PCB firmly insists ICC Champions Trophy will not be moved out of Pakistan amid concerns over readiness of venues

Despite concerns over the state of its three venues and whether it will be ready in time for the mega event, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) firmly insists the ICC Champions Trophy will not be moved entirely out of the country anytime soon. Construction work at the Gaddafi Stadium (Lahore), National Stadium (Karachi) and Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (Rawalpindi) was supposed to be completed by 31 December with the venues set to be handed over to the ICC by 12 February – seven days before the start of the tournament.

However, the venues are far from ready for hosting its first global event since the 1996 World Cup thanks to multiple delays, leading to a massive headache for the ICC along with the possibility of the tournament being moved to the UAE , where India will be playing their matches in Dubai.

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A PCB source, however, insists that the presence of a large ICC delegation, comprising broadcast, hospitality and event operations officials, suggests the Pakistan leg of the tournament remains on schedule.

“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.

“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,” a PCB source told PTI.

The source added that a local reporter in Karachi had filmed construction work without permission and painted a negative picture as far as PCB’s preparations for the tournanment was concerned.

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

According to India Today, the ICC delegation that is currently monitoring preparations in Pakistan, is yet to make a statement expressing concern.

The ninth edition of the ‘mini World Cup’ gets underway on 19 February with hosts and defending champions Pakistan facing 2000 winners New Zealand in the opening game in Karachi.

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India, joint-winners in 2002 with Sri Lanka and champions in 2013, will be playing all of their matches in Dubai after refusing to travel to Pakistan due to security concerns and political tensions.