Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sent another strong message of hosting the upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy (CT) 2025 by bringing more changes in the construction and structure of the two grounds- Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and the National Stadium in Karachi.
One of the issues that the fans have faced in watching the games in Pakistan has been the uncomfortable situations in the stadium during the Asia Cup 2023 in the game between them and Bangladesh, the floodlights went off suddenly.
To avoid those sorts of harassment in what’s expected to be a huge tournament of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the PCB is leaving no stone unturned to come up with the best facilities on the ground.
Pakistan Cricket Board to install new floodlights in Lahore and Karachi
As per the new reports in PTI, it has been known that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has planned to introduce new floodlights at the stadiums in Karachi and Lahore before the beginning of the Champions Trophy 2025 in February next year.
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The development has come, in an order to bring the broader effort to ensure that the smaller venues in the country, such as Quetta, Abbottabad, and Peshawar, are also equipped with light towers, making it comfortable for the players to play the domestic games under floodlights in hot weather.
In this way, the board has planned to transfer the existing floodlights in Karachi to Quetta and the one at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
The reports also have expressed that the Pakistan Cricket Board will receive the new light towers, as they have started to invite the tenders from different eligible companies to provide these on a rental basis for the period between August 2024 and July 2025.
One of the close sources, of the board, has stated that the goal for PCB in installing these new floodlights is to ensure the smooth conduction of international games without any failure in offering the best light during the games.
“The idea behind this process is to ensure smaller venues are also equipped with light towers for domestic cricket and major venues like Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi where most of the international games and CT matches would be played get towers which ensure international standard and uninterrupted provision of light during matches” The sourced revealed from the PCB as quoted by PTI.
In addition, the tenders have also been invited for the provision of generators in cities including Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Faisalabad, Abbottabad Quetta, and Peshawar. The motto of the whole program is to avoid load-shedding issues on those grounds, especially during match time.
The Pakistan board members decided to organize the second Test of the upcoming two-match series against Bangladesh at the National Stadium in Karachi behind closed doors without any spectators due to the reconstruction that has been going on at the moment in those places, keeping an eye on the Champions Trophy.
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They have also been allocated funds in their fiscal budget to cover all the costs associated with the renovation and development of the stadiums. The CT 2025 is expected to take place between February 19 and March 09 across the three venues in Pakistan, while the games for India are only being played in Lahore to avoid excessive travel.
However, it’s still not clear if the BCCI would get permission from the government to make their trip to Pakistan, where they haven’t toured for the cricketing purpose since 2008. It was 12 years ago when they faced each other in a bilateral series.
