International cricket is set to return to Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium after a 17-year hiatus, with the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series between Pakistan and South Africa beginning on Tuesday.
The central Punjab city last hosted an international match in 2008, when Pakistan faced Bangladesh in an ODI. Following the March 2009 militant attack on the Sri Lankan team’s bus in Lahore, Pakistan was forced into a six-year exile from international cricket.
During this period, the national team played its home matches on neutral grounds in the United Arab Emirates. It was only from 2015 onwards that the situation began to improve, with Pakistan gradually hosting international teams again. However, Faisalabad was excluded from the list of venues due to its lack of suitable facilities, which have since been upgraded over the past three years.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan’s newly appointed ODI captain, has welcomed the return of international cricket to Faisalabad.
“It’s a special occasion that Faisalabad is hosting an international match after 17 years,” Shaheen said on Monday. “It will be great for the fans of the city.”
The ongoing ODIs mark the final leg of South Africa’s tour, following a drawn two-match Test series (1-1) and a 2-1 defeat in the T20 internationals.
Shaheen acknowledged that captaining the national side was a significant responsibility.
“It is an honour for me to lead the country,” said Shaheen, whose first stint as T20I captain ended last year after a 4-1 loss to New Zealand.
Pakistan will be fielding a full-strength squad, including Shaheen, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah in the bowling attack, along with Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, and Mohammad Rizwan in the batting line-up.
South Africa, however, will be missing their regular captain, Temba Bavuma, who is injured, along with seven other key players, including the fast bowling duo of Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, who have been rested.
The captaincy of the South African side has been handed to newcomer Matthew Breetzke, who made an impressive debut earlier this year with a record-breaking 150 runs against New Zealand in Lahore.
Despite the absence of several key players, Breetzke is determined to stay positive.
“We are missing the core group of ODI players that we usually have, but there is an opportunity for the younger guys to step up and take the challenge,” said Breetzke.
South Africa’s star opener, Quinton de Kock, will also make his return to ODI cricket after reversing his 2023 retirement ahead of the tour.
The remaining two matches of the series will take place on Thursday and Saturday, also at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium.