In This Post:
– History of Multan Cricket Stadium
– Location of Multan Cricket Stadium
– Capacity at Multan Cricket Stadium
– Quick Facts about Multan Cricket Stadium
Home ground of Multan Sultans of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Multan International Cricket Stadium is one of the few multi-use stadiums in the country that can hold both cricket and football matches at the venue. Its lush green outfield with well-maintained pitches and neat and clean rows of seats makes it one of the best sports venues in Multan. Before we take a sneak peek into the game statistics and different records of the matches organized here, let us go through the history of Multan Cricket Stadium.
History of Multan Cricket Stadium
Multan Cricket Stadium was a replacement of the Ibn-e-Qasim Bagh Stadium, which opened in 1975 and could hold 18,000 spectators at a time. Qasim Bagh Stadium, also known as the Old Fort Stadium, was also a multi-purpose ground used both for football and cricket matches. Only three matches took place at this sports venue. One was a test match between Pakistan and West Indies in 1980, while two international matches were held – one in 1982 between Pakistan and India and the last one was held in 1994 between Pakistan and Australia. Different sports events are still held at Qasim Bagh Stadium, but it is no longer suitable to hold international cricket events. Hence there was a need for a well-equipped and contemporary cricket ground that could hold international cricketing events in its premises. This resulted in the establishment of Multan Cricket Stadium in 2001 by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
The first test match at Multan Cricket Stadium was played in 2001 between Pakistan and Bangladesh for the Asian Test Championship. A memorable one day international match was held between arch rivals Pakistan and India back in 2006. It was the 4th one day international organized at the sports venue and India won the match by 5 wickets. Passionate cricket fans remember the record-making test match between Pakistan and India which was held at Multan Cricket Stadium in 2004, where Virender Sehwag batted a record triple century – 309 runs and steered India into a staggering victory over Pakistan. This holds even more significance as Sehwag is the only Indian player to score triple centuries twice. One was at the test match at Multan Cricket Stadium as mentioned above and the other one was in Chennai, India in 2008 in a match against South Africa, where Sehwag smashed 319 runs.
Since it is the home ground of Multan Sultans of Pakistan Super League, many T20 matches of PSL were organized at Multan Cricket Stadium. In the 5th edition of PSL, three matches of Multan Sultans were held on 26, 28 and 29 February, 2020.
To promote international cricket, Pakistan Cricket Board has invited Zimbabwe to play a cricket series with Pakistan in its home ground in October, 2020. A few international matches with Zimbabwe will also be held at the Multan Cricket Stadium, much to the delight of cricket fans, as after a period of 12 years an ODI will be held in this cricket ground.
Location of Multan Cricket Stadium
Multan Cricket Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan, owned by the Pakistan Cricket Board. The stadium is situated in the outskirts of Multan on Vehari Road in Gulshan-e-Yousuf. Naseerabad, Ali Town, Nazir Colony and Tahir Colony are some neighbourhoods situated in close proximity to the international stadium in Multan.
Seating Capacity at Multan Cricket Stadium
Multan Cricket Stadium has the honour of being the second largest cricket ground in the country. The National Stadium in Karachi is the largest one that can accommodate around 34,000 cricket fans at a time. Multan Cricket Stadium has a capacity of 30,000 spectators at a time.
This famous cricket stadium of Multan has all the facilities both for players and the spectators. The outfield is green and presents a beautiful ground. Flood lights are installed at the venue to facilitate day and night matches. The first day and night ODI between Pakistan and Bangladesh was held in which Pakistan emerged victorious.
The stadium has undergone renovations and upgrades in 2018 to make it suitable for T20 Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches. Grass was re-laid at the venue and new media enclosures were established to facilitate media persons. One of the characteristic features of Multan Cricket Stadium is that there is less distance between the seating area and the ground so you can view the players up close in action.
Quick Facts About Multan Cricket Stadium
- The distance between the ground and seating area is quite less and cricket fans can enjoy watching the players up close
- It is the second largest cricket stadium in Pakistan with a seating capacity of 30,000. The largest cricket ground of the country is in Karachi that can accommodate around 35,000 cricket fans.
- The Multan Cricket Stadium hosted its first Test in 2001 and the last ODI was held in 2006
- The last T20 PSL match was held in February, 2020
- Sehwag batted a record innings of 309 runs in a test match between Pakistan and India in 2004
- The Multan Cricket Stadium underwent renovations in 2018 to hold PSL matches
- After a period of 12 years, as the last ODI was held in 2008, international matches will be played at Multan Cricket Stadium as Zimbabwe’s Cricket Team is visiting Pakistan in October, 2020 to play a series.
So, this was a quick overview of the Multan Cricket Stadium. If you are a die-hard cricket fan, then do check out other cricket stadiums in Pakistan. We have also covered blogs on PSL cricket events that were previously held.
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P.S. Cover and body images are sourced from the official Facebook Pages of Multan Cricket Stadium.
