Sydney: The start of the ICC Champions Trophy is little over a month away but the venue situation is far from ideal in Pakistan. The construction and upgradation work is still underway at the National Stadium in Karachi, Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and it is a race against time to hand over the three venues to the International Cricket Council (ICC) by February 12. The stadium work, which got underway in August last year, was due to finish by December 31, but it’s nowhere close to it.
The ICC, understandably, is a worried bunch as a lot of infrastructural mess was on display during the USA leg of the T20 World Cup last year and the build-up to CT hasn’t been ideal. It is understood that a team of the global cricket body will leave for Pakistan towards the end of the week to do a status check and informal contingency discussions are underway in Dubai corridors.
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“It is a very disappointing picture. All three stadiums are far from ready and it’s not renovation or refurbishment, but proper construction which is underway. There is so much work left with seats, floodlights, facilities and even the outfield and playing surfaces,” said a source tracking developments.
TimesofIndia.com reached out to the ICC for a response on the current situation in Pakistan and the story will be updated when they respond.
Lahore and Karachi are the two centres where heavy construction work is underway and their multi-storied enclosures, which will have dressing rooms and hospitality boxes, are yet to enter the finishing stages. In addition to the new enclosures, there is fencing work, placement of floodlights and seats which is far from the finish line. And the biggest roadblock is going to be the weather which will make it difficult for construction and finishing work to gather momentum.
“The weather is not ideal for construction and finishing work to happen at a rapid pace. At Gadaffi, even the plaster work isn’t completed yet. And most of the time is taken by finishing work because we are talking about dressing rooms etc. They just can’t be random rooms/enclosures for an ICC event. ICC has a checklist which needs to be met. National Stadium has decided to not completely finish the new enclosure because there is no time,” added the source.
The Gadaffi stadium, which will host some marquee clashes, including one semi-final and possibly final (if India don’t qualify), but it’s the venue which is still far from ideal. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have no option but to work overtime, the ICC must ensure that rushed work doesn’t compromise the safety of players.
Contingency plan
There is not much time left for the venues to be handed over and it’s not a surprise that there are discussions about moving the entire tournament to the UAE. The last men’s ICC tournament, T20 World Cup, was poorly planned and the upcoming Champions Trophy is certainly heading in that direction.
“It’s a no-brainer on what would happen if PCB misses deadlines and venues don’t meet ICC checklist. Tournament can’t be played at semi-ready venues. The next week will give more clarity on the future but PCB and ICC together need to pull off a miracle,” stated the source.
