket ground was officially declared open on 14 March 2021 with the motive of developing interest in cricket among the youth in the Jaffna peninsula.[4]

The first phase of the ground development which was unveiled includes a matting wicket, two side practice wickets, an office room and player changing room.[5] The cricket ground is set to be developed as a fully fledged cricket ground by the end of 2022 as a part of the 3 phase development program.[6] The full-fledged cricket stadium is set to be established for the purpose of domestic cricket in Jaffna with a turf wicket at a cost ranging from 20 million to 25 million.[7]

In July 2020, Sri Lanka Cricket Board announced Mallakam as one of their targets to develop and revive interest in cricket in rural areas.[8] The Sri Lanka Army personnel also contributed for the construction of the ground.[9]

On 14 March 2021, an exhibition T20 cricket match was also contested between two intra Jaffna based teams during the inauguration ceremony.