The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has chosen to rename the Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium in Peshawar as Imran Khan Cricket Stadium, honoring the previous Prime Serve and amazing cricketer for his commitments to Pakistan’s sports bequest. Chief Serve Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has marked the rundown sent by the KP sports division, and the proposition will presently be displayed some time recently the common cabinet for last endorsement. Sports Serve Syed Fakhar Jahan expressed that this renaming is past legislative issues, as Imran Khan remains the foremost compelling figure in Pakistan’s cricket history. Whereas numerous accept that Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium ought to have been named after him, it as of now as it were has an walled in area in his name.
The stadium, initially built by the Civil Organization Peshawar, was afterward exchanged to the KP Sports Board, which supervised its extension and advancement. At first outlined to oblige 5,000 onlookers, it experienced major remodels in 1986-87 and once more some time recently the 1996 Cricket World Glass, facilitated together by Pakistan and India. Over the a long time, the stadium has served as a setting for Test matches, One-Day Internationals, first-class matches, and inter-club competitions. It has invited cricket groups from major countries, counting Australia, Britain, South Africa, West Indies, Modern Zealand, Sri Lanka, India, and Zimbabwe.
The common government has ceaselessly contributed in overhauling the stadium. In April 2008, a extend for its achievability and advancement was affirmed at a fetched of Rs1.37 billion. A modification in 2021 raised the budget to Rs1.94 billion, and a moment amendment in September 2024 expanded the entire taken a toll to Rs2.31 billion, illustrating the government’s commitment to creating international-standard cricketing foundation within the area. The renaming takes after a point of reference of honoring compelling figures in sports, with offices such as Lala Ayub Hockey Stadium, Qayyum Stadium at Peshawar Sports Complex, Hanif Khan Sports Complex Thana, Abdul Wali Khan Sports Complex Charsadda, and Qazi Mohib Hockey Stadium Bannu named after famous sports personalities.
Senior Peshawar-based sports writer Amjad Aziz Malik noted that some time recently the development of Arbab Niaz Stadium, the as it were major cricket ground within the city was Peshawar Club Ground, which had facilitated first-class matches since 1938 and a single Test coordinate against India in 1954-55. The foundation of Arbab Niaz Stadium in 1985 given a devoted scene for universal cricket in Peshawar. The stadium was named after Arbab Niaz, a previous government serve for sports and father of Arbab Shahzad, who served as KP’s chief secretary and afterward as an advisor to the Prime Serve amid Imran Khan government.
British writer Dwindle Osborne, in his book “Injured Tiger: A History of Cricket in Pakistan,” highlighted the stadium’s part in Peshawar’s cricketing advancement. It was one of the key settings amid India’s 2004-05 goodwill visit, when Indian players were able to investigate the city’s markets and connected with local people with negligible security concerns. The renaming of the stadium is seen as a tribute to Imran Khan’s unparalleled affect on Pakistan cricket, motivating future eras and protecting his bequest.
