Pakistan turned on the refurbished stadium for the Champions Trophy in Lahore on Friday, one of three venues for its first major international cricket event in nearly 30 years. The eight participating teams will perform from February 19-March 9, in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi, while matches involving its arch-rival India will take place in the UAE after that country’s refusal to play in Pakistan. The stadium re-opened on Friday after the 117-day major renovation, of which the main works had been the installation of LED floodlights, bigger score-boards, new hospitality boxes, and refurbished seating.
A tri-nation warm-up series comprising Pakistan, New Zealand, and South Africa will commence on Saturday.
“We will prove to the world that we are the best hosts,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said while inaugurating the refurbished stadium.
The last time there was a major tournament in Pakistan was in 1996 when Pakistan co-hosted the World Cup with India and Sri Lanka, before being put under a forced hiatus due to security concerns.
The starkest of reminders of this is an attack in 2009 by militants on the Sri Lankan team bus at Lahore, killing eight people, wounding a number of touring players, and extending the hiatus for Pakistan in holding international matches.
The only real concern relating to the Champions Trophy was whether the stadiums would be done in time.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) first pledged by late January that the stadium in Lahore would be open.
That is, unless, Karachi’s National Bank Stadium has an opening match on Champions Trophy between Pakistan and New Zealand in less than two weeks.
Respected local media reported that the renovation had run past three deadlines between December 15 and January 25 and concluded with a final commitment to finish by January 31.
