Located in the heart of Lahore, the popular and historical Gaddafi stadium holds great memories and big records. The Nasreddin Murat Khan, a Russian-born Pakistani, designed Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The stadium comes under the supervision of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Location
The stadium is situated in Gulberg III Lahore, block E2, Hafeez Kardar road. The stadium can also be reached through Ferozepur Road by walking.
History
The stadium stood its ground in 1959 by Mian Abdul Khaliq. It was originally called Lahore stadium. The stadium was poorly maintained when built and consisted of a concrete frame and interior with red bricks. The stadium was decided to renovate for the 1996 Cricket World Cup. Therefore, the framework was designed by Nayyar Ali Dada, who framed it on the red bricks and arches of the Mughal school.
In 1974, colonel Muammar Gaddafi, a former Libyan Leader, presented a significant speech during the 2nd OIC (organization of Islamic Conference) meeting. The stadium was named ‘Gaddafi Stadium’ to honour him.
Key features
The stadium was then renovated as per international standards. It is carpeted with plastic seats and flooded with floodlights. The floodlights are powered with a separate generator so that the match is not disturbed, especially at night. Gaddafi Stadium has a capacity of 27000 people.
The portion of the stadium under the seating system has many shops and cafeterias for edibles and snacks for you to enjoy during the sensational and exciting cricket match. The stadium has witnessed countless cricket matches and remembers some great shots and world records.
The first-ever match was played in 1959 when the Australian cricket team visited Pakistan. The first-ever ODI (One Day International) against England was hosted in 1978. The first T-20 match was played in 2015 with Zimbabwe. The most popular matches hosted by the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore were the cricket world tournaments of 1987 and 1996.
Gaddafi stadium and PSL
The stadium is now the house for the Lahore Qalandars team of the Pakistan Super League. Many matches are held at the stadium annually, and people cherish it the most as PSL is every Pakistani’s Favorite time of the year. Moreover, the stadium held 14 total matches during 2020.
Gaddafi Stadium Lahore is now the most popular but not the largest stadium as the renovations reduced the seating capacity from 60 000 people to 27 000.
Gaddafi Stadium Enclosures
There are 12 Gaddafi stadium enclosures, each designated with a characteristic colour. The enclosures are enlisted below.
- Intikhab Alam enclosure
- Brothers Enclosure
- Iqbal Qasim enclosure
- Majid Khan Enclosure
- Wasim Akram Enclosure
- Wasim Bari Enclosure
- Hanif Mohammad Enclosure
- Waqar Hasan Enclosure
- Imran Khan Enclosure
- Nasimul Ghani Enclosure
- Fazal Mahmood Enclosure
- Zaheer Abbas Enclosure
Gaddafi Stadium Lahore Cricket History
Pakistan has witnessed many international cricket history records at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.
Peter Petherick hit his first of 3 hat-tricks against Pakistan in 1976. Wasim Akram and Muhammad Sami hit their hat-tricks against Sri Lanka in 1999.
The stadium witnessed the memorable 5th wicket stand of 281 against New Zealand between Asif Iqbal and Javed Miandad in 1976.
The unfortunate incident happened in 2009 when the Sri Lankan team was attacked near Gaddafi Stadium. Eight players got injured. The event was a major setback in cricket history. However, the match resumed in 2015 when Zimbabwe played ODI and T20 against Pakistan.
Since then, PCB and ICC have played a major role in improving international standards.
Pakistan had its first PSL final match in 2017 with a big representation of PSL fans. Now Gaddafi stadium greets thousands of people from various cities and even countries. Cricket fans love to gather here, especially during the most awaited Pakistan Super League.
The article sums up the history, world records, and enclosures of Gaddafi Stadium.
