Written by: Muhammad Suhayb
Posted on: May 30, 2025 | 
| 中文
A view of Iqbal Stadium Faisalabad, Pakistan vs England, 2nd Test, November 21, 2005
Every cricket stadium in Pakistan carries its own rich and storied legacy, whether it’s the electric atmosphere of Karachi’s National Stadium, the enduring spirit of Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium or the gritty contests at Peshawar’s Arbab Niaz Stadium. Each venue is etched with moments of brilliance, heartbreak and controversy. Though relatively younger, Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium has, in just over 30 years, forged a distinct identity. A towering bat sculpture outside the ground stands as a symbolic tribute to the city's deep cricketing roots. Inside, the stadium has witnessed its fair share of drama: the good, with heroic centuries and thrilling victories; the bad, with weather delays and dramatic batting collapses; and the downright ugly, including infamous confrontations and pitch-tampering scandals.
Formerly known as Lyallpur, the city was renamed Faisalabad in 1977 to honor King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, who was assassinated two years earlier. As Pakistan’s cricket calendar expanded rapidly in the 1970s, Punjab needed another major venue beyond Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. With Faisalabad being the third-largest city and a growing industrial hub, it was a natural choice for a new international-standard stadium.
Established in 1978, Iqbal Stadium quickly became a key venue in Pakistan’s cricketing circuit. The inaugural Test match, held in October 1978 between Pakistan and India, was historic not only for being the stadium's first but also for the debut of Indian legend Kapil Dev. It also marked a first on Pakistani soil, Sadiq Mohammad became the first batsman to wear a helmet in a Test match, prompted by a fierce bouncer from the debutant Kapil.
Iqbal Stadium may have seen the rise of bowling legends like Kapil, who took over 400 wickets in tests, but also got the worst of Dennis Lillee, the first bowler to reach 350 Test wickets. Lillie famously called the Faisalabad pitch a “graveyard for bowlers.” After toiling without success on a flat wicket during the 1979–80 Test, he quipped, “If I die, I want to be buried here—because nothing ever happens on this pitch!” That match saw Pakistan's Taslim Arif score an unbeaten 210, the highest score by a wicket-keeper at the time and Javed Miandad, captaining for the first time in a series, also made a century.
Taslim Arif hitting Dennis Lillie.
In that same game, Australia became only the second team in Test history to have all eleven players bowl. Even wicketkeeper Rod Marsh delivered 10 overs in a desperate attempt to break the partnership. When the Aussies returned two years later, Pakistan responded with a dominant innings victory, led by Abdul Qadir’s 11 wickets. It was Imran Khan’s second home Test as captain, and he would go on to achieve a rare all-round feat at the same venue later that season against India, scoring a century and taking 10 wickets in the same match.
Iqbal Stadium has seen some iconic team and individual performances. Qasim Umar scored both of his double centuries at Faisalabad; one against India and another against Sri Lanka. In Oct 1984, Mudassar Nazar was dismissed one run shy of what could have been his second double hundred. Pakistan’s highest Test total was made in the same match when Qasim and Mudassar put on 250 for the second wicket and the scorecard read 674/6 when Pakistan declared against India. In stark contrast, the lowest total was West Indies’ 53 all out in 1986, undone by the spin of Abdul Qadir and pace of Imran Khan. That match is also remembered for Wasim Akram’s first Test fifty, as he and a wounded Salim Malik defied the odds with critical partnerships that set a challenging target for the formidable West Indies side. When the next time they came over, they won by 7 wickets, but not after Saeed Anwar and Moin Khan made their test debut. Saeed was unlucky to have bagged a pair in the only test outing for years.
In the 1990s, the ground saw rare home defeats, against Sri Lanka in 1995 and South Africa in 1997. In the latter, Pakistan collapsed for just 92 chasing 146. Only Moin Khan (32) and Amir Sohail (14) entered the double figures for the home side. Gary Kirsten carried his bat in the first innings and stitched a 124-run stand with Pat Symcox for the eighth wicket, a key difference-maker.
