The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Thursday that the refurbishment and upgrade of Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium was finished in a record 117 days, preparing it to host international matches, including the ICC Champions Trophy.

In a statement, the PCB stated that the renovated stadium now has improved facilities, new floodlights, modern hospitality boxes, greater seating capacity, electronic scoreboards, and cutting-edge LED towers.

"I am grateful to all those people who put in day and night of work to get the stadium ready on time despite the apprehensions and criticism. I am specially obligated to the nearly 1000 workers who made this dream possible," Mohsin Naqvi said as per PTI.

According to recent estimates, the PCB is at least five weeks behind schedule in finishing improvements. The board is required to hand over the venues to the ICC by February 12, as the event begins a week later.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will officially open the stadium on Friday with a spectacular ceremony involving live performances by renowned performers Ali Zafar, Aima Baig, and Arif Lohar.

The freshly built stadium will hold its inaugural encounter on February 8, featuring Pakistan and New Zealand in the first game of a tri-series that also includes South Africa. A similar inauguration ceremony at the National Stadium in Karachi is set for February 11, with President Asif Zardari due to attend.

Naqvi admitted that the budget for rebuilding stadiums in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi exceeded early predictions, but he highlighted that the upgraded venues would assist Pakistan cricket in the long term.

The PCB had allotted 12.8 billion rupees for the upgrades; however, total expenditure has reportedly exceeded 18 billion rupees.

(PTI inputs)