Amid concerns over Pakistan’s readiness in completing the renovation work of the stadiums in time for the upcoming Champions Trophy, a five-member ICC delegation visited the country on Thursday to take stock of preparations for the marquee tournament.
The ICC Champions Trophy, set to run from February 19 to March 9, will be played across three venues in the country — Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, National Stadium in Karachi and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, besides matches in Dubai where India’s fixtures will be hosted as per a pre-agreed hybrid arrangement.
However, with reports emerging of a delay in completing the construction and renovation work of the stadiums, and subsequently the Pakistan Cricket Board refuting those as ‘rumours’, the ICC delegation dropped in on Thursday to ensure that all necessary facilities are in place for the tournament.
The delegation was welcomed by Usman Wahla, PCB’s director of international cricket, who apprised the officials of the works going on at the National Stadium in Karachi.
Thursday’s visit was the fourth by an ICC delegation to Pakistan to review preparations for the Champions Trophy. Previously, ICC Security Head David Mascro led the initial visit. Subsequent visits included Senior Manager Event Operations Sarah Edgar and Manager Aun Zaidi, while the third visit was conducted by Aun Zaidi and broadcast overseer Mansoor Manch.
A PCB official confirmed that the stadiums will be ready by the time of the tournament, the first of its kind which Pakistan is hosting in more than 30 years. The official also slammed reports suggesting that the tournament could be relocated due to the delay. Most stadiums have set the deadline for completing the work by the end of January.
The PCB had initially earmarked 17 billion rupees for upgrading the venues in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, which marks the first major cricket tournament in the country since the 1996 World Cup.
The opening ceremony of the tournament is scheduled for February 19 at the National Stadium in Karachi with the first match to be played the same day between Pakistan and New Zealand. The stadium will host three matches during the tournament.
The eight-team ICC event is making a comeback after eight years, with Pakistan entering the 2025 edition as the defending champions after beating India in the final of the 2017 edition.
The teams are divided into two groups. Group A features Pakistan, India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh, while Group B comprises Afghanistan, South Africa, England and Australia. The blockbuster clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India is scheduled for February 23 in Dubai.
India likely to play CT warm-up game in Dubai
In all likelihood, the Indian cricket team could play a warm-up match in Dubai as part of their preparations for the Champions Trophy. According to sources, the ICC is working on finalising the warm-up schedule for the eight teams participating in the prestigious tournament.
Meanwhile, with the January 12 deadline of announcing the Champions Trophy squads approaching, the senior selection committee of the BCCI is set to announce the squad by this weekend.
As part of the preparations for the marque meet, the Indian team will take on England in a bilateral limited-overs series comprising five T20Is and three ODIs, later this month. The squads for the England series will also be announced by this weekend.