LAHORE: About 70 percent work of Gaddafi Stadium up-gradation project has been completed. This was stated during a briefing given to Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Mohsin Naqvi, who visited the stadium to inspect the progress on the construction work on Thursday.
The Chairman expressed satisfaction over the pace and quality of work on the project. He emphasized timely completion of the project before Champions Trophy Tournament.
Talking on the occasion, Naqvi said that construction started on October 10 and hopefully the work will be completed between December 20 and 25. He said the capacity of Gaddafi Stadium will be increased to 35 to 40 thousand and the view of cricket fans will be much better.
Mohsin Naqvi said, “I wanted Rawalpindi Stadium to be ready at the same time and if the Rawalpindi Stadium report had been received earlier, it would have been better.”
After seeing the situation, they will come out with something better from the ICC meeting and there is constant contact with the ICC, Mohsin Naqvi said. This is not possible that we go to India and play cricket and they should not come and play here, he added.
To a query, Naqvi said those who talk about political tension, come and see, the whole of Pakistan is clean. He said two days left for the ICC meeting and whatever is best for Pakistan will come out of the ICC meeting. “I am in touch with the ICC chairman and board members,” Mohsin said.
It may be added that the refurbishment and construction of portions of three stadiums by the Pakistan Cricket Board in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi were not requirements of the International Cricket Council (ICC) to host next year’s Champions Trophy.
With costs amounting to Rs 3-4 billion, refurbishment and construction of the three stadiums had already begun just seven months before hosting the Champions Trophy, scheduled for Feb-March 2025, the sources said.
The sources added that the ICC’s delegation had visited all three stadiums — Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, National Stadium in Karachi, and Pindi Stadium in Rawalpindi and declared them fit to host the matches of the eight-team tournament.
It may be noted that new pavilions were constructed at Gaddafi Stadium last year, while the stadium was generally in good shape with its historic entrance intact.
All PCB officials’ offices have been relocated to the National Cricket Academy. Additionally, the PCB faces a time crunch as it awaits the design for the new construction of the three stadiums from a UK-based company.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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