The ICC Champions Trophy will be held in Pakistan in 2025, marking the first ICC event to be held there in more than 20 years. The 2009 terrorist incident that injured multiple Sri Lankan athletes on their tour of Pakistan caused the ICC to distance itself from the nation. However, things appear to have worked out between the two, and as the country gets ready for the event, stadium upgrades would cost 12.80 billion Rupees.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made every effort to include all variants in the game.
Gaddafi Stadium, National Stadium, and Pindi Cricket Stadium would all see significant increases in their revenue shares as a result of the stadium improvements. The action was taken following the Board of Governors (BoG) meeting of the Pakistan Cricket Board, when the budget for 2024–25 was agreed on Saturday at the National Cricket Academy.
According to reports, the PCB also successfully purchased a 31,581-square-foot land next to the Gaddafi Stadium with the intention of constructing a hotel and housing international athletes both during and after the event. PCB had originally intended to purchase a building that was still under construction closer to the National Cricket Academy; but, now that the plot has been purchased, it will continue to be owned by the Board. To further add, rumours state that work at the Gaddafi Stadium has started, with the entrance being destroyed to make room for an updated building.
Also Read: PCB announces a jam-packed 2024–25 season for the men’s squad from Pakistan
Pakistan struggles to become well-known in ICC events
Speaking of cricket, since winning the Champions title in 2017, Pakistan has not been able to claim an ICC title. The team made it to the 2022 T20 World Cup final, however they lost to England. Since then, Men in Green’s fortunes have declined, as they were eliminated from both the World Cup 2023 and the T20 World Cup 2024 group stages. The Dawn has reported that the management and crew have undergone a total overhaul.