Featured image credit: Pakistan Cricket Board
Major renovation work at Pakistan’s cricket venues is progressing ahead of the country hosting the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy tournament early next year, according to local reports.
The renovation of Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium is now 50% complete, while work to dismantle a giant screen at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi has started ahead of the ICC’s first event in Pakistan since 1996.
Various media reports claimed that whilst Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi is happy with progress at Gaddafi Stadium, he urged officials in charge of the revamp to prioritise more parking facilities and enhance the stadium’s exterior.
Last month, the PCB revealed more details surrounding its ongoing renovation of Gaddafi Stadium, with the capacity of the venue set to increase to over 34,000.
Gaddafi Stadium will be fitted with additional tiers in at least two enclosures, and a new pavilion will feature new facilities for players, officials, commercial partners and dignitaries.
In August, the PCB appointed BDP Pattern to improve infrastructure at Gaddafi Stadium, as well as National Bank Stadium and Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium – the other venue on the tournament’s roster.
At National Bank Stadium, a big screen that previously blocked the view of 1,500 seats is being taken down near the University Road end in the Intikhab Alam Enclosure. It could be resurrected in a new, more elevated location in the stadium.
A smaller screen in front of the Waqar Hasan Enclosure has already been removed.
Two new screens will be erected in other spots in the stadium that will not block the view of spectators, reports added.
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