National Stadium

Capacity

34,000

Established

1955

City

Karachi, Pakistan

Surface

Grass

About this Ground

Pakistan's most historic Test ground. Pitch favours pace at first, then spin heavily.

History & Significance

The National Stadium in Karachi has been the centre of Pakistan cricket since the country played its very first Test match here in January 1955, against India. Pakistan won that inaugural Test — a famous and emotionally charged victory for a nation just eight years old. The ground became the stage for Hanif Mohammad's extraordinary 337 against the West Indies in 1958, a marathon innings spread across 16 hours and 10 minutes that was, at the time, the longest innings ever played in Test cricket. For decades the National Stadium was one of the most difficult grounds in the world to tour: the pitches deteriorated quickly, offering pace early and devastating spin from day three onward, and Pakistan's crowds provided an intense, parochial atmosphere that unsettled visiting sides. Following the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore, Pakistan was effectively banned from hosting international cricket for a decade. The National Stadium sat empty for Test cricket through those years. Pakistan's return to home Tests — against Sri Lanka in 2019 and then England and Australia in 2022-23 — was an enormously emotional moment. The PSL (Pakistan Super League) has kept the ground active through the cricket-free decade, and the ground underwent significant renovation before the return of Test cricket.