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LAHORE, Jan 31 (APP):Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has said that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will inaugurate the revamped Gaddafi Stadium on Friday, February 7, as all three stadia in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi are ready for action of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025.
Addressing a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Friday, he said President Asif Ali Zardari would inaugurate the upgraded National Stadium Karachi on Tuesday, February 11. The PCB will hold a ceremony at the Hazoori Bagh (Lahore Fort) on February 16 to mark the start of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which will be attended by cricketers, dignitaries and the ICC representatives.
Mohsin Naqvi thanked the critics for their valuable opinion, but he felt sorry for shattering dreams of his detractors across the border, who wanted the stadiums to remain incomplete so that the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 could be relocated to some other country.
“I feel sorry for shattering the dreams of journalists across the border,” Naqvi said in a lighter vein. Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi, who is also interior minister of Pakistan, said the PCB was fully prepared to welcome the teams, the dignitaries and journalists to Pakistan, adding that fool-proof security would be ensured for the visiting teams and guests, which included sports ministers of some countries.
“The PCB has a long list of the guests including the ICC chairman, who have been invited to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 25,” Naqvi said, adding that guests would arrive on different days during the event.
On captains’ photo-shoot, the PCB chairman said ceremonial event would not be possible due to scheduling problems as the CT 25 was to be played under a hybrid model in Pakistan and Dubai and the teams could not assemble at one place for the captains’ photo-shoot. “There will be no captains’ photo-shoot or we may hold it some other time, but there will be other better events,” he added.
“The PCB will hold a ceremony at the Hazoori Bagh (Lahore Fort) on February 16 to mark the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which will be attended by cricketers, dignitaries and the ICC representatives,” he responded to a query.
The PCB chairman, to another query, said if the gigantic task of rebuilding a stadium could be completed in a short three months’ time, the embellishment work outside the stadium would be finalised by February 7 by all means. He said more work would be undertaken at the National Stadium Karachi beyond the ICC Champions Trophy while the PCB was mulling over building a new stadium in Rawalpindi or Islamabad after some infrastructural problems were pointed out at the Rawalpindi Stadium and it could not be upgraded as desired. He said the PCB had a site in sight. He said the PCB had purchased a building next to the National Cricket Academy (NCA), Gaddafi Stadium and it would be converted into a PCB hotel after the CT 25, adding a similar hotel space is being searched in the vicinity of National Stadium in Karachi.
To a query, he said a state-of-the-art shopping mall outside newly-constructed Gaddafi Stadium was on the cards. On re-naming of Gaddafi Stadium, the PCB chairman said tenders would be invited and process for re-naming of Gaddafi Stadium would be initiated at some later stage.
To a query, he said two separate teams would be selected for the red-ball and white-ball cricket by 2026, adding that the selection committee would do the needful.
The PCB chief parried a question on Saim Ayub’s selection in the CT 25 squad; however, he said plaster on Saim’s ankle had been removed and he was starting his rehabilitation, adding Saim would be back soon.
The PCB chairman clarified that chairs installed at the stadium were imported from China and carry 20-year warranty. He said the chairs were five-time cheaper than its competitor, adding that logistics management was also the reason to import from China as the PCB faced very tough time-lines to complete upgradation prior to the CT 25.
Mohsin Naqvi told the media that the amounts incurred on the renovation of three stadia and construction of PCB head-office exceeded expectations and, resultantly, the PCB has asked the ICC for additional funds by handing over the revenue to be collected from tickets sold during the ICC Champions Trophy.