By: Salman Yousafzai
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Thursday decided to rename Peshawar’s historic Arbab Niaz Stadium after Imran Khan Cricket Stadium.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has approved the summary of this development on Thursday and it is likely to pass unanimously from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly scheduled tomorrow on Friday.
Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium located in Peshawar is one of the important sports venues of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This stadium was built in 1984 and in 1995, a test match was played here for the first time, in which Pakistan and Sri Lanka teams competed.
This stadium has a capacity of over 20,000 spectators and is also the home ground of Pakistan Premier League’s prominent team Peshawar Zalmi.
Despite emerging as a major cricket venue in the 1980s, most of the one-day matches were held in the stadium, while the last Test match was played here in 2003.
The pitches of Arbab Niaz Stadium have been suitable for most spinners, due to which most spinners have been seen here. Work on the stadium was restarted in 2018 to provide facilities according to international standards, which was delayed several times due to various reasons. However, the chances of international cricket returning have increased after recent renovations.
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