Gaddafi Stadium upgrade nears completion

LAHORE: Renovation work at Gaddafi Stadium is progressing steadily as preparations near completion for the highly anticipated ICC Champions Trophy 2025. According to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Director of Infrastructure, Qazi Jawad Ahmed, construction efforts are on track to meet deadlines.

He further told media that office building renovation and finishing work on the first floor are underway. Installation of floodlights is progressing, with one screen stand already completed and the second nearing finalisation. Imported white and green chairs symbolising Pakistan’s national colours are expected to arrive soon for installation.

The upgrades are part of a broader effort by the PCB, which has allocated Rs 12 billion for construction and renovation at Gaddafi Stadium, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and the National Bank Stadium in Karachi.

Work at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium is behind schedule, raising concerns as the venue is to host the Champions Trophy’s opening match between Pakistan and New Zealand on February 19. The PCB has relocated matches initially scheduled at NSK, including the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final and a two-Test series against the West Indies, to alternative venues. Officials cited construction delays and player inconvenience as the reasons for the shift.

Key upgrades at the Karachi stadium are new dressing rooms, a media centre, and hospitality boxes, replacement of enclosure chairs and fencing and installation of a new electronic scoreboard. The PCB has issued revised instructions to the construction company, urging it to expedite efforts to meet deadlines.