Rawalpindi has so far hosted a total of 17 Tests on two different grounds of which Pakistan won 7, lost 6 and drew 4.
Rawalpindi is one of five Pakistani cities that have staged Test cricket at more than one ground. The city has so far hosted a total of 17 Tests on two different grounds of which Pakistan won 7, lost 6 and drawn 4.
Pindi Club Ground
The Pindi Club Ground is one of the oldest cricket grounds in Pakistan. It was built in 1886 during the days of the British Raj in what was then the cantonment area of the garrison city of Rawalpindi. It served as a venue for matches between different army teams.
The grandson of Queen Victoria, Prince Christian Victor, who was a good cricketer, happened to be posted in Rawalpindi with the Kings Royal Rifles and in a match against the Devonshire Regiment he scored 205, which is apparently the first recorded double century to be scored in what now constitutes Pakistan.
A team from Oxford University called the Oxford Authentics toured India in 1902-3 and among the matches on its itinerary was a non first class match at the Pindi Club ground against a Northern Punjab side. First class cricket arrived at the Pindi Club ground with the visit of an MCC team in 1926-7. Led by Arthur Gillian, this strong side, populated by many Test cricketers, played two matches at the Pindi Club ground premises. One of the highlights of these matches was an excellent innings of 150 by Andy Sandham, who would go on, a few years later, to become the first triple centurion in Test cricket.
After the creation of Pakistan the Pindi Club ground played host to a few visiting international teams from the West Indies and Sri Lanka, as well as to a star studded Commonwealth side that included players like Frank Worrell, John Holt, Bill Alley and George Tribe. These matches also featured the local veteran off-spinner Miran Baksh who was almost unplayable on his home turf of the Pindi Club ground and would subsequently acquire renown some years later for making his Test debut for Pakistan at the ripe old age of 47 years and 275 days.
The touring Test teams of India in 1954-55, the West Indies in 1958-59, the Australians in 1959-60 and England in 1961-62 all played first class matches at the Pindi Club ground against assorted local elevens.
The first, and as it turned out to be, the only Test match to be staged at the Pindi Club ground was against New Zealand in 1965. Pakistan, captained by Hanif Mohammad, won the toss and put New Zealand in to bat. The Kiwis were soon in dire trouble at 91 for 7, until their hard hitting all rounder Bruce Taylor rallied them with a quick 76 that included 13 fours and a six. New Zealand managed a total of 175 in their first innings with Pervez Sajjad picking up 4 wickets for 42 runs.
Pakistan replied confidently, reaching a brisk 135 for 3 by the close of play, scored at a run a minute, with fifties from Mohammad Ilyas and Saeed Ahmed. The Pakistan innings concluded the following day with their score on 318, giving them a lead of 143 runs. Asif Iqbal also managed a polished fifty. New Zealand crumbled to 59 for 6 by the close of play and the match was over after just a further forty minutes of batting on the third day as New Zealand were all out for merely 79, handing Pakistan a victory by an innings and 64 runs. New Zealand had slumped from 57 for 2 to 59 for 9, losing 7 wickets for just 2 runs and 5 wickets fell on the score of 59 alone. Pervez Sajjad was again the wrecker in chief with 4 wickets for just 5 runs, thus obtaining match figures of 8 wickets for 47 runs.
This was Pakistan’s first Test victory in almost 6 years. Interestingly, one of the umpires for this Test was the prolific Pakistani scribe Qamaruddin Butt who wrote no less than ten books on Pakistan’s cricketing fortunes in the 1950’s and 60’s.
Sadly, this historic ground with a seating capacity of around 10,000, was never allotted another Test match, despite being chosen to host many international touring teams for side games, and even staging a match between Pakistan and England during the 1987 World Cup. Now that the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium is the commonly used venue for major cricketing matches in the city it is very likely that the Pindi Club ground will forever remain on the solitary Test list. It has now been re-named as the Army Sports Ground.
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
This stadium was commissioned in 1992 having taken four years to build. It’s official capacity was recorded as 16,200 though it has been known to accommodate upto to 20,000 spectators at times. The stadium, which replaced the Pindi Club Ground for international matches, is just a twenty minute drive from the capital city of Islamabad.
The inaugural match staged at this stadium was an international, a hurriedly arranged ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in January 1992. The stadium was not yet fully ready for the event with areas of the ground still bereft of grass and it is rumored that a green spray had to be used in places to give the impression of a lush outfield on the TV screens as the match was being telecast.
In December 1993 the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium became Pakistan’s fourteenth Test match centre when Pakistan played Zimbabwe at this venue. This was the last time that a Test match on Pakistani soil had a rest day, a feature that has now been totally excised from Test cricket everywhere.
Pakistan defeated Zimbabwe by 52 runs in this inaugural Test with Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis sharing 16 of the 20 Zimbabwean wickets to fall between them. Since then this stadium has become a regular Test venue and a popular one. Following the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009, Test cricket in Pakistan was in abeyance for 10 long years. When it finally did return to Pakistan in 2019 with a visit by the Sri Lankan team, it was the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium that had the honour of hosting the first Test. Sadly, the match was severely interrupted by rain and ended in a draw without even the first innings of both teams being completed.
