Gaddafi Stadium Lahore

Gaddafi Stadium is a cricket ground in Lahore. The stadium was previously known as Lahore Stadium. It is established in 1959. The stadium is owned by Pakistan Cricket board and operated by Lahore Regional Cricket Association. The stadium has two ends called Pavilion end and FC college end. In 1959 Mian Abdul Khaliq and Company had constructed it. The famous architect and engineer Nasreddin Murat Khan had designed the stadium. It is one of the biggest stadia of Pakistan.27,000 spectators can sit and enjoy cricket here. It was first called the Lahore stadium but later in its name was changed to Gaddafi Stadium in honor of the former Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 1974. My Muammar Gaddafi had delivered a speech in favor of Pakistan’s right to persist nuclear weapons. He delivered this speech at the 2^nd Organization Conference in Lahore. 

The stadium has headquarters of the Pakistan Cricket board and making it the home of Pakistan Cricket team. A qualified architect from National College of Arts Lahore Mr. Nayyar Ali Dada renovated the Gaddafi Stadium for 1996 Cricket World Cup.In Mughal style with red hand-laid brickwork and arches Nayyar Ali Dada has redesigned the stadium. It was the first ever stadium of Pakistan which was equipped with floodlights having their own standby power generators. It is the first ever biggest stadium of Pakistan with having a capacity of 60,000 viewers at a time until the redesigning of its enclosures reduced the capacity of 27,000 spectators.

The first Test match was played between Pakistan and Australia in November 1959 and the Last Test match was played here in March 2009  between Pakistan and Australia. On 9 October 1976 Peter Petherick of New Zealand had made a hat-trick on the ground of this stadium, two more hat-tricks were recorded at the ground of this stadium by Wasim Akram of Pakistan against Sri Lanka and Mohammad Sami of Pakistan against Sri Lanka. 

At the ground of this stadium, Pakistan has enjoyed many remarkable moments. Against New Zealand in 1976 Javed Miandad and Asif Iqbal  made a fifth-wicket stand of 281 and an innings and also in 2002 324 runs against New Zealand.In 2009 Sri Lanka team decided to tour Pakistan for the second Test but unfortunately, there happened a mishap and Sri Lanka team was attacked by terrorists Liberty Roundabout near Gaddafi Stadium.in That incident eight, Sri Lankan players were injured and Sri Lankan moved back to their country. This incident left a bad image of Pakistani security forces for International Cricket and became the end of the International cricket in Pakistan. Later on, in 2015 the Zimbabwe Cricket team decided to tour Pakistan for a match against Pakistan.In Pakistan Super League on 5 March 2007 there was a match played in the stadium and Pakistan won both games of One Day International and T20I series.

The Pakistan Cricket Board decided to have World Xi tour to Pakistan for three T20Is `matches on August 2017 for improving the image of Pakistan for International Cricket.T0he fixtures were confirmed with the final T20I match of the series scheduled to play in Lahore in September 2017. The Sri Lanka team visited Pakistan under extraordinary heavy security and team came to hotel in a boob proof bus. The event became successful in Gaddafi stadium and left a positive image of Pakistan for International cricket. In 2018 Blind Cricket World Cup the Gaddafi stadium hosted many important matches. At the ground of the stadium, there was recorded remarkable victories of many teams.