The history of

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

predates the creation of the country in 1947. The first international cricket match in what is now Pakistan today was held in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

on 22 November 1935 between Sindh and Australia (see Figure 1). The match was seen by 5,000

ites. Cricket was introduced by the British during their colonial rule of British India, which covered the area now known as Pakistan. Cricket is the most popular sport in the country. The

Pakistan Cricket Board The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a sports governing body for cricket in Pakistan responsible for controlling and organising all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan national cricket team. A member of the International Cricket Counc ...

controls all domestic cricket in Pakistan and the national teams. Pakistan is an official member of the

International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are 108 national associations, with 12 Full Members and 96 Associate Members. Founded in 1909 as the ' ...

and the

Asian Cricket Council The Asian Cricket Council also known as ACC is a cricket organisation which was established in 1983, to promote and develop the sport of cricket in Asia. Subordinate to the International Cricket Council, the council is the continent's regional ...

. Pakistan has won the Cricket World Cup in 1992,

ICC T20 World Cup The ICC Men's T20 World Cup (earlier known as ICC World Twenty20) is the international championship of Twenty20. Organised by cricket's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), the tournament consists of 16 teams, comprising t ...

in 2009, the ICC Champions Trophy in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, the

ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup The ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup is an international cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) contested by national under-19 teams. First contested in 1988, as the Youth World Cup, it was not staged again u ...

in 2004 and 2006, the ACC Asia Cup in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

and

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, and the

ICC Test Championship The ICC Men's Test Team Rankings (formerly known as the ICC Test Championship) is an international rankings system of the International Cricket Council for the 12 teams that play Test cricket (though Afghanistan and Ireland are not currently ra ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

Organisation and history

The

governs all official domestic tournaments. Pakistan is also an official member of the

and the

. Almost all cities and villages in Pakistan have their own cricket teams and unofficial tournaments. Pakistani children start playing cricket at a young age. The game is the most popular sport in the country with the

tape ball A tape ball is a tennis ball wrapped in electrical tape that is often used in informal games of cricket such as street cricket, also called tape ball cricket. First pioneered in Karachi, Pakistan, the tape ball acts as an improvised cricket ba ...

variety of the game being the most common. A tape ball is a

tennis ball A tennis ball is a ball designed for the sport of tennis. Tennis balls are fluorescent yellow in organised competitions, but in recreational play can be virtually any color. Tennis balls are covered in a fibrous felt which modifies their aerodyna ...

wrapped in

electrical tape Electrical tape (or insulating tape) is a type of pressure-sensitive tape used to insulate electrical wires and other materials that conduct electricity. It can be made of many plastics, but PVC (polyvinyl chloride, "vinyl") is most popular, as i ...

and is used in playing

backyard cricket Backyard cricket, Bat ball, street cricket, beach cricket, corridor cricket, garden cricket, box cricket (if the ground is short) referred to as gully cricket in the Indian subcontinent, is an informal ''ad hoc'' variant of the game of cricket, ...

. This modification of the tennis ball gives it greater weight, speed and distance while still being easier to play with than the conventional cricket ball. The variation was pioneered in

and is credited with Pakistan's famous production of

fast bowlers Fast bowling (also referred to as pace bowling) is one of two main approaches to bowling (cricket), bowling in the sport of cricket, the other being spin bowling. Practitioners of pace bowling are usually known as ''fast'' bowlers, ''quicks'', ...

as children are brought up playing the game using a tape ball in which various skills are developed. The increasing popularity of the tape ball in informal, local cricket has transformed the way games are played in cricket-loving nations such as

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, Sri Lanka, and

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

but most famously

. Such has been the impact of ''tape ball'' that in recent years some companies have introduced tennis balls designed to act like cricket balls. These balls are quite popular in South Asia where

cricket is one of the most popular forms of the sport.

Professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

cricket has been played in Pakistan since its formation in 1947: *

History of cricket in Pakistan from 1947 to 1970 This article describes the history of cricket in Pakistan from 1947 to 1970. Early years: 1947 to 1950 The independent state of Pakistan was established in 1947 following the Partition of India. First-class cricket was already established in the ...

* History of cricket in Pakistan from 1971 to 1985 * History of cricket in Pakistan from 1986 to 2000 *

History of cricket in Pakistan from 2001 This article describes the history of cricket in Pakistan from the 2000–01 season to the present. Events Notable Pakistan players in the 21st century include Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Mohammed Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq (cricketer), Saeed Ajmal, S ...

