National Stadium, Karachi

National Bank Stadium
NSK, NBCA
The stadium on a match-day in February 2020
Ground information
LocationKarachi-75300, Sindh, Pakistan
Coordinates24°53′46″N 67°4′53″E / 24.89611°N 67.08139°E / 24.89611; 67.08139
Establishment21 April 1955; 69 years ago (1955-04-21)
Capacity34,238[1]
OwnerPakistan Cricket Board
OperatorSindh Cricket Association
TenantsPakistan national cricket team
Sindh cricket team
Karachi Kings
End names
Pavilion End
University Road End
International information
First Test26 February–1 March 1955:
 Pakistan v  India
Last Test2–6 January 2023:
 Pakistan v  New Zealand
First ODI21 November 1980:
 Pakistan v  West Indies
Last ODI7 May 2023:
 Pakistan v  New Zealand
First T20I20 April 2008:
 Pakistan v  Bangladesh
Last T20I25 September 2022:
 Pakistan v  England
Only women's Test15–18 March 2004:
 Pakistan v  West Indies
First WODI9 April 2001:
 Pakistan v  Netherlands
Last WODI23 April 2024:
 Pakistan v  West Indies
First WT20I1 September 2023:
 Pakistan v  South Africa
Last WT20I3 May 2024:
 Pakistan v  West Indies
As of 3 May 2024
Source: ESPNcricinfo

The National Stadium (Urdu: نیشنل اسٹیڈیم; Sindhi: نیشنل اسٽيڊيم), now known as National Bank Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a cricket stadium in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, owned by the Pakistan Cricket Board.[2] It is the home ground of the Karachi Kings franchise in Pakistan Super League and of many other domestic cricket teams in Sindh.[3] It is the largest cricket stadium in Pakistan with a capacity to accommodate 34,238 spectators.[4] It was built in the early 1950s under the supervision of senior civil engineer Mr. Abdul Rasheed Khan (WP) and Mr. Kafiluddin (EP), and was formally inaugurated in April 1955. In October 2022, the National Bank of Pakistan and the PCB agreed to a five-year naming-rights agreement, and the Stadium got its new title, National Bank Cricket Arena.[5][6]

The Pakistan cricket team have a remarkable Test record at the ground, having lost only twice in 45 Test matches[7] (vs. England, December 2000–01, and South Africa, October 2007–08).[8] The stadium has witnessed several memorable moments, such as Viv Richards 181 against Sri Lanka at the 1987 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, in a memorable come-from-behind victory.[9]

  1. ^ "World Stadiums - Stadiums in Pakistan". www.worldstadiums.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  2. ^ "PCB team to visit Bugti Stadium next week". Pakistan Cricket Board. 10 January 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  3. ^ "PSL 2020 Live Streaming, Schedule, Results, & Highlights Videos". PSL 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Football stadiums of the world – Stadiums in Asia. Football stadiums of the world". www.fussballtempel.net (in German). Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  5. ^ "PCB renames National Stadium Karachi under 5-year MoU". 25 October 2022.
  6. ^ "National Stadium in Karachi to be renamed National Bank Cricket Arena". ESPNcricinfo.
  7. ^ Paracha, Nadeem F. (10 March 2017). "Stadium stories: Famous Pakistan cricket grounds". Dawn. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  8. ^ "Team records. Test matches. ESPNcricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Full Scorecard of Pakistan vs India 3rd Test 2005/06 - Score Report". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 23 September 2022.