Jamaican Cricket Pilgrim Nears Completion of Global Test Stadium Quest
From the Caribbean to Cape Town, London to Lucknow, Rohan Chambers is on a unique mission. The former Jamaican U-19 cricket captain, who once faced West Indian legends like Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, is now tracing the soul of cricket through its most sacred spaces — the Test match stadiums.
Chambers is no ordinary cricket fan. With over 104 Test venues visited out of the 123 that exist globally (a few now defunct), the Jamaican is on the brink of completing what few have dared to dream — witnessing, documenting, and experiencing every Test ground in the world.
"I’m at about 104 right now," he says proudly, acknowledging that a few of the venues no longer host matches. “That leaves me with around a dozen to go.”
Recently, he visited India and managed to cover three iconic stadiums — Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Lucknow — in under 24 hours. The trip left him particularly awestruck at the sheer scale of the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the largest cricket stadium in the world.
"It's so big," Chambers said, reflecting on his walk around the stadium. “From the TV, it seems like you're far from the action. But when you're there, it feels surprisingly intimate.”
What sets Chambers apart is not just the number of grounds he's visited, but the depth of his experience. At each venue, he engages with groundsmen, local staff, and anyone willing to share untold stories — voices rarely heard on TV or during match commentary.
"I talk to the groundsmen — people no one really talks to — and they’re more than happy to share their knowledge," he says. "That's what I appreciate the most.”
His list of favourite stadiums reads like a bucket list for any cricket aficionado: Adelaide Oval, Newlands in Cape Town, Chepauk in Chennai, SCG, Lord's in London, and the Kensington Oval in Barbados. Of Indian grounds, he is especially fond of the view from the Madras Cricket Club, nestled within the Chepauk Stadium.
While he shares glimpses of his travels on Instagram and Facebook, Chambers has broader ambitions. A book chronicling his journey is in the pipeline, and he envisions a comprehensive online database of Test venues for fans and historians alike.
"I'm not a hundred per cent sure yet what the final product will be,” he admits, “but it could be a website where people can explore everything about every ground. And once the journey is complete, I definitely want to publish a book."
A true son of the Caribbean, Chambers remains deeply invested in West Indies cricket. He laments its decline, pointing to the rise of T20 leagues, dwindling local infrastructure, and a lack of red-ball incentives as major reasons for the region’s cricketing struggles.
“In these times of get-rich-quick opportunities, Test cricket is a long grind,” he says. “Some just don’t have the patience anymore.”
As Rohan Chambers inches closer to completing his pilgrimage, he carries not just memories and photographs, but the untold stories of the places where cricket’s greatest dramas have unfolded — a living archive of the game’s most hallowed grounds.