Iqbal Stadium is a Test cricket

Test cricket

Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...

 ground in Faisalabad

Faisalabad

Faisalabad , formerly known as Lyallpur, is the third largest metropolis in Pakistan, the second largest in the province of Punjab after Lahore, and a major industrial center in the heart of Pakistan. Before the foundation of the city in 1880, the area was very thinly populated. The population has...

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

. Previous names for the ground include Lyallpur Stadium, National Stadium, and City Stadium. The current name honours Pakistani poet Sir Allama Muhammad Iqbal. Capacity is 25,000. It has hosted 25 Test matches and 14 One Day Internationals. 14 of the tests have been draws, thanks to the bone-dry, lifeless wickets, perfect for batting.

Ground records

• First Test: 1st Test, Pakistan
  Pakistani cricket team
  The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
  
   vs. India
  Indian cricket team
  The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
  
  , October 1978.
• First ODI: Pakistan vs. New Zealand
  New Zealand cricket team
  The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
  
  , November 1984.

Tests

• Highest innings total: 6-674 by Pakistan vs. India, October 1984.
• Lowest innings total: 53 all out by West Indies
  West Indian cricket team
  The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
  
   vs. Pakistan, October 1986.
• Highest individual score: 253 by Sanath Jayasuriya
  Sanath Jayasuriya
  Sanath Teran Jayasuriya is a former Sri Lankan cricketer. An all-rounder, he played for the Sri Lankan cricket team from 1989 to 2011...
  
   for Sri Lanka
  Sri Lankan cricket team
  The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
  
   vs. Pakistan, October 2004.
• Best bowling figures (match): 12-130 (7-76 & 5-54) by Waqar Younis
  Waqar Younis
  Waqar Younis Maitla is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket and widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time...
  
   for Pakistan vs. New Zealand, October 1990.

One-day internationals

• Highest innings total: 7-314 (50 overs) by Pakistan vs. New Zealand, December 2003.
• Highest individual score: 106 by Mohammad Yousuf for Pakistan vs. Bangladesh
  Bangladeshi cricket team
  The Bangladesh national cricket team is a national cricket team representing Bangladesh. The team is administered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board . Bangladesh is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status...
  
  , September 2003.
• Best bowling figures: 4-27 (4 overs) by Mudassar Nazar
  Mudassar Nazar
  Mudassar Nazar is a former Pakistani cricketer with a career in Test cricket for Pakistan and in league cricket in Pakistan and England...
  
  for Pakistan vs. New Zealand, November 1984.

Profile

The Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad is situated in the northern province of Punjab and is a modern and well-equipped stadium. But no matter how impressive a venue is, not much can be done about the weather and Faisalabad has suffered at the hands of the elements. In 1998-99 fog caused the third Test against Zimbabwe was abandoned without a ball being bowled, while bad light is often an issue especially for matches played during the winter. However, when play has been possible, some memorable performances have taken place. An exciting Test was played out in 1997-98 when South Africa skittles Pakistan for 92, successfully defending a target of 142 on the final day. Then, in 2004-05, Sanath Jayasuriya smashed 253 as Sri Lanka powered to a 201-run victory. But the ground is most famous for the confrontation between Mike Gatting and Shakoor Rana during England's 1987-88 tour, which led to a day being lost during the match and some long-lasting bad feeling between the teams. The stadium itself is only 2km out of the city centre, which can be reached by a walk through the tree-lined suburbs.