Champions Trophy: 35 days left, ICC faces massive headache as Pakistan fail to finish stadium renovations

The International Cricket Council (ICC) finds itself in a major problem yet again. Just 35 days remain for the ICC Champions Trophy and yet the construction and renovation works in Pakistan’s 3 Stadiums are yet to be completed. The renovations began in August 2024 and were slated to be finished by 31st December.

However, that isn’t the case now. Within a span of a year, the ICC finds itself in this problem again. Back in the USA during the T20 World Cup, it was a similar scenario. And now the constructions and renovations at the National Stadium in Karachi, Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore, and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium remain far from being completed.

Pakistan fall behind in Stadium Construction

On the other hand, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) now faces a race against time to hand over the stadiums to the apex body latest by 12th February, i.e. a week before the start of the tournament. The ICC will begin its inspections in a week and then take a call on the matter.

“It is a very disappointing picture. All three stadiums are far from ready and it’s not renovation or refurbishment, but proper construction which is underway. There is so much work left with seats, floodlights, facilities and even the outfield and playing surfaces,” a source told The Times of India.

As per the report, Lahore and Karachi are the two venues where the construction is continuing in a great capacity. Apart from these, the fencing, and placement of floodlights are other things that remain to be completed. Adding more pressure is the weather conditions which makes it difficult for construction work to continue.

“The weather is not ideal for construction and finishing work to happen at a rapid pace. At Gadaffi, even the plaster work isn’t completed yet. And most of the time is taken by finishing work because we are talking about dressing rooms etc. They just can’t be random rooms/enclosures for an ICC event. ICC has a checklist which needs to be met. National Stadium has decided to not completely finish the new enclosure because there is no time,” added the source.

Backup plan for ICC – Entire tournament in Dubai

PCB has to work overtime to finish the work. Already the deadline has been crossed and a week has passed since then. But the finish line is still not in sight as plenty of work is still left. However, the ICC has made it clear that safety of players is of paramount importance and thus no work needs to be rushed.

There is a contemplating thought that the entire tournament can be shifted to Dubai if the construction and renovations are not finished in time. “It’s a no-brainer on what would happen if PCB misses deadlines and venues don’t meet ICC checklist. Tournament can’t be played at semi-ready venues. The next week will give more clarity on the future but PCB and ICC together need to pull off a miracle,” stated the source.