Will Champions Trophy be moved out of Pakistan? PCB issues clarification

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has rubbished suggestions that the ICC Champions Trophy will be shifted out of the country due to delayed construction work at three stadiums that are hosting the event, starting February 19.

The Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore, and Karachi’s National Bank Stadium are playing hosts to the competition, whereas India will play all of their games in Dubai. A PCB source said that the presence of a massive delegation of the International Cricket Council (ICC), comprising broadcast, hospitality, and event operation officials, is evidence enough that the event is happening on schedule in Pakistan.

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“The PCB has spent nearly PKR 12 billion to upgrade our stadiums to make them fitting for an event like the Champions Trophy, which was awarded to us,” he said.

The source further mentioned that an earlier statement about the stadium’s ongoing work was handed out due to media speculation about the event.

“We gave the statement because our media also started flashing such speculative news without checking the facts. This would have caused chaos and confusion amongst the PCB, ICC, government, commercial partners and fans affecting the ticketing and marketing of the event,” he said.

The official further expressed that a local reporter, without permission, recorded the construction work at the National Stadium in Karachi and portrayed a negative picture of the overall situation.

“The stadium’s work is being monitored closely by the PCB and concerned officials and they would be ready to host the CT matches on time,” he said.