| قذافی سٹیڈیم (Punjabi) قذافی اسٹیڈیم (Urdu) | |
GSL | |
 Exterior view of the stadium | |
 Interactive map of Gaddafi Stadium | |
| Former names | Lahore Stadium |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 31°30′48″N74°20′0″E / 31.51333°N 74.33333°E /31.51333; 74.33333 |
| Public transit |  Gaddafi Stadium |
| Owner | Pakistan Cricket Board |
| Operator | Pakistan Cricket Board |
| Capacity | 34,000[1] |
| Ground information | |
| Location | Lahore,Punjab |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Establishment | 1959; 67 years ago (1959) |
| Owner | Pakistan Cricket Board |
| Tenants | Pakistan national cricket team Lahore Regional Cricket Association Central Punjab cricket team Lahore Qalandars |
| End names | |
| Jinnah End Iqbal End | |
| International information | |
| First Test | 21–26 November 1959: Pakistan v Australia |
| Last Test | 12–15 October 2025: Pakistan v South Africa |
| First ODI | 13 January 1978: Pakistan v England |
| Last ODI | 5 March 2025: South Africa v New Zealand |
| First T20I | 22 May 2015: Pakistan v Zimbabwe |
| Last T20I | 1 February 2026: Pakistan v Australia |
| First WODI | 2 November 2019: Pakistan v Bangladesh |
| Last WODI | 22 September 2025: Pakistan v South Africa |
| First WT20I | 26 October 2019: Pakistan v Bangladesh |
| Last WT20I | 16 November 2022: Pakistan v Ireland |
| As of 10 November 2025 Source:ESPNcricinfo | |
Gaddafi Stadium[a] formerly known asLahore Stadium, is acricket stadium inLahore,Punjab,Pakistan, owned by thePakistan Cricket Board (PCB). With a capacity of 34,000, it is thelargest cricket stadium of Pakistan. The headquarters of the Pakistan Cricket Board are situated at Gaddafi Stadium, thus making it the home of thePakistan national cricket team.[2] It is also the home ground ofLahore Qalandars in thePakistan Super League. It is named afterLibyan revolutionary,Muammar Gaddafi.
Gaddafi Stadium was designed by Russian-born Pakistani architect and civil engineerNasreddin Murat-Khan, and constructed by Mian Abdul Khaliq and Company in 1959. The stadium was renovated for the1996 Cricket World Cup, during which it hosted the tournamentfinal between Australia and Sri Lanka, having previously staged matches in the1987 World Cup as well.[3] It was the first cricket stadium in Pakistan to be equipped with modern floodlights with their own standby power generators.[4]
In addition to Pakistan home games and international matches, the Gaddafi Stadium has also hosted several matches of thePakistan Super League, with the first one being thefinal of the2017 edition.[5][6] In March 2022, the PCB began the process to rename the stadium for sponsorship reasons.[7] In June 2024, the PCB unveiled plans to revamp Gaddafi Stadium ahead of theICC Champions Trophy 2025, where the venue went on to host four matches, including a high-profile semi-final clash between South Africa and New Zealand.[8][9]On the continental stage, the stadium also staged matches across the2008 and2023 Asia Cups. Adding to its legacy, it hosted games in the1998–99 Asian Test Championship and later the2001–02 Asian Test Championshipfinal, featuring Pakistan and Sri Lanka.[10][11]
Gaddafi stadium was built in 1959 and designed by architect and civil engineer Nasreddin Murat-Khan and construction was completed by Mian Abdul Khaliq and Company.[12] It was originally established as the Lahore Stadium.[13]
On 19 March 1972, the stadium was renamed in honour of Libyan leaderMuammar Gaddafi by the then president ofPakistan,Zulfikar Ali Bhutto while addressing a public meeting inLahore.[14][15] On 23 October 2011, the Pakistan Cricket Board discussed renaming the stadium following thedeath of Gaddafi, to support thenew government in Libya. ThePunjab Olympic Association made a similar request in late October 2011 to the provincial chief minister. The association's secretary Idrees Haider Khawaja said, "I don't think his profile is inspirational enough to link with our cricket stadium's identity."[13] However, the stadium's name was not changed.[16]
