Amidst fears over the delay in renovating the Champions Trophy 2025 venues in Pakistan, a First Post report on Wednesday stated that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to host an upcoming ODI tri-series in Karachi and Lahore.
Mentioning the details, the report said that the tri-series – involving Pakistan, South Africa, and New Zealand – could be curtain raiser for the upcoming CT 2025. The tri-series was earlier scheduled to be hosted in Multan from 8 February.
With the move to shift the matches to Karachi and Lahore, PCB aims to underline its preparedness for the ICC tournament, since several reports claimed renovation work at the stadium is far from finished.
According to the details, Karachi’s National Stadium, Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will be hosting the Champions Trophy 2025 matches in Pakistan. However, they will not host India’s matches, as Team India’s matches will take place in Dubai under the Hybrid model.
What report had claimed?
Earlier, a report by Times of India claimed that the renovation works at the stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi have a distance to go, with things like fencing work, floodlight placement, and finishing new multi-storied enclosures being incomplete.
The report further claimed that the entire tournament could be shifted to the UAE if renovation work is not completed in an acceptable time.
Renovation work in ‘advanced stage’:
Meanwhile, PCB claimed the renovation work at Karachi and Lahore stadiums are in advanced stage and would finish soon.
“Given the advanced stage of preparations at the Gaddafi Stadium and the National Bank Stadium, the PCB has decided to relocate the upcoming tri-nation ODI series to these two venues,” First Post quoted PCB as saying in a statement.
“The series, featuring New Zealand and South Africa alongside Pakistan, was originally scheduled to be held in Multan,” the PCB said in a statement.
“This decision reflects the PCB’s confidence in the readiness of these upgraded venues and their ability to deliver a world-class experience for players, officials, and fans alike,” the PCB added.
Upgrades at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium:
Among other details, PCB stated that they are increasing spectator capacity at Gaddafi Stadium to 35,000, with new chairs installed throughout the venue. The board added that the stadium is set to be inaugurated in the last week of January.
Similar is the preparedness for Karachi’s National Bank Stadium and Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, which are being taken care of by the PCB, where minor touch-ups are left.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will begin from 19 February and conclude on 9 March, with 10 Match kept as reserve day.
