Champions Trophy preparations on track as PCB hosts media tour of key venues

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) allayed fears about the readiness of the venues for this year's Champions Trophy as it welcomed media for a tour of stadiums in Lahore and Karachi on Monday.

The eight-team 50-overs event will be the first global tournament to be held in Pakistan in 28 years. India, however, will play all their matches in Dubai due to the hostile relationship between the two countries.

Stadiums in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi are being upgraded and if the tournament is successful more could follow in a country deemed unsafe following a 2009 attack on touring Sri Lankan cricketers.

"We are on schedule to complete the renovation and upgrade of the Gaddafi Stadium (in Lahore)," PCB spokesperson Sami Ul Hasan said.

"The venue is expected to be handed over to us by the end of the month.

"We have no doubt about Gaddafi Stadium's operational readiness to host the Champions Trophy match between Australia and England on February 22."

The stadium's capacity has been increased to accommodate 35,000 fans and new hospitality areas have been built.

Meanwhile, at a press conference on Monday in Karachi, Arshad Khan, General Manager of National Bank Stadium, and Project Director Bilal Chauhan announced that the renovation of the state-of-the-art building at the National Stadium will be completed by January 30, after which it will be handed over to ICC officials.

“Our deadline is January 25. The following five days will be used for commissioning, where we will test operations to identify any additional work required. January 30 is the final handover date,” Chauhan said.

Arshad provided further details, explaining that the first floor of the new building will feature players' dressing rooms, while the second and third floors will house hospitality boxes. The ground floor will include an anti-doping unit and ICC officials’ offices.

Lahore and Karachi will host a tri-nation series, also involving New Zealand and South Africa, next month to prove their readiness for the Champions Trophy beginning on February 19.