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| Ground information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
| Coordinates | 24°53′46″N 67°4′53″ECoordinates: 24°53′46″N 67°4′53″E |
| Establishment | 21 April 1955 |
| Capacity | 34,228[1] |
| Owner | Pakistan Cricket Board |
| Operator | Karachi City Cricket Association |
| Tenants | Karachi, Pakistan International Airlines, Pakistan |
| End names | |
| Pavilion End University End |
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| International information | |
| First Test | 26 Feb – 1 Mar 1955: Pakistan v India |
| Last Test | 21 Feb – 25 Feb 2009: Pakistan v Sri Lanka |
| First ODI | 21 Nov 1980: Pakistan v West Indies |
| Last ODI | 21 Jan 2009: Pakistan v Sri Lanka |
| As of 25 February 2009 Source: National Stadium, Cricinfo |
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The National Stadium (Urdu: نیشنل اسٹڈیم) is a cricket stadium in Karachi, Pakistan. It is currently used for cricketmatches, and is home to Karachi's domestic cricket teams. The stadium is able to hold 34,228 spectators,[2] Its widely criticised that the city of this size with a population of over 15 million having such a small capacity stadium. In the recent past, PCB has announced on different occasions that the capacity of the stadium will be increased to 90,000 but this approval looks a bit stale at the moment.
The Pakistani cricket team have a remarkable Test record at the ground, having only lost twice (vs. England, December 2000–01, and South Africa, October 2007–08) and have won 21 times in 40 Test Matches and in over 50 years. The stadium has witnessed several memorable moments, such as Viv Richards 181 against Sri Lanka at the1987 Cricket World Cup, Mohammad Yousuf's record ninth century of the year to break Viv Richards record of most runs in a calendar year, and Kamran Akmal's famous century against India on a very difficult pitch in 2006, after Pakistan had collapsed to 39 for 6, as part of a memorable come-from-behind victory.
History
Karachi, Pakistan's largest and most populous city, presents an interesting and colourful combination of the old and new. The National Stadium became Karachi's fifth and Pakistan's 11th first-class ground. The inaugural first-class match was played at NSK between Pakistan and India on 21–24 April 1955, and it became a fortress of Pakistan Cricket. In 34 Tests between that first match and December 2000, Pakistan won 17 and were never beaten. Their only Test defeat on the ground came in the gloom against England in 2000–01.
The first ODI at the National Stadium was against West Indies on 21 November 1980, and it went down to the last ball as Gordon Greenidge drove Imran Khan imperiously to the cover boundary with three needed. It has been a far less successful limited-overs venue, with defeats outnumbering victories. In fact, in a little under five years from the start of 1996, Pakistan failed to win on the ground. It also staged a quarter-final match in the 1996–97 World Cup.
Sachin Tendulkar played his first test match in this stadium.