In 1995–96, the Gaddafi Stadium was renovated by architectNayyar Ali Dada, who was qualified fromNational College of Arts, for the 1996 Cricket World Cup.[2] Dada's redesign was done with red, hand-laid brickwork and arches. Dada also had plastic seating installed in place of the existing concrete benches. The lower portion under the stands was enclosed and converted to shops for boutiques and offices. Gaddafi Stadium, being the largest cricket stadium in Pakistan, used to have capacity of 65,250 spectators, until the redesigning of its enclosures reduced the capacity to 27,000.[17]
In June 2024, PCB announced that Gaddafi Stadium will be upgraded for the upcoming2025 ICC Champions Trophy.[9][18]
The renovation plan included the construction of a new pavilion building, re-profiling of all general enclosures with stands being brought closer by 20 feet to the playing area, removal of the fencing around the stands in favour of a “moat”, increasing the seating capacity from 21,500 to 34,000+ spectators, installation of new “replay screens”, installation of LED lights in place of existing floodlights and a newly built head office for PCB.[8][19] The project was said to be completed by 25 December 2024,[8] however, the deadline was moved forward by a month due to minor unfinished work.[20]
The renovated stadium was inaugurated by thePrime Minister of PakistanShehbaz Sharif on 7 February 2025.[21] The inauguration ceremony included performances showcasing Pakistan's culture, by famous artists; includingArif Lohar,Ali Zafar andAima Baig.[22]
The two main pavilions at Gaddafi Stadium, previously known as the main building's pavilion and far-end Pavilion, have been renamed ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The main building's pavilion has been renamed the Jinnah End, while the far-end Pavilion is now called the Iqbal End. This renaming by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is part of an effort to modernize the stadium and honor national leadersMuhammad Ali Jinnah andAllama Iqbal. Additionally, the PCB has confirmed that the stadium itself will undergo a name change following the conclusion of the tournament.[23]
In 1976 the first of threehat-tricks was taken at the stadium, byPeter Petherick ofNew Zealand againstPakistan on 9 October. The next was taken byWasim Akram of Pakistan againstSri Lanka, 6 March 1999, and the third byMohammad Sami of Pakistan against Sri Lanka.
Pakistan has enjoyed some memorable moments on the ground, including a fifth-wicket stand of 281 betweenJaved Miandad andAsif Iqbal againstNew Zealand in 1976 and an innings and 324 run win against New Zealand in 2002.[3]
The first-ever Test match at Gaddafi Stadium (then Lahore Stadium) was played between Pakistan and Australia from 21–26 November 1959. Australia won the match by 7 wickets, with Richie Benaud and Alan Davidson playing key roles. This match marked Lahore’s entry into the international cricket scene.
Gaddafi Stadium hosted its first One Day International (ODI) on 13 January 1978, between Pakistan and England. England won the match by 6 wickets, setting the stage for future limited-overs cricket at the venue.
The 1996 Cricket World Cup Final was held at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan, on March 17, 1996. It was the first time a World Cup final was played in Pakistan, marking a historic moment for the country's cricketing legacy.
The 2004 India-Pakistan series was a historic bilateral cricket series as it marked return of first full India-Pakistan series since 1989 known "Friendship Series", marking the resumption of cricketing ties between the two arch-rivals after nearly 15 years of limited interactions due to political tensions. The Indian team toured Pakistan for a full series, consisting of three Tests and five ODIs, from March to April 2004. Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, played a crucial role in this landmark series.
