Karachi’s National Stadium is getting a makeover for Champions Trophy 2025, and the new design is going to surprise you.
Pakistan is scheduled to host the Champions Trophy in February-March next year. Construction work is underway to upgrade the country’s three major stadiums—the National Stadium Karachi, Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, and Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The approved map of the National Stadium has also been released.
The upgrade of the National Stadium will be done in three phases.
The first phase will see the construction of a new building. In the second phase, all stadium enclosures will be covered with Teflon, while in the third phase, the main building of the stadium will be demolished, and a new structure will be constructed.
According to the newly approved building plan of the first phase, a new five-story building at the National Stadium is being constructed in place of the old scoreboard building, which has had two enclosures demolished and added to it.
A dressing room for the players will also be built in the new building, which is under construction.
The National Stadium has to host three Test matches between Pakistan and Bangladesh before the Champions Trophy. The first Test of the series will be played from August 21 to August 25.
The stage is set for the seventh edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) to begin on January 27 at the National Stadium in Karachi with defending champions Multan Sultans facing off 2020 champions Karachi Kings following a curtain-raiser opening ceremony.
Babar Azam, who made the record for most T20I wins as captain in a calendar year with 20 in 2021, will lead Karachi Kings. Mohammad Rizwan, first-ever batter to score more than 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year, will lead Multan Sultans.
Babar in a statement issued by PSL, said: “I am very excited to be leading Karachi Kings this season. This is the first instance that I will be captaining a side in the HBL PSL and I am looking forward to it.
“The first match of the tournament always has a lot of eyeballs and Multan Sultans can prove to be a tough opposition. I am sure the fans will get to see a thrilling contest.
“Peter Moores is a seasoned coach and I have had fruitful discussions with him. Karachi Kings will display good, competitive cricket this season.”
While Rizwan said: “We have all the potential to defend our HBL PSL title and we will be taking the field tomorrow with that mind set. This season will present us new challenges and we will have to plan accordingly.
“Babar Azam is a wonderful batter and captain, and his leadership will certainly have a good impact on Karachi Kings. I am hopeful that the HBL PSL 7 will kick off with a great contest between the two sides.”
Video of Pakistani cricketer Fakhar Zaman, who represents the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa team, eating with the ground staff after the final match of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is doing the rounds on internet and it has won the hearts of Pakistani social media.
Zaman had lunch with the ground staff at the National Stadium in Karachi during the innings break on the last day of the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Cricket Tournament.
Several fans took to Twitter and appreciated the cricketer for the humility and nice gesture, while some called Zaman a real Qalandar.
Zaman hit a quick-fire fifty, smashing 9 fours and a monstrous six in the 5-day match.
After the match, Zaman also took selfies with his fans.
Fakhar Zaman with fans after the final of Quaid e Azam Trophy, clocked selfies with then and gifted his shirt to a young supporter. pic.twitter.com/dUKd7hPJ9w
KP has won the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy cricket tournament title for the fifth time while successfully defending its title. The team has won five consecutive domestic tournaments in two years.
Northern who were set a 384-run target on the final day, went down fighting as they were bowled out for 214 in their second innings with 18.4 overs left in the final session of the match.
Let’s congratulate the top performers from The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-2022. Who’s performance had you on your toes? Player of the match: Iftikhar Ahmed Best Batter: Mohammad Huraira Player of the tournament: Mubasir Khan Best Wicketkeeper: Rohail Nazir pic.twitter.com/dCQSGQpxpC
Following PCR tests administered on Wednesday in Karachi, Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirmed that five more members of the West Indies touring party have tested positive for Covid-19 and will now undergo a period of self-isolation.
A further five members of the West Indies touring party have tested positive for COVID-19 | More below: https://t.co/lOhSH1UdIu
Three players, wicket keeper-batter Shai Hope, left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein, all-rounder Justin Greaves; along with Assistant Coach Roddy Estwick, and Team Physician Dr Akshai Mansingh returned positive results in the latest round of testing carried out by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
All three players will therefore miss the upcoming matches and all five individuals will remain isolated from the rest of the West Indies squad and are now under the care and supervision provided by the medical officials. They will remain in isolation for ten (10) days or until they return negative PCR test results.
