International cricket is finally coming back to Faisalabad after being away for almost 20 years.  The last match at the famous Iqbal Stadium was in April 2008. Now, it's time for top-level cricket, and it makes sense that the same teams will play again: Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Bangladesh will go on a much-anticipated five-match T20I tour of Pakistan in the last week of May 2025.  On May 25 and 27, the first two games will be held in Faisalabad. This is the city's long-awaited return to the world stage.  The last three games, on May 30, June 1, and June 3, will all be played at Lahore's famous Gaddafi Stadium.

It's interesting that these two teams played in the last international match at Iqbal Stadium.  In an ODI on April 11, 2008, Pakistan beat Bangladesh by seven runs.  But after years of worries about safety, Faisalabad and many other Pakistani cricket grounds were taken off the international tour.

On paper, the PCB and BCB both wanted to go on a trip that would include three ODIs and three T20Is.  But after talks between both teams, the ODI leg was cancelled so that only the T20s would be played.  The main reason for the change was getting ready for two big events coming up: the Asia Cup in 2025 and the ICC T20 World Cup in 2026.

Pakistan and Bangladesh have played each other 19 times in T20 internationals so far. Pakistan have won 16 of those matches, while Bangladesh has only won 3.

The return of international cricket to Iqbal Stadium is great news for cricket fans in Faisalabad, who have been waiting a long time for top-level games.  Infrastructure and security at the stadium have recently been improved, bringing it up to the modern levels needed to host foreign games.

After the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009, Faisalabad was taken off the foreign schedule as part of a larger response.  Because of the event, there was a general security problem, and most foreign teams stopped going on tours to Pakistan for years.  As a result, PCB held most of its foreign games in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi, which at the time had better infrastructure and protection. Venues like Faisalabad were left out in the cold.

But since Pakistan's security has gotten better in recent years, the PCB has started trying again to bring back old grounds.  Iqbal Stadium is now a good place for international cricket again after improvements were made to the grounds, how the crowd is managed, and the security measures.

International cricket is coming back to Faisalabad, but it's not just about a game. It's about history, hope, and the rebirth of a passionate cricket culture in one of Pakistan's most famous cricketing towns.