PCB assures Karachi, Lahore stadiums to be ready before Champions Trophy 2025

The Pakistan Cricket Board had to pull out of hosting Bangladesh at the National Stadium in Karachi for the first Test as the venue is under construction ahead of Champions Trophy 2025. With questions being raised on the timeline of the preparations, PCB has assured that both venues will be ready before the marquee event. 

The second Test between Bangladesh and Pakistan was shifted to Rawalpindi, also the venue for the first Test. Moreover, Pakistan will host England in another Test series after Bangladesh's assignment and one of the games for that series may also see a change of venue. The PCB, meanwhile, assured of keeping England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) updated on any further developments while refraining from taking a solid stance.

Also read: Second Pakistan versus Bangladesh Test shifted from Karachi to Rawalpindi

“Matches [during the season] may move back and forth but the main target is that these stadiums are ready before the Champions Trophy. 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,” said Mohsin Naqvi, Chairman of PCB as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

“None of our stadiums could qualify internationally. Not the seats, not bathrooms, and a view that looks like you are watching from 500 metres away,” he added.

“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,” said PCB in a statement.

Pakistan will host an ICC event for the first time since 1997. The country was scheduled to host the 2023 Asia Cup, making it the first major event since the terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team in 2008, but India refrained from traveling to Pakistan. The security and political reasons provided by India were acknowledged and they played their entire tournament in Sri Lanka.