Pakistan unveils renovated Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore days ahead of Champions Trophy

The tournament is scheduled to begin on February 19 with Karachi hosting the opening match between Pakistan and New Zealand. The first match in Lahore will be between Australia and England on February 22. A warm-up tri-nation series of matches between Pakistan New Zealand and South Africa begins at the stadium on Saturday. Pakistan and New Zealand captains Mohammad Rizwan and Mitchell Santner had earlier posed for photos that were posted by the Pakistan Cricket Board on social media standing in the renovated stadium.

Rizwan and the rest of the members of the Pakistan cricket team were also present at the unveiling wearing their new jerseys for the tournament. “We are going to show the world that we are good hosts,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said at the ceremony.

A race against time to get the venues ready for Pakistan

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) first promised Lahore’s stadium would be open by the end of January. Karachi’s National Bank Stadium will host the first Champions Trophy match between Pakistan and New Zealand in under two weeks. Local media reported its renovation had run past three deadlines between December 15 and January 25, before a final pledge to finish by January 31 was settled upon.

However, work was still underway in Karachi on Thursday. President Asif Ali Zardari is due to inaugurate the Karachi stadium on Tuesday. Work also continued at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium as labourers spray-painted seats the green of Pakistan’s flag and erected a scoreboard at the ground in the garrison city near the capital, Islamabad.