Pakistan gears up for Champions Trophy, allocates 17 billion rupees for sprucing up stadiums

The funds were approved by the PCB’s Board of Governors on Saturday in Lahore in at a meeting, where another 240 million rupees were allocated for spending on women’s cricket.

File - Pakistan’s captain Sarfraz Ahmed, front center, celebrates with teammates after winning the 2017 Champions Trophy. | Photo Credit: KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH/AP

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has allocated approximately 17 billion rupees for the upgradation of its stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy.

The funds were approved by the PCB’s Board of Governors on Saturday in Lahore in at a meeting, where another 240 million rupees were allocated for spending on women’s cricket.

It was a massive jump for women’s cricket from 70 million rupees approved in the last budget.

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi also told the BOG members that the Champions Trophy would be held entirely in Pakistan and it would be further discussed at the ICC’s annual board meeting in Colombo later this month.

The meeting was held primarily to approve the PCB budget for 2024-25 with Pakistan scheduled to host Bangladesh, England and West Indies in the season besides a tri-series before the CT and also touring Australia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Naqvi informed the BOG members that upgradation work on the stadiums had begun as the Board wanted to improve the facilities for the spectators and turn the venues into A-class stadiums.

The BOG approved nearly 13 billion from development funds for the work on the three stadiums plus four and a half billion rupees for organizing the domestic season.

The BOG was also informed the board had decided to increase the central contract fees/salaries for women’s cricketers and domestic players.

“The budget has been increased because the PCB wants to improve competition level and the structures in both domestic and women’s cricket,“ Naqvi told the BOG.