The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore has been renovated and upgraded in a record 117 days, according to an announcement from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on Thursday. This means that the stadium is now ready to host international matches, including the ICC Champions Trophy. The PCB said in a statement that the stadium has been renovated and now has new floodlights, better hospitality boxes, more seats, electronic scoreboards, and state-of-the-art LED towers.
Gaddafi Stadium to stage big clash before Champions Trophy
When Pakistan plays New Zealand in the first game of the tri-series, which also includes South Africa, on February 8, the recently renovated venue will be put to its first test.
"I am grateful to all those people who put in day and night of work to get the stadium ready on time despite the apprehensions and criticism," PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi said.
According to recent accounts, the PCB was at least five weeks behind schedule with the renovations. The tournament is scheduled to start a week later, therefore the board has until February 12 to hand over the venues to the ICC. The stadium will be formally inaugurated by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday in a ceremony that will include live performances by well-known performers Ali Zafar, Aima Baig, and Arif Lohar.
Pakistan President Asif Zardari is expected to attend a similar inauguration ceremony on February 11 at Karachi's National Stadium.
"I am specially obligated to the nearly 1000 workers who made this dream possible," Naqvi said
The budget for renovating the three stadiums in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi has surpassed original estimates, according to PCB Chairman Naqvi. He did, however, state that Pakistan cricket would eventually gain a great deal from these cutting-edge facilities. According to reports, the improvements cost well than 18 billion rupees, even though the PCB had originally budgeted 12.8 billion. Despite the exceed in expenditure, the board affirmed that the projects were fully financed by PCB resources, without any financial aid from outside sources, including the government