The deadline to complete work and handover venues to ICC is February 12.
The ICC is worried about Pakistan’s ability to host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 tournament that begins on February 19, given the incomplete construction work at all three venues that are to host the matches.
The CT 2025 will begin in February till March 9 and feature eight teams including Pakistan. However, despite claims, the National Stadium in Karachi, the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium are still under construction and being upgraded, and it is a race against time to give over the three sites to the ICC by February 12 deadline.
The stadium construction, which began in August of last year, was supposed to be completed by December 31, but it's nowhere near that deadline.
The ICC is rightly concerned because a lot of infrastructural rubbish was on display during the USA leg of the T20 World Cup last year, and the build-up to CT hasn't been ideal.
It is known that a team from the global cricket body will depart for Pakistan at the end of the week to do a status check, and informal contingency discussions are taking place in Dubai corridors.
"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," said a source quoted by the Times of India.
Heavy construction work is already underway in Lahore and Karachi, and the multi-story enclosures, which will include dressing rooms and hospitality boxes, have yet to be completed. In addition to the new enclosures, there is fencing work, floodlight installation, and seat arrangement, all of which are far from complete.
The weather will be the largest hurdle, making it impossible for building and finishing activities to get traction.
"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 wthatneeds to be met. National Stadium has decided to not completely finish the new enclosure because there is no time," added the source.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has little choice but to work overtime; however, the ICC must guarantee that rushed work does not jeopardize the safety of players.
There isn't much time left for the stadiums to be given over, therefore it's not surprising that there are talks about relocating the entire event to the UAE. The previous men's ICC competition, the T20 World Cup, was poorly designed, and the next Champions Trophy is undoubtedly moving in the same path.
"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.
India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Australia, England, Afghanistan, and South Africa are the participating teams in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.