With a total of six players now ruled out of the tour due to Covid-19 and a finger injury to Devon Thomas (sustained in the 1st T20I), CWI and PCB Officials will be meeting on Thursday morning, once all members of the touring party have been tested again, to determine whether the tour can continue.
As per the latest updates, today’s T20I match and the One Day Internationals (ODIs) can also get cancelled if any other team member gets a positive result of Covid-19.
The Windies team has come to Pakistan to play three T20Is matches and as many ODIs. Team Pakistan has already won two of the three-match T20I series and were set to play the third and final T20I today (Thursday) at the National Stadium Karachi.
West Indies cricket great Daren Sammy has shared that Shoaib Akhtar made him question himself on his debut that whether he wanted to play cricket again or not.
In an exclusive interview with The Current, Sammy shared many things about his experience with Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) franchise Peshawar Zalmi, Pakistan’s tour and hospitality, PSL memories and his debut.
Talking about his first encounter with Akhtar, he said: “When I made my debut for the West Indies in the Champions Trophy, I remember Pakistan playing West Indies at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire and they were opening with Mohammad Sami, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar.”
“I saw Shoaib Akhtar bowling a bouncer to Brian Lara and hit him in the head. Brian Lara fell back probably almost unconscious. I was sitting and I was 19 years old next to Dwayne Bravo. I literally questioned whether I wanted to play cricket again. Shoaib Akhtar did that to me,” said Sammy.
The former all-rounder further revealed that he told this story to Shoaib Akhtar himself a few days ago in Islamabad.
“I met him four days ago in Islamabad and I gave him that story. He said ‘Brian clipped him for four on the first ball’ and I guess that was his response. It was a joy to watch the Rawalpindi Express coming down with his hair flying. Shoaib Akhtar with his pace. In the current day, even though I am not playing I would pad up easily against any bowler and try to hit them out of the park,” he said.
Sammy further revealed that players touring Pakistan now ask about golf courses instead of questioning the security situation of the country.
Peshawar’s coach stated that bringing the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to Pakistan was the first step that paved the way for cricket’s revival in the country.
“I am not sure [when West Indies will visit Pakistan next], I have not checked the calendar. But I think we were about to a year before last year. I think now the teams are coming. I remember us taking a small step in the PSL two and getting to the finals in Lahore. I think that was a small step in the right direction,” Sammy said.
He believed that the questions regarding security are slowly diminishing from players’ minds while visiting Pakistan.
“Now Hashim Amla and I were having a conversation and I think Javed asks what the difference is between now and five years ago. I think the major difference coming to Pakistan now, four years ago players would be calling me and go ‘Darren, I am going over there [Pakistan], do you think we should go?’ When West Indies was coming the captain had to call me and go, ‘Man should I go on this tour?’. Now players asking where they can play golf and questions like can we go to dinner in these or these places. The quote-unquote threat of security, that is slowly diminishing from people’s minds and I think that is what we want,” he concluded.
Talking about his favourite memory from the PSL, Sammy shared that his favourite memory was when they clinched the the cup in the second season of PSL.
For more interesting revelations, watch the video here:
Andre Russell and Martin Guptill are leading the names among others signed by Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises for the competition’s resumption in June.
In an online session held last evening, franchise representatives submitted names of the players they picked as replacements of those unavailable to feature in the upcoming matches.
West Indies allrounder Russell will join Quetta Gladiators in the absence of England international batsman Tom Banton. New Zealand’s Martin Guptill has been picked by Karachi Kings, while Bangladesh allrounder Shakib al Hasan was selected by Lahore Qalandars. Australia’s Usman Khawaja was Islamabad’s pick to replace Alex Hales. Another fascinating pick by IU is South African player Janneman Malan.
According to details, a total of 19 overseas players were chosen in the replacement draft, with three teams – Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta and Islamabad United reserving one further selection each, to be used at a later date.
