Your Guide to National Stadium – The Homeground of Karachi Kings

Navigate to:
History
Capacity
Facts about the National stadium
Enclosures
Records set at National stadium
Location
Upcoming events
Contact & Ticket info.
Cricket comes back home
FAQs
Real estate near the stadium


National Stadium, Karachi is one of the biggest stadiums in Pakistan. Owned by the Pakistan Cricket Board, the stadium is also alternatively known as the ‘Fortress of Pakistan Cricket’. It is the city’s fifth and the country’s eleventh cricket ground. 

Furthermore, the arena is one of the best places to visit post-evening since the National Stadium, Karachi at night is a sight to behold. In this blog, we will learn everything about the history, location, records, and seating capacity of the stadium. 

Keep scrolling!

History of National Stadium, Karachi

Erected in April 1995 for India’s tour to Pakistan, National Stadium in Karachi hosted the first-ever India vs. Pakistan match in the City of Lights. During his visit, President Eisenhower of the US in 1959, also suggested the establishment of a permanent pitch. 

Although Karachi Gymkhana Stadium was available for the match, it had limited seating capacity which wasn’t enough for hosting the expected crowd and match requirements. So, the plans for a big enough stadium were drawn by engineer Alhaj Kafiluddin.

Up until 2008, the stadium proved to be lucky for the Pakistani cricket team, when it came to test matches. Out of 40 test matches played in the stadium, Pakistan only lost two: one against England in December 2000-01, breaking the winning streak, and the other against Sri Lanka in October 2007-08.

Moreover, the arena has also hosted a few of the matches in 1987 and 1996 ODI world cup. At this point, Karachi Stadium is deemed as the home ground for Karachi Kings – a PSL team. 

Since we’re talking about the history of National Stadium, we cannot miss to mention the names of the cricket legends who have highly contributed to the golden history of this ground. Some mentions in this regard are Sachin Tendulkar, Thilan Samaraweera, Imran Khan, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Waqar Younis, Viv Richards, and Kumar Sangakkara. 

Capacity at National Stadium, Karachi

The stadium was once considered the largest cricket ground in Pakistan, but the seating capacity  dramatically reduced after the arena went under renovation. Currently, the stadium stands proud with a seating capacity of 34,228 spectators. 

Interesting Facts About National Stadium, Karachi

Let’s take a look at some interesting facts about Karachi Stadium:

• It is the only ground where the Sri Lankan Cricket Team has never been successful in defeating Pakistan.
• Javed Miandad is the only player who has scored more than a 1000 runs on this ground, making him the top scorer of this ground.
• The only player to score a triple century in this arena is Younis Khan.
• Two cricketing legends, Waqar Younis and Sachin Tendulkar started their test match careers in this ground.
• It is the first and the last stadium to host a match for a US president, President Eisenhower.

Enclosures at Karachi Stadium

There are 12 enclosures in the stadium, and all of them are named after the cricketing heroes of Pakistan:

• Intikhab Alam Enclosure 
• Iqbal Qasim Enclosure 
• Mohd. Brothers Enclosure 
• Nasimul Ghani Enclosure 
• Wasim Bari Enclosure 
• Majid Khan Enclosure 
• Waqar Hasan Enclosure 
• Imran Khan Enclosure 
• Wasim Akram Enclosure 
• Zaheer Abbas Enclosure 
• Fazal Mahmood Enclosure 
• Hanif Mohammad Enclosure 

Records set at National Stadium Karachi

Apart from being the first stadium to host a US president, here are some of the cricket records that were set on the ground.

Test Matches

YEAR	RECORD	DETAILS	SET BY	SET AGAINST
1994	Highest Run Chase	315/9	Pakistan	Australia
1956	Lowest Team Total	80	Australia	Pakistan
2009	Highest Individual Score	313	Younis Khan	Sri Lanka
2009	Highest Team Total	765	Pakistan	Sri Lanka
2009	Highest Partnership	437	Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera	Pakistan

One Day International (ODI) 

YEAR	RECORD	DETAILS	SET BY	SET AGAINST
1987	Highest Individual Score	181	Viv Richards	Sri Lanka
2004	Highest Run Chase	288/5	Pakistan	India
2008	Highest Team Total	374/4	India	Hong Kong
2008	Highest Partnership	201	Sanath Jayasuria and Kumar Sangakkara	Bangladesh
2008	Highest Run Chase Achieved	310/4	India	Sri Lanka
2008	Lowest Team Total	115	Bangladesh	Pakistan

T20 International

YEAR	RECORD	DETAILS	SET BY	SET AGAINST
2018	Lowest Team Total	60/9	West Indies	Pakistan
2018	Highest Partnership	119	Babar Azam and Hussain Talat	West Indies
2018	Highest Individual Score	97	Babar Azam	West Indies
2018	Highest Team Total	205/3	Pakistan	West Indies

Where is the Karachi Stadium Located?

Located in National Stadium Colony, the stadium is in close proximity to Stadium Road and Civic Centre. It falls under the jurisdiction of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Town – one of the top neighborhoods of the metropolitan city for real estate investment.

Moreover, the area of Karachi Stadium is extremely accessible while famous landmarks such as National Coaching Centre, Pakistan Maritime Museum, and Expo Centre are situated nearby. 

National Stadium Karachi Address: National Stadium Road, National Stadium Colony, Karachi. 

Upcoming Events at Karachi Stadium 

The upcoming events to be held in the stadium are:

• Pakistan vs England T20 –  14, Oct 2021
• Pakistan vs England T20 – 15, Oct,2021

Contact Number & Ticket Information

National Stadium ticket prices vary in accordance with the event being held there.

If you need to get further details about the stadium, or want to book a ticket for upcoming matches, you can contact them using the below-mentioned information:   

Contact Number: 021-34821219

Cricket Comes Back Home…

In 2017, Pakistan was deemed safe for cricket while in 2018 cricket came back to Karachi with the third edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The final series of this tournament, between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi, was played in March. This was the first time since 2009 that international cricket players played on the grounds of the cricket stadium in Karachi.

FAQs About Karachi Stadium

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about the Fortress of Pakistani Cricket.

The stadium was established in 1995, for India’s Tour to Pakistan.

National Stadium has hosted quite a few international matches, as well as a few matches of the 1987 cricket world cup and few matches of the 1996 world cup.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) looks after the National Stadium, Karachi.

Yes, there are parking facilities available in the stadium.

Real Estate Near National Stadium, Karachi

Karachi – the commercial engine of Pakistan – holds an ideal position in real estate investment. Located in a prime location, the property around the National Stadium holds great value. 

There is a bunch of commercial and residential projects available here. houses, flats/apartments,s and shops for sale in Karachi.

National Stadium Colony is a residential colony situated behind the stadium and is offering several properties for sale. For more information, visit Jagahonline.com, and find yourself a suitable home, or keep following our page for updates about properties all over the country. Keep reading JagahOnline Blogs for insight into Pakistan’s property market. Follow us on Facebook.