The 2025 edition of Champions Trophy is slated to be held in Pakistan early next year and the PCB wants to leave no stone untuned to make the ICC tournament successful.

On Monday (August 19), PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi highlighted the urgent need for upgrading the country's cricket stadiums.

Naqvi acknowledged the considerable gap between Pakistani venues and international standards, citing the shortfalls that need to be addressed to successfully stage the forthcoming global event.

“There was a world of difference between our stadiums and those in the rest of the world. In no way were they international stadiums; koi bhi stadiums internationally qualify kaar hi nhi sakta tha — na seats the, na bathrooms aur view aisa tha ki aap 500 metre door se dekh rahe hai (none of them could qualify as international by any standard — there weren’t enough seats or bathrooms, and the view made it seem like you were watching from 500 meters away),” Naqvi told reporters.

The PCB is carrying out intensive renovations at its stadiums in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi. Due to the renovations, the second Test with Bangladesh in Karachi will be played in the absence of crowd.

The upgrades, expected to cost Rs 12.8 billion, are aimed at bringing state-of-the-art facilities to these venues ahead of the Champions Trophy, scheduled for February-March 2025.

While visiting the Gaddafi Stadium to review the progress, Naqvi expressed confidence that the renovations would be completed on time.

He also lauded the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) for their round-the-clock efforts, stating, “We will make our stadiums one of the best in the world. Providing basic facilities in stadiums is first priority.”

Moreover, the PCB is also exploring the development of a nearby building into a hotel for teams. Naqvi admitted that the project is highly complex but remained hopeful that it could be completed before the tournament.

(With TOI Inputs)