On 3 March 2009, the scheduled third day of second Test of2008–09 Sri Lanka tour of Pakistan, the Sri Lankan team's convoy wasattacked by armed militants at Liberty Roundabout, near Gaddafi Stadium. Eight Sri Lankan players were injured, including Sri Lankan captain,Mahela Jayawardene. The Sri Lankan team was air-lifted from Gaddafi Stadium to a nearby airbase, from where they were evacuated back to Sri Lanka. This event brought a halt to international cricket in Pakistan.[2]
International cricket returned to Pakistan on 19 May 2015, when theZimbabwe cricket team landed at theAllama Iqbal International Airport to become the firstFull Member nation totour Pakistan since the attack.[24] Pakistan won both ODI and T20I series comfortably.[25]
In August 2017, PCB along with ICC started to improve international cricket in Pakistan. With that, under heavy security, PCB plannedWorld XI tour to Pakistan for three T20Is.[26][27]
In August 2017,Thilanga Sumathipala, president ofSri Lanka Cricket, said that he would like to play at least one of the three T20I matches inLahore, Pakistan during October.[28][29][30] In March 2009, the Sri Lanka cricket team wereattacked by terrorists while travelling to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Since then, the only Test team to visit Pakistan has been Zimbabwe, when they toured duringMay 2015.[28] Two of Sri Lanka's current team,Chamara Kapugedera andSuranga Lakmal were on the bus during the 2009 terrorist attack, and both could have been selected for the T20I squad for this series.[31]
In September 2017, the fixtures were confirmed, with the final T20I match of the series scheduled to be played in Lahore.[32] Sri Lanka Cricket said that players have a "contractual obligation" to play the match in Lahore, but it was unlikely to issue penalties to any player who chose not to visit Pakistan.[31] However, on 14 October 2017, the Sri Lankan team expressed their reluctance to travel to Pakistan, requesting that the fixture is moved to a neutral venue.[33] On 16 October 2017, Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed that the fixture in Lahore would go ahead as planned, but their limited-overs captain,Upul Tharanga, had pulled out of the match.[34] Despite the concerns from the players, team managerAsanka Gurusinha felt that a competitive squad would be named.[35] On 19 October 2017, Sri Lanka's chief selector, Graham Labrooy, said that players who do not travel to Lahore would be unlikely to be selected for the other two T20I fixtures.[36] The squad for the T20I fixtures was named two days later, withThisara Perera selected ascaptain.[37]
The Sri Lankan squad arrived in Lahore under "extraordinary" security and made their way to the team's hotel in a bomb-proof bus.[38] Ahead of the T20I in Lahore, Cricket Sri Lanka's president Thilanga Sumathipala said that the team was privileged to be in Pakistan and that he would help support the country in hosting more tours.[39]Najam Sethi, chairman of the PCB, said that this fixture would be the start of international cricket returning to the country, with him expecting every country to play in Pakistan by the end of 2020.[40] Pakistan went on to win the T20I series 3–0.[41]
A T20I match scheduled to be played against Bangladesh on 27 January 2020 at the Gaddafi stadium was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to heavy rain.[42]
The venue also hosted three main matches as a part of the2018 Blind Cricket World Cup.[43][44]
The venue ultimately hosted four matches of the2025 ICC Champions Trophy, including the semi-final between South Africa and New Zealand, marking the return of an ICC tournament to Pakistan after 29 years, since the country last hosted World Cup matches in 1996.[45]
After2022,Australia returned to Pakistan in 2026 after four years to play three T20I matches before the2026 Men's T20 World Cup campaign begins. Gaddafi Stadium hosted all the matches.[46]
On 5 March 2017, the final of the2017 Pakistan Super League was played in the stadium, the first time a PSL fixture was being played in Pakistan.[5][6] After the success of holding the final, the Pakistan Cricket Board decided to play two games of the2018 Pakistan Super League in Pakistan.[47] In September 2019, the Pakistan Cricket Board named it as one of the venues to host matches in the2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.[48]
This stadium hosted six One Day International (ODI) matches during1987 Cricket World Cup and1996 Cricket World Cup, including the final betweenSri Lanka andAustralia.
26 February Scorecard |
v | ||
Pakistan won by 8 wickets Umpires:K.T. Francis andSteve Bucknor Player of the match:Waqar Younis (Pak) |
1 March Scorecard |
v | ||
United Arab Emirates won by 7 wickets Umpires:Mahboob Shah andSteve Randell Player of the match:Shaukat Dukanwala (UAE) |
17 March Scorecard |
v | ||
Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets Umpires:Steve Bucknor andDavid Shepherd Player of the match:Aravinda de Silva (SL) |
The stadium hosted four One Day Internationals (ODI) during the2025 ICC Champions Trophy, including one semi-final betweenNew Zealand andSouth Africa.
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