There seems to be no end to Pakistan’s embarrassment at the ongoing Champions Trophy. First India refused to go to Pakistan for security reasons, then there were major delays in the completion work of the stadiums, the grounds were more-or-less empty, and Mohammad Rizwan’s team was also kicked out early.
Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore Not World Class
Just talking about the stadiums, more so about the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, many Pakistanis called it the best stadium in Asia, even better than the ones in India. In fact, the venue was upgraded in record 117 days, as per various reports. If that is not enough, it is estimated that all the renovation work cost around 18 billion PKR.
But then, the reality is, despite the upgradation work, the facilities remain rather poor. During the washed out Champions Trophy match between Australia and Afghanistan on Friday, the infrastructure crumbled. Many fans, from Pakistan and Afghanistan posted videos on X, claiming that there were major leakages in the bathrooms of the Fazal Mahmood stand.
Leaking Roof Raises Concern
Earlier, a few week back, PCB had mentioned in a statement, that they had upgraded the floodlights, hospitality boxes, increased the seating capacity, and even the electronic scoreboard. Now, the same “world-class” stadium is scheduled to host the 2nd semifinal, featuring New Zealand for now, on March 5.
As far as Pakistan’s performance in the CT 2025 is concerned, first they lost to New Zealand, and then India in one-sided matches. However their match against Bangladesh was washed out without a ball being bowled. Now their focus will be on the limited-overs series against New Zealand, that is due to start on March 16.
Editor's Pick
Cricket
Will Gambhir try Rishabh Pant or Nitish Reddy in IND vs SA 3rd ODI with series on the line?
Top Stories