Other standout moments at Iqbal Stadium include Sanath Jayasuriya’s sublime 253 in 2004 and Inzamam-ul-Haq's twin centuries against England in 2005, an achievement that made him only the fifth Pakistani to score centuries in both innings of a Test match. That performance carried an extra edge of defiance, as Inzamam had been controversially run out in the first innings after reaching 109. After firmly playing a delivery from Steve Harmison back toward the bowler, Inzamam's momentum carried him out of his crease. Harmison, in his follow-through, fielded the ball and threw down the stumps. England appealed, and after on-field umpire Darrell Hair referred the decision, third umpire Nadeem Ghauri ruled Inzamam out, an incident that sparked debate and added fuel to an already intense contest.
Inzamam-Steve Harmison run out scene
In what turned out to be the stadium’s last Test (January 2006), Inzamam notched his final Test century, but it was Shahid Afridi who stole the show with a blistering 156 off just 128 balls, an innings laced with 20 fours and six sixes. Afridi's twenty runs off Irfan Pathan and three fours off Anil Kumble in an over enthralled the crowd, who had earlier seen him racing from 50 off 63 to a hundred on 96 deliveries.
The pitch and the pinch-hitter, Shahid Afridi.
However, not all memories from Faisalabad are glorious. For years, the stadium was most infamously remembered for the heated altercation between England captain Mike Gatting and Pakistani umpire Shakoor Rana during a Test in 1987. A disagreement over field placements escalated into a full-blown confrontation, ultimately costing a day’s play and underscoring the strained relations in international cricket at the time. Nearly two decades later, Shahid Afridi added another controversial chapter. In a Test against England 18 years later, he was caught on camera deliberately scuffing the pitch with his boots, attempting to use the distraction of a nearby cylinder blast to go unnoticed. The act was widely condemned, and Afridi received a ban of one Test match and two ODIs.
Picture of Mike Gatting-Shakoor Rana incident.
In the 1998–99 season, a scheduled Test against Zimbabwe was abandoned due to persistent winter fog, a recurring issue for matches held during that time of year.
Iqbal Stadium has also hosted 16 ODIs, 12 involving Pakistan. The home team only lost matches against Sri Lanka, West Indies and South Africa; ironically, these same teams have defeated Pakistan in Tests at this ground. The first ODI was played between Pakistan and New Zealand in November 1984. It featured a stunning spell by Mudassar Nazar, who took 4 wickets for just 27 runs, one of the best bowling figures at the venue. It also witnessed the international debut of an 18-year-old Wasim Akram, who had dazzled selectors in a trial match at Gaddafi Stadium by taking 7 wickets.
The venue played host to one match during the 1987 World Cup and three in the 1996 edition. These matches included the first quarterfinal between Sri Lanka and England in 1996, which knocked out the runners-up of the previous edition. The match is remembered for Sanath Jayasuriya's quick-fire 82. He managed to score those runs on just 44 balls, with 13 fours and 3 sixes.
Sanath Jayasuriya in the 1996 World Cup Quarter Final.
Mohammad Yousuf (formerly Yousuf Youhana) holds the record for the highest individual ODI score at the ground, 108 against Zimbabwe in January 2008. The last ODI here was played in April 2008, against Bangladesh. Following the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore, international cricket in Pakistan came to a grinding halt, and like other venues, Iqbal Stadium went into dormancy.
After years of renovations and upgrades, Iqbal Stadium is once again ready to welcome the world. In September 2024, it hosted the inaugural Champions One-Day Cup, a List A domestic competition introduced by the PCB.
Champions One-Day Cup 2024.
The five-match T20 series against Bangladesh, initially scheduled to be held in Faisalabad in May–June 2025, has now been shifted to Lahore following a delay caused by the recent escalation with India. The wait for Faisalabad to host international cricket continues, but the city remains firmly on the map for future international fixtures.
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