So far Pakistan has played 16 Tests at this stadium out which they have won 6, lost 6 and drawn the remaining 4.
The highest team total in an innings at this venue is 657 by England in December 2022, scored in only 101 overs at the phenomenal rate of 6.5 runs per over. This innings marked England’s introduction of ‘Bazball’ to Pakistani crowds. By the close of play on the first day England were 506/4, having broken the previous record of 494/6 by Australia vs South Africa in 1910, for the most runs gathered on the opening day of a Test. A record number of four batsmen had scored centuries on this first day, the most ever in a single day of Test play.
The highest total made by Pakistan on this ground is 579, which they managed in the same match. Pakistan had the traumatic experience of losing this Test despite scoring more than 500 runs in their first innings. This was the 18th such occasion in Test cricket history and the 4th time that this fate had befallen Pakistan.
The lowest team score on this ground is 112 by England in October 2024, as Pakistan won comfortably by 9 wickets to avenge the defeat that they had suffered two years earlier. Interestingly it took Pakistan only 37.2 overs to dismiss England, all of them being delivered by spinners alone. In fact Pakistan did not bowl even a single over of pace in this whole Test match making it only the second such instance in Test cricket history. Pakistan’s lowest total on this turf is 145 made against Australia in October 1998. A total of four scores under 150 in a completed Test innings have been registered at this ground, two each by Pakistan and visiting teams.
The batsman with the highest run tally at this ground is Babar Azam with 570 runs at an average of 57.00, with Mohammad Rizwan close on his heels, having tallied 566 runs at an average of 70.75 runs per innings.
A total of 37 Test centuries have been scored at this venue, including two double hundreds, 270 by Rahul Dravid and 237 by Saleem Malik. Babar Azam and Imamul Haq hold the record for most Test hundreds at this stadium with 3 centuries each.
The highest Test match partnership at this stadium is a 323 runs stand between Aamir Sohail and Inzamam ul Haq against the West Indies in 1997.
The highest successful run chase here is 220/8 by Sri Lanka in February 2000. This innings was marked by a display of courage and bravery by the Sri Lankan batsman Arjuna Ranatunga who sustained a painful hand injury and had to retire hurt with his team’s total on 146 for 5. However, as Sri Lanka lost three further quick wickets and were shakily perched at 177 for 8, Ranatunga returned to the crease with his injured hand to guide his team past the winning post.
The most successful Test bowler at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium is Waqar Younis, with 23 wickets at an average of 27.00. On 20 occasions a bowler has taken 5 wickets or more in an innings here, with Nauman Ali and Hasan Ali having achieved this distinction twice. Mohammad Zahid holds the record for most wickets in a single Test innings with 7 wickets for 66 runs versus New Zealand in 1996. There are 3 instances of a bowler taking 10 wickets or more in a Test at this ground with the highest tally being 11 wickets for 130 runs by Mohammad Zahid against New Zealand in 1996. This was Zahid’s debut Test and his blistering pace left the Kiwis shell shocked as they succumbed to an innings defeat.
The most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in a Test innings at this stadium is 5 by Ian Healy of Australia in October 1994, while the highest number of victims claimed by a keeper in an entire Test match is 7 by Ollie Pope of England in 2022.
The highest number of catches taken by a fielder in a Test innings at this ground is 4. This record is jointly held by Inzamam ul Haq vs Zimbabwe in the inaugural Test held here in December 1993, and Arnold Russel of Sri Lanka Lanka in February- March 2000. Inzamam took a total of 5 catches in this match which is the highest by a fielder in an entire Test at this venue.
The Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium has been a happy hunting ground for debutants. In October 1994 the Australian fast bowler Damian Fleming making his Test debut, took a hat-trick in Pakistan’s second innings with Aamir Sohail, Inzamam ul Haq and Saleem Malik as his victims.
Mohammad Zahid was a Test debutant when he not only took 11 wickets versus New Zealand in 1996, but also created a new record for most lbw dismissals by a bowler in a Test match with a tally of 8.
In October 1997 a Rawalpindi born cricketer Azhar Mahmood stole the limelight at his home ground with an unbeaten 128 on Test debut against South Africa. In Pakistan’s second innings Azhar again feasted on the South African bowling attack with a knock of 50 not out, joining a rare and select band of players who have scored a century and a fifty in the two innings of their debut Test.
Another impressive debut at this ground, albeit not in a Test match, was by a young Shoaib Akhtar playing for the Rawalpindi Under-19 team versus the visiting New Zealand Under-19 side in January 1994. Shoaib took 7 Kiwi wickets for just 37 runs in New Zealand’s second innings and had match figures of 10 for 128.
The Rawalpindi Cricket stadium was extensively renovated in 2024 with a significant enhancement of both facilities and capacity. 25000 cricket fans can now be accommodated at this stadium which serves as the main cricketing arena for the twin cities of Pindi and Islamabad.
Dr Salman Faridi is a senior surgeon, poet, sports aficionado and an avid reader with a private collection of over 7000 books. salmanfaridilnh@hotmail.com
