The Pakistan Cricket Chief (PCB), Mohsin Naqvi, has assured everyone that the venues for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be ready before the tournament kicks off on February 19. The concerns came after the PCB announced that the venue for the Pakistan vs Bangladesh 2nd Test had been shifted from the Gaddafi Stadium to the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Due to ongoing renovations in Karachi, the PCB felt that ‘construction work could also affect the health and wellbeing of the players, officials, broadcasters, and media’ and therefore decided to change the venue at the last moment. Not just Lahore, but the Nation Stadium in Karachi is also getting upgraded for the Champions Trophy.
ICC Champions Trophy, top priority
Mohsin Naqvi stated that PCB’s target is to get the three stadiums ready before the ICC event starts in about 5 months, and there’s nothing to worry about. He added that some domestic matches might be rescheduled to ensure that construction goes on uninterrupted at the three venues.
“Matches may move back and forth, but the main target is that these stadiums are ready before the Champions Trophy. Right now we have five months. In that time, definitely the two enclosures on either side [in the Gaddafi stadium] and the main building [will be ready], that is the focus for now,” Naqvi told reports on Monday.
What upgrades are PCB making?
Right now, the Naseem-ul-Ghani and the Iqbal Qasim enclosures, along with the scorecard, are being demolished at the National Stadium. Their place will be taken by new media and hospitality boxes and seating areas for broadcasters and commentators. The floodlights at all three venues are also being changed. Karachi and Lahore are getting new ones on rent, while the ones currently being used at the National Stadium will be moved to the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium to cut costs.
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