Bahawal Stadium

Bahawal Stadium
Dring Stadium
Ground information
Location	Stadium Road, Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan
Coordinates	29°24′15″N 71°41′04″E / 29.40417°N 71.68444°E
Establishment	1954
Capacity	15,000
Owner	Pakistan Cricket Board
Operator	Pakistan Cricket Board
Tenants	Pakistan
International information
Only Test	15 January 1955:; Pakistan v India
	As of 1 January 2017; Source: Cricinfo

The Bahawal Stadium is a cricket ground in Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan. Locally known as Dring Stadium, it is a multi-purpose stadium used mostly for staging cricket games. Situated on Stadium Road, opposite Bahawalpur Zoo, the stadium can accommodate 15,000 spectators.^[1]

It is one of the stadiums in Asia that hold all games at one place. Besides being used for cricket, hockey and football, the stadium also includes a swimming pool, a karate venue, gym, as well as squash, volleyball and tennis courts.

History

The stadium was originally called Dring Stadium and was named after the second Prime Minister of Bahawalpur, Sir John Dring.^[2] Dring was Prime Minister under Nawab Sadiq V and served in this role from 1948 to 1952.^[3] Dring Stadium was ahead of its time and was the only complete stadium in Pakistan at the time.^[2]

International venue

It was the first cricket ground in West Pakistan to host a Test match, when it hosted the second Test of Indian cricket team in Pakistan in 1954–55, India's inaugural tour of Pakistan. However, this was the only Test match to be held at this ground.^[4] As of 2002, 155 first class matches^[5] and 23 List A matches have been played at this ground.^[6]

Present

As Bahawalpur's cricket team has been without first-class status since 2002–03, there was only one first-class match and one List A match here for the three seasons following that, but the ground still hosts Under-19 matches. Bahawal stadium was a war place before.

This stadium also ranked in Asia's second largest stadium by area.