If you have the opportunity to travel around the world as a cricket tourist, here are some of the best museums devoted to our favourite sport. Get the CricDost app, a Free cricket scoring app for grassroots players. Download now and enjoy down to the ground!
Where can I find the World’s Largest Cricket Museum?
The Blades of Glory Museum in Pune, India, is the world’s largest cricket museum. It is India’s most visited cricket museum, with an incredible collection of exhibits.
It is located in Sahakar Nagar in Pune and currently houses 2,000 items, with an additional 51,000 pieces of memorabilia waiting to be displayed. It is the largest of all current cricket museums and is beginning to attract visitors from all over the world. It is the brainchild of Rohan Pate.
Who is Rohan Pate?
Rohan Pate, the man behind the world’s largest cricket museum, is a lifelong cricket fan and former Indian Under 19 player. He began as a personal collector, bidding on items at auction.
Pate’s obsession grew after he began collecting memorabilia on the side. He has now assembled over 51,000 items, though not all of them are visible to the public as of yet.
Cricket is extremely fortunate to have a man like Rohan Pate. South Africa’s legendary fast bowler Allan Donald stated that he had never met anyone more passionate about the game and that passion has resulted in the creation of the world’s largest cricket museum.
Cricket Museums Around the World
Wellington’s New Zealand Cricket Museum
Wellington is the capital of New Zealand and has hosted many great cricket matches over the years. The ground is known as the Basin Reserve, and it is here that you will find this incredible cricket museum.
It was founded in 1987 and is used to display cricket memorabilia from all over the world, with a focus on items from its native New Zealand. Remember that this country has produced some of the world’s best players, including Sir Richard Hadlee, the country’s only cricketer to be knighted.
Hadlee’s match wear is housed in New Zealand’s cricket museum alongside that of Bert Sutcliffe and Stephen Fleming. Women’s cricket receives a lot of attention, as it should.
A visit to the New Zealand Cricket Museum is highly recommended if you’re watching a game at the Basin Reserve or if you’re just in the Wellington area.
Blades of Glory Cricket Museum, Pune, India
We’ve already met Rohan Pate’s Blades of Glory, and we know this is the world’s largest cricket museum. Over 51,000 pieces of cricket memorabilia are housed here, with approximately 2,000 of them on display to the public.
The collection includes a bat used by Donald Bradman as well as the pink ball used in the first-ever day/night test match. There are numerously signed bats, as well as clothing, helmets, stumps, books, and other items.
It is officially the largest of the world’s many cricket museums, and a visit to the Blades of Glory in Pune appears to be in order before too long.
Melbourne Cricket Museum, Australia
The Melbourne Cricket Ground hosted the world’s first-ever test match in 1877, so it’s only fitting that the city has a museum dedicated to the sport. The MCG is home to Australia’s largest cricket museum, which was officially opened in 2006.
It currently houses over 1,500 exhibits spanning much of cricket’s history. Among the many highlights is a silver urn replicating the Ashes, which were awarded to Frank Laver’s winning team in 1909.
Look out for the Blackham Ball, a well-worn cricket ball from the nineteenth century. It was used in the 1882 Ashes and was responsible for the winning delivery at Lord’s. Wicket-keeper Jack Blackham kept it for over 30 years before auctioning it off to raise funds for wounded First World War soldiers in 1916.
It stands out among the many impressive items on display at the Melbourne Cricket Museum in Australia.
Lord’s Cricket Museum, London
As the home of cricket, Lord’s should have one of the best cricket museums in the world. It’s located in northwest London and is open all year, but it can certainly add to your enjoyment of a match here.
This was the world’s largest cricket museum until the Blades of Glory location opened, and it remains a vast treasure trove of fascinating items. The Duke of Edinburgh officially opened the MCC Museum in 1953, and its most prized possession is the original Ashes Urn.
The Ashes trophy, which was created in 1888, was donated to Lord’s in 1928 and rarely leaves the grounds. If you’re going to the museum, this artifact alone is worth seeing, but there’s so much more to see.
There are a lot of player-worn kits this time around. This time, however, delves deeper into history and includes participants from all over the world. Shane Warne, Don Bradman, Jack Hobbs, and many other celebrities have contributed to the Lord’s Museum.
The MCC museum has everything from the beginnings of cricket to modern-day innovations like T20 and The Hundred.
Bradman Museum, Bowral, Australia
Don Bradman was born in Bowral, so it’s only fitting that one of the best cricket museums in the country is located in this New South Wales town.
Unsurprisingly, many of the artifacts stored here are related to Bradman’s career. There is match-worn gear, including a baggy green cap, blazers, bats, and other items.
This Australian cricket museum takes pride in displaying excellent archive video footage, while interactive displays allow visitors to get up close and personal with their subject. While Don Bradman is the main focus, there are items from across the country and beyond, and the museum aims to contextualize cricket in terms of global history.
If you’re interested in the life of the world’s greatest batsman, a visit to the Bradman Museum in Bowral is a must. There are, however, many other interesting things to see that will delight any cricket fan.
If you are passionate about anything, a trip to a museum is a must. If you’re reading this, you may share my love of cricket, and the locations listed here should be on your radar.
Cricket, like any other sport, is proud of its history, but I believe it is more cautious than most in preserving it. The concept of maintaining a cricket museum is thriving, thanks to societies and the hard work of individuals such as Rohan Pate.
Some are rich in history and have been in operation for many years. Others are newer, but it’s encouraging to see that cricket museums are gaining popularity. This ensures that more exhibits will be added in the future, and perhaps some new establishments will spring up as the game spreads around the world.
