THE already hustling and bustling bus stand in the heart of Faisalabad was further energised on Friday night. Some passengers were coming home for the weekend, some were coming for cricket.
Saturday’s third One-day International between Pakistan and South Africa has been set up perfectly; the series, marking the return of international cricket to the city after 17 long years, tied at 1-1 ahead of the final fixture.
“I work in Islamabad and this is my hometown but I’ve come here specially for the match,” said one passenger, scurrying for his luggage in the cargo hold of one of the executive buses that had made a stop in Faisalabad on its way to Sahiwal. “I hope it’s a great game and Pakistan win tomorrow.”
That sense of anticipation or the feeling of excitement wasn’t shared by everyone, though.
“Cricket has returned, yes, but it’s brought a lot of complications with it,” Abdul Rehman, a driver from a ride-hailing app, told Dawn, sharing the sentiment of many across Pakistan. “The road closures for teams travelling to and from the Iqbal Stadium are too much … it’s impossible to go to areas close to it.”
A hazy, cool night had given way to a lazy, sun-kissed morning and the afternoon, by which the crowd had started to fill in at the venue. The return of international cricket hasn’t only seen cricket enthusiasts from the city be entertained, but fans from districts and tehsils in the Faisalabad division have also come over.
“Fans have poured in from tehsils in Chiniot, Jhang and Toba Tek Singh districts as well as adjoining divisions like Sargodha and Mianwali,” local television journalist Arsalan Hussain Durrani told Dawn.
“The appetite for cricket here is huge, crowds filled up the venue for the National T20 Cup in March so imagine how long they’ve been waiting for international cricket to come here even though the stadium is very basic, very much as it is since it was inaugurated in 1968.”
The entrance to the stadium is through a large red brick gate but the venue itself is a throwback to the past. Just two stands, on either side of the pavilion, have seats. The rest of the seating is on steps or ‘tharray’ in the local dialect.
The Iqbal Stadium is under the district administration, with the Pakistan Sports Board having been its caretaker for a few years. Two amusement parks are on either side of the venue. The Pakistan Cricket Board rents it, with the crowd turnout at the Champions Cup in September last year having convinced PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi that international cricket should finally return.
“Not only is it good for the fans in the city and the adjoining districts but the return of cricket will also see more business come to Faisalabad, which is the textile hub of the country,” Umer Rafique, the owner of Celebrity Cricket League which has held exhibition cricket matches across the country, told Dawn.
“The fact that cricket sees packed crowds in Faisalabad is a puller for corporates, attracting greater sponsorship opportunities due to the eyeballs here,” added the Faisalabad native. “And while Sialkot remains the country’s sports good hub, cricket’s return will help Faisalabad’s textile industry as well, shining light on the exceptional sports kit-making here.”
In the interim, though, it is the cricket’s enthusiasts in the region that are making the most of the opportunity that has presented itself.
A group of teenaged boys, led by Sumair and Abdullah, arrived at the Iqbal Stadium in t-shirts printed with pictures of former Pakistan middle-order batter Umar Akmal accompanied with messages of ‘Miss You’. “We haven’t found anyone like him in the middle order since he’s been cast away,” quipped Abdullah in front of a loud group.
A teenaged girl and her younger brother, coming to the ground with their father, expressed her excitement, stating it was going to be her first time watching an international cricket match. Alongside them was Mohammad Yasin, ‘Junior Chacha Cricket’, who arrived decked in a bright green robe of Pakistan colours.
“I go wherever Pakistan are playing and it’s wonderful to see them in action here in Faisalabad,” Yasin, who has travelled for the series from Lahore, told Dawn.
The start of the match, the toss and South African skipper Matthew Breetzke’s decision to bat first, was greeted by loud roars. There ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ as an edge off Lhuan-dre Pretorius flew for a boundary off Haris Rauf. Cheers of “Fauji” accompanied Fakhar Zaman as he came towards the boundary to field, a reference to him being an officer of the Pakistan Navy.
The biggest cheers, though, came when Salman Ali Agha had Pretorius caught at long-off by Babar Azam, whom the majority of the crowd had come to see. Babar’s highest first-class score of 266 came at the Iqbal Stadium in 2014, when he was a 20-year-old. Three years prior to that, he’d been part of Pakistan ‘A’ side that beat Afghanistan in an unofficial one-dayer at the venue.
Faisalabad’s fixation with the batting superstar was evident on Saturday and the fans are hoping to see more of Babar and the national team in the times to come after Pakistan sealed a convincing victory to clinch the series 2-1.
“I’ve come here to see Babar and it’s an opportunity I’ve waited for a long time,” Shakeel Awan, who had travelled for the match from Toba Tek Singh — two hours away from Faisalabad, told Dawn. “I hope this series is the start of more to come.”
Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2025