International cricket

Cricket is considered the most popular sport in Pakistan. After the partition of India in 1947 and the formation of Pakistan, Pakistan played its first official match in 1952 under the captaincy of Abdul Kardar against the republic of India in

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

registering their first Test victory in

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

. Women's cricket developed later in Pakistan with the women's national team playing their first match in

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

. The national cricket team of Pakistan is governed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) - a permanent member of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Pakistan national teams regularly participate in international home and away series - with the major series being against arch-rival India. In addition, the Pakistan men's national team participates in the following major international tournaments: * ICC ODI Cricket World Cup ( ODI): Inaugural Tournament and Debut in

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

* ICC T20 Cricket World Cup ( T20I): Inaugural Tournament and Debut in 2007 * ACC Asia Cup ( ODI & T20I): Inaugural Tournament and Debut in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

* ICC Champions Trophy ( ODI): Inaugural Tournament and Debut in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

ICC World Test Championship The ICC World Test Championship is a league competition for Test cricket run by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which started on 1 August 2019. It is intended to be the premier championship for Test cricket. It is in line with the ...

(

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

): Inaugural Tournament and Debut in 2019/21 *

(

): Inauguration and Debut in 2003 Pakistan men's national team has had success on the international stage having a best international ranking of 1st in the

, ODI and T20I cricket. In terms of tournament success: * ICC ODI Cricket World Cup: Champions in 1992 * ICC T20 Cricket World Cup: Champions in 2009 * ICC Champions Trophy: Champions in

* ACC Asia Cup: Champions in

: N/A *

: Mace Holders in

From 2009 to 2019 Pakistan was unable to host international matches in Pakistan after the

terror attack Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

on the touring Sri Lanka cricket team. This decade led to little or no international cricket taking place in Pakistan and Pakistan played its home series in the UAE (specifically Dubai and Abu Dhabi). As the security situation improved, in September 2019, international test cricket returned to Pakistan with the visit of Sri Lanka. By the end of 2022, almost all the leading Test playing nations had toured the country again. The 2023 ACC Asia Cup and the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy are scheduled to be held in Pakistan. The

Pakistan women's national cricket team The Pakistan women's national cricket team, also known as Green Shirts or Women in Green, represents Pakistan in international women's cricket. One of eight teams competing in the ICC Women's Championship (the highest level of international wom ...

has had moderate success on the international stage and is in development. However, the team is regularly ranked in the top 10 in the world. Thus far the women's national team has not won an ICC or ACC international tournament.

Domestic cricket

The structure of domestic cricket in Pakistan at the highest level has changed many times since 1947 with the latest restructure being in 2019. Previously domestic cricket operated with departmental, city and regional teams - a set up encouraged by

Abdul Hafeez Kardar Abdul Hafeez Kardar PP, HI ( ur, ) (17 January 1925 – 21 April 1996) was a Pakistani cricketer, politician and diplomat. He was the first captain of the Pakistan cricket team. He is one of the only three players to have played Test cric ...

. Since 1947, the domestic first class cricket system has varied considerably per year with teams ranging from 7 to 26 and tournament matches operating under different formats (often changes occurred every year). With the advent of domestic List A and T20 forms of cricket in the 1970s and 2000s, there has been no consistent set up (as has been noted for first class cricket in Pakistan). Historically, school and club cricket has also suffered due to inconsistencies in top tier domestic cricket. The consistent changes in the domestic structure and the gradual introduction of departmental teams was encouraged as it provided permanent jobs to players. Matches were rarely televised due to lack of quality cricket and lack of interest in departmental cricket. This inconsistent system was widely criticised on the basis of low quality cricket and reduced competition. In 2019, six regional teams were created on provincial lines. The teams would compete in the principal competitions in all three forms of the game: the

Quaid-e-Azam Trophy The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket competition in Pakistan. With few exceptions, it has been staged annually since it was first played during the 1953–54 season. Domestic cricket in Pakistan has undergone many reorganis ...

( First Class),

Pakistan Cup The Pakistan Cup is the national domestic List A cricket competition in Pakistan. Played originally as the Pentangular One Day Cup in 2008–09, 2009–10 and 2014–15, the competition was renamed as the Pakistan Cup in 2016 when it also adopt ...

( List A) and National T20 Cup (Domestic T20). The PCB's rationale in reducing the number of teams in domestic cricket was to concentrate talent in order to increase competition and improve the quality of cricket. The new structure also consisted of corresponding second XI, under-19, under-16 and under-13 competitions, and live television coverage of top level matches. The restructuring also reorganised district level cricket into a three tier bottom-up system, with 90 city cricket associations supervising school and club cricket at grassroots level, and inter-city tournaments providing a stepping-stone to the six elite regional teams. The three tier bottom-up system can be summarised as follows The six regional teams (operated by respective six cricket associations) ensure that the affairs of the associations at city level are regulated. They frame policies that will develop cricket at the grassroots, manage club cricket in collaboration with the 90 city associations and also oversee intra-city competitions. The teams are responsible for revenue generation through sponsorship, marketing and strategic collaborations with business conglomerates. Each of the six regional teams have a chief executive officer and a management committee that has been tasked with supervising all cricketing activities. These changes have been made by the PCB in order to decentralise the administrative body so that it can limit itself to a supervisory role by delegating responsibilities related to the development of the sport to the provincial associations. This tiered structure has been enshrined in the PCB constitution. An nationwide inter-city franchise T20 tournament, the

Pakistan Super League The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league contested during February and March of every year by six teams representing six cities of Pakistan. The league was founded on 9 September 2015 with five teams by the Paki ...

, was inaugurated in

. In 2021, a franchise T20 tournament based in Kashmir was launched, titled the Kashmir Premier League.

Regional domestic tournaments

The main regional domestic cricket tournaments in Pakistan for men are contested by six elite regional teams with the cricket season starting in October and concluding in March. Second XI teams of the six regional teams compete in parallel competitions, and there are age group pathway tournaments at national, regional and local level. The elite tournaments are: *

( First Class): Duration two to three months. *

( List A): Duration one month. * National T20 Cup ( T20): Duration one month. Women's domestic cricket tournaments take place between four teams. The main elite tournaments are: * Pakistan Women's One Day Cup ( List A) * PCB Triangular Twenty20 Women's Tournament ( T20)

Franchise tournaments

The main franchise domestic T20 cricket tournaments in Pakistan are: *

(city-based and countrywide) * Pakistan Junior League (city-based and countrywide) * The Women's League (city-based and countrywide) * Kashmir Premier League (city-based within Kashmir region)

Cricket stadiums

Pakistan is home to several cricket stadiums with the major/popular cricket stadiums (by province/territory) being as follows: Sindh *

National Stadium Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadiu ...

* Rafi Stadium (Under Construction - Planned 2022) *

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

Niaz Stadium The Niaz Stadium is a cricket ground in Hyderabad, Pakistan. The ground has a capacity of 7,000 and hosted its first test match in 1973. It was established in November 1961 by then Commissioner of Hyderabad, Niaz Ahmed, and the stadium is name ...

Punjab *

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

: Gadaffi Stadium *

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the old ...

Multan Cricket Stadium The Multan Cricket Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan, owned by the Pakistan Cricket Board. The stadium is located off Vehari Road, in the suburbs of Multan. It has a capacity of 35,000. It hosted its first test ma ...

* Rawalpindi: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium *

Faisalabad Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur (Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pakis ...

: Iqbal Stadium Khyber Pakhtunkhwa *

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

: Arbab Niaz Stadium * Abbottabad: Abbottabad Cricket Stadium Balochistan *

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of ...

: Bugti Stadium *

Gwadar Gwadar ( Balochi/ ur, ) is a port city with located on the southwestern coast of Balochistan, Pakistan. The city is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea opposite Oman. Gwadar is the 100th largest city of Pakistan, according to the 2017 ...

: Gwadar Cricket Stadium Azad Kashmir * Mirpur: Quaid-e-Azam Stadium *

Muzaffarabad Muzaffarabad (; ur, ) is the capital and largest city of Azad Kashmir, and the 60th largest in Pakistan. The city is located in Muzaffarabad District, near the confluence of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers. The district is bounded by the Pak ...

: Muzaffarabad Cricket Stadium Gilgit-Baltistan * Gilgit: Pissan Cricket Stadium

Notable players

* * Abdul Qadir *

Wasim Akram Wasim Akram HI (; born 3 June 1966) is a Pakistani cricket commentator, coach, and former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. Akram is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, and several crit ...

Javed Miandad Mohammad Javed Miandad PP SI (Urdu: ; born 12 June 1957), popularly known as Javed Miandad (Urdu: ), is a Pakistani cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer known for his unconventional style of captaincy and batting. ESPNcricinfo desc ...

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...

Waqar Younis Waqar Younis Maitla HI (Punjabi, ur, ; born 16 November 1971) is a Pakistani cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer who captained Pakistan national cricket team. A right-arm fast bowler, Waqar Younis is regarded as one of the great ...

* Inzamam-ul-haq *

Shoaib Akhtar Shoaib Akhtar (; ; born 13 August 1975) is a Pakistani former cricketer and commentator. Nicknamed the "Rawalpindi Express", he was the first bowler to be recorded bowling at 100 miles per hour, a feat he achieved twice in his career. Ak ...

* Misbah-ul-Haq * Saeed Anwar * Shahid Afridi * Shoaib Malik *

Umar Gul Umar Gul (Urdu: , ps, عمر گل) (born 15 October 1982 ) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer who is the current bowling coach of Quetta Gladiators. He played all three formats of the game as a right arm fast medium bowler for ...

Younis Khan Mohammad Younis Khan PP SI (Urdu: ; Pashto: ; born 29 November 1977) is a Pakistani professional cricket coach and former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team in all three formats of the game, and is widely regarded as ...

Rameez Raja Ramiz Hasan Raja ( ur, ; born 14 August 1962) is a Pakistani cricket administrator, commentator, YouTuber, and former cricketer who served as the 35th Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board between September 2021 and December 2022. As a pl ...

Aamir Sohail Mohammad Aamer Sohail Ali ( ur, ; born 14 September 1966) is a Pakistani cricket commentator and former cricketer. In a playing career that spanned eighteen years, Sohail played in 195 first-class and 261 List A Limited Overs matches, inclu ...

Saqlain Mushtaq Saqlain Mushtaq BND ( ur, ; born 29 December 1956) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former international cricketer who, as of February 2022, is the head coach of the Pakistani national cricket team. Regarded as one of the best spin bowlers in t ...

Saeed Ajmal Saeed Ajmal SI ( Punjabi, ; born 14 October 1977) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer, who played all forms of the game. He is a right-arm off-spin bowler who bats right handed. At domestic level in Pakistan he represented Fai ...

* Abdul Razzaq * Muhammad Sami * Mohammad Rizwan *

Azhar Ali Azhar Ali ( ur, ; born 19 February 1985) is a Pakistani former international cricketer. He also captained Pakistan national team in Test and ODI cricket. Ali made his Test debut for Pakistan against Australia in the first Test at Lord's in ...

Mohammad Hafeez Mohammad Hafeez ( Punjabi and ur, ; born 17 October 1980) is a former Pakistani international cricketer. Hafeez was a versatile batsman who could bat anywhere in the top 6 and formed part of the bowling attack. He played as a spin bowling a ...

Yasir Shah Yasir Shah SI (; born 2 May 1986) is an international cricketer from Pakistan. He plays as a bowler, and is the joint-second fastest bowler in the history of Test cricket to take 100 wickets, as well as also being the fastest to pick up 200 wi ...

* Ahmed Shehzad * Mohammad Irfan *

Wahab Riaz Wahab Riaz (Urdu, pa, ; born 28 June 1985) is a Pakistani cricketer. He is a left-arm fast bowler and a right-handed batsman. He frequently bowls at speeds of around 90 mph (144.8 km/h) and has reached . His all round performance in ...

Kamran Akmal Kamran Akmal (Urdu, pa, ; born 13 January 1982) is a Pakistani former cricketer, who played for Pakistan as a right-handed batsman & wicketkeeper. He started his international career in November 2002 with a Test match at Harare Sports Club. ...

Imran Farhat Imran Farhat ( ur, , born 20 May 1982) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer who played for Pakistan national cricket team between 2001 and 2013. He usually opened the batting in most of his international innings. In January 2021, ...

Yasir Hameed Yasir Hameed Qureshi (Urdu: یاسر حمید قریشی) (born 28 February 1978) is a former Pakistani cricketer, who played 25 Tests and 56 ODIs for Pakistan. He scored two centuries on his Test debut against Bangladesh, becoming only the sec ...

* Junaid Khan * Sohail Tanvir *

Umar Akmal Umar Akmal (Urdu, pa, ; born 26 May 1990) is a Pakistani cricketer who played for Pakistan national cricket team between 2009 and 2019. He was banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board for eighteen months for not disclosing offers related to spot ...

* Zulfiqar Babar * Nasir Jamshed * Babar Azam *

Fawad Alam Fawad Tariq Alam (Urdu: فواد عالم, born 8 October 1985) is a Pakistani cricketer and actor who plays for Sindh and the Pakistan national cricket team. He made his international debut for Pakistan in May 2007. He returned to Pakistan's Te ...

* Mohammad Amir * Fakhar Zaman *

Shadab Khan Shadab Khan (Urdu, Punjabi: شاداب خان) is a Pakistani international cricketer who plays for and vice-captains the Pakistan cricket team in limited overs cricket. He captains Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and N ...

* Abdul Razzaq * Naseem Shah * Shaheen Shah Afridi * Sarfraz Ahmed * Haris Rauf

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cricket In Pakistan