Most of the overseas players, who were around for the first set of games before the postponement, are missing for one reason or another. The English players are going to be busy with the Vitality Blast T20 tournament. Some others are on national duty. As a result, there was a mini draft, where the teams had to pick from 134 players, from Australia (10), New Zealand (12), South Africa (18), Bangladesh (7), West Indies (25), Sri Lanka (24), Zimbabwe (6), Afghanistan (16), Ireland (5), UAE (5), Scotland (4), Nepal (1) and Oman (1)
The PSL 6 was postponed after 14 matches on March 4 this year after a Covid-19 outbreak was reported in the tournament’s bio-secure bubble. The remaining 20 matches of the sixth edition will now be played at Karachi’s National Stadium from June 1-20.
Islamabad United: Usman Khawaja replaces Alex Hales, Janneman Malan replaces Lewis Gregory
Karachi Kings: Martin Guptill replaces Colin Ingram, Thisara Perera replaces Mohammad Nabi, Najeebullah Zadran replaces Dan Christian, Litton Das replaces Joe Clarke
Lahore Qalandars: Shakib al Hasan replaces Rashid Khan, James Faulkner replaces David Wiese, Joe Burns replaces Samit Patel, Callum Ferguson replaces Tom Abell, Seekkuge Prasana replaces Joe Denly
Multan Sultans: Mahmudullah replaces Chris Lynn, Rahmanullah Gurbaz replaces James Vince, George Linde replaces Adam Lyth, Obed McCoy replaces Carlos Brathwaite
Peshawar Zalmi: Fabian Allen replaces Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rovman Powell replaces Liam Livingstone, Fidel Edwards replaces Saqib Mahmood
Quetta Gladiators: Andre Russell replaces Tom Banton
Meanwhile, Malan found out what ‘Janneman’ means in Urdu – sweetheart – and he aspires to become a janneman to all Pakistanis with his performances.
“Excited to join Islamabad United. Heard so many great things about the franchise,” said Malan. “I just found out what Janneman means in Urdu. I wish to be janneman to all Pakistanis with my performances in the PSL.”
Excited to join @IsbUnited Heard so many great things about the franchise. I just found out what Janneman means in urdu. I wish to be janneman to all Pakistanis with my performances in the PSL. #UnitedWeWin
Usman Khawaja, who was born in Pakistan, also expressed his excitement, saying: “Pretty excited to be joining Islamabad United. I have played everywhere in the subcontinent except where I was actually born. So for me, this means a little bit more.”
“Can’t wait,” he added.
Pretty excited to be joining @isbunited. I have played everywhere in the sub continent except where I was actually born. So for me this means a little bit more. Can’t wait. #UnitedWeWin
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has booked a complete hotel for the remaining matches of Pakistan Super League (PSL 6). The 300-room hotel will accommodate all six teams, officials and commentators.
According to details, all rooms, halls, conference rooms and restaurants will be fully managed by the PCB. Hotels, transport, ground staff and broadcasters will remain inside the bubble under COVID-19 protocols.
PCB has also settled a deal with a British company to maintain the bio-secure bubble for PSL. The Board has prepared the agreement documents and has sent them to a UK-Based company named Restrata.
After seeing the company’s performance in the PSL, talks will be held with the company for the country’s next cricket season.
The bio-bubble protocols of the competition will be decided by Restrata. It will be their responsibility to fully implement the protocols, monitor and manage the bio-secure and have a response and reaction to positive tests.
The board will formally announce the company’s deployment after they sign the agreement.
It must be noted here that PSL 6 was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the bio-secure bubble. As many as six cricketers and a staff member had tested COVID-19 positive.
PCB announced last week that the remaining matches of the competition will be held from June 1-20 at the National Stadium in Karachi. All participants will be required to observe a seven-day quarantine period, which will commence from May 22 in one hotel. Following three days of training sessions, HBL PSL 6 matches will resume on June 1 with the final scheduled for June 20.
Following the decision of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to allