Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has come under scrutiny after New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra suffered a bizarre injury in the tri-series opener against Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Saturday (February 9).
The incident unfolded in the 38th over of Pakistan’s chased when Khushdil Shah tried a slog sweep off a Michael Bracewell delivery which went straight to Ravindra.
The Kiwi star attempted to grab the catch but ended up misjudging it and he got hit straight on his face, which led to him bleeding and then leaving the field. While walking off the field, his face was covered with a towel by the physio to stop the bleeding.
Following the incident, PCB received backlash for the poor use of lights at the venue, which will be hosting the Champions Trophy 2025 games as well.
Veteran opener Ahmad Shahzad also joined the criticism bandwagon, questioning the use of the allocated money towards renovating the Champions Trophy venues.
"The way Rachin was hit on the face, this is a concerning part. The player safety is of utmost importance. Is this how you spend a budget of 13 arab PKR? It takes 2 arab to construct a new stadium. Three stadiums aren't even ready yet. From the outside, everything looks good and glittery. The ones that are ready, were built in record time. But there are certain things such as this floodlight issues, the fact that the Karachi Stadium isn't ready yet. There are problems in the infrastructure of the Rawalpindi Stadium, which will now apparently take 6-8 more months to be resolved. The Gaddafi Stadium looks good but the lights look dicey," Shahzad said, as quoted by Hindustan Times.
PCB was allocated 17 billion rupees to renovate three stadiums for the Champions Trophy. Despite the criticism, Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium hosted two ODIs ahead of the Champions Trophy, both from the ongoing tri-series featuring Pakistan, South Africa, and New Zealand.
On Tuesday (February 11), the PCB is due to unveil the renovated National Stadium in Karachi, thus dismissing concerns over its readiness. The venue will be hosting the third game of the tri-series between Pakistan and South Africa on Wednesday (February 12).
