Situated on the Srinagar highway adjacent to the Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad Club is a top club in Pakistan featuring one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in the world – the Islamabad Club Cricket Oval.

With high mountains behind the stadium, clear blue skies above and deciduous trees lining up the background, the whole area takes a scenic look, especially during this time of the year.

The ground is, however, used by the Pakistan Cricket Board mostly for foreign teams' training purposes 'A' team matches. The venue hosted first-class and List A matches including Bangladesh 'A's series against Pakistan Shaheens last year.

This is a privilege the PCB gets from the club, which isn't offered to other organisations or associations in the country.  Set up in 1967, Islamabad Club is an exclusive hub of many of Pakistan's renowned citizens and diplomats for recreational and sporting use.

"If you don't have membership, you can't come inside the club. This is the basic rule of the club," Iftekhar Ahmed, an official of the club, told this reporter, who along with a few touring journalists from Bangladesh lucky enough to enter into the club to cover Bangladesh's practice session on Saturday.

Over the years, the club has expanded to about 352 acres; approximately half of a sector, or two subsectors of the capital and apart from the cricket ground, the facility also has a polo ground, riding, swimming, futsal, basketball and other indoor facilities for its members. 

"There are approximately 9000 members in the club. There are many popular cricketers as well who are members of the club," said Iftekhar, without revealing the names.

"There is a polo section as well in the club. This is the cricket section. There are other small grounds as well as a golf course here in the club. It's 10 minutes from here," said the official.  

"Last year, the Bangladesh team played here. It was their A team. The national team also came here for practice that time. They played well in those matches," said Iftekhar, who wished good luck for the Bangladesh team for their next match against New Zealand.