PCB optimistic Lahore and Karachi stadiums will be ready before Champions Trophy

The PCB is optimistic that Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and the National Stadium in Karachi will be fully prepared to host the Champions Trophy next year. However, the ongoing renovation work may affect their scheduled bilateral commitments for this season, including the Test match against England in Karachi.

The board has already moved the second Test against Bangladesh, originally scheduled in Karachi, to Rawalpindi. Speaking to reporters on Monday in Lahore, Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chairman, acknowledged that "matches [during the season] may move back and forth but the main target is that these stadiums are ready before the Champions Trophy".

England play their second of the three Tests in Karachi, from October 15-19. In announcing the switch of Bangladesh's Test to Rawalpindi on Sunday, the PCB did not exactly nail down Karachi as a venue for England.

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"At this stage, we will not like to speculate on the hosting of the second Test in Karachi from 15-19 October and will continue to work closely with the architects and construction experts on the safe and secure hosting of the match, while keeping the England and Wales Cricket Board updated," the statement said.

The fluidity of the situation is evident in how the switch in venues for Bangladesh occurred. Two days after posting ticket prices online, the PCB announced the Karachi Test would be played behind closed doors with no spectators. Then on Sunday they announced they were moving it to Rawalpindi, because they wanted to ensure the renovation work went on uninterrupted and that hosting a game while such major work was being undertaken could have an impact on the game.

Naqvi confirmed on Monday the reasons for the move. "Our calculation was that we could do matches without crowds, but various security institutions and the police said that even if there are people working inside, you shouldn't host a match."

That talk with journalists has led to some reports that Naqvi implied a change in venues or dates for the Champions Trophy from the draft schedule the PCB has submitted to the ICC. In a statement on Tuesday the PCB emphatically denied that was the case.

"During the media talk, which is available on the PCB's official YouTube channel, the PCB chair clearly stated that the redevelopment and redesign of the three designated stadia would be completed on schedule, ensuring readiness to host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The PCB chair also mentioned that while some domestic matches may need to be shifted to facilitate uninterrupted construction work, this in no way pertains to the ICC Champions Trophy, which remains a priority for the PCB as a premier eight-team international event."

During that media talk, Naqvi did point to the pressing need for this renovation work. "Our stadiums and those abroad, there is a massive difference," he said. "In no way were our stadiums international-standard stadiums. of our stadiums could qualify internationally. Not the seats, not bathrooms, and a view that looks like you are watching from 500 metres away. If I want to stay in a 1980 model then great, but the world has gone far ahead."

Naqvi pointed out that while both stadiums in Lahore and Karachi are eventually undergoing total upgrades, partial renovation between now and early next year will mean they are ready in time for the Champions Trophy.

"Right now we have five months," he said. "In that time, definitely the two enclosures on either side [in the Gaddafi stadium] and the main building [will be ready], that is the focus for now.

"The stadiums will be totally upgraded. Not just this but we plan to have a new stadium in Islamabad, in Abbottabad, we want to work on that as well. A few stadiums that we don't operate - we've written to the local authorities that either you upgrade it or hand it to us so we can host domestic and even international cricket there. These stadiums will be 100% upgraded but in the next five months, the target we have, we hope to complete that.

"The New York stadium [for the T20 World Cup] was completed in the last 10-15 days. We will be ready well before that timeline."