Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot (Urdu: جناح اسٹیڈیم), formerly known as Connelly Park or Jinnah Park, is a cricket ground located in Sialkot.[2] It is one of the oldest cricket grounds in Pakistan.
History
The stadium was founded in 1909 during the British Raj. It was named "Connelly Park" after the then British Deputy Commissioner of Sialkot Mr. Connelly.[1] In the 1950s, it was named Jinnah Park after the founding father of Pakistan.[1] In 1979 it was upgraded to a stadium with a new pavilion and seating.[1] It was the home ground of Sialkot Stallions.
The first Test here was played in 1985 and the most recent one in 1995. Pakistan played its first ever ODI at home on this ground in 1976 against New Zealand. It was also New Zealand's first ODI against Pakistan. Jinnah Stadium is known for its green-top pitches that help fast bowlers. Credit for these green-top pitches goes to the curator, Abdul Ghani, who has prepared pitches for all international matches played here (4 Tests and 9 ODIs).
The stadium has a lot of memories attached with it.
In 1984, Pakistan-India ODI here was stopped midway and abandoned after news of the assassination of the then Indian PM, Indira Gandhi, reached the ground. India were batting.
During the India tour to Pakistan in 1989, the 4th test of the series was played in this stadium. During India's 2nd innings batting, Sachin Tendulkar was badly injured by a Waqar Younis bouncer. However, he returned to bat later and scored 57 runs, helping to save the Test match and the series for India.
On this stadium, Indian cricket team scored its lowest team total of 79 all out in its ODI history against Pakistan during their 1978/79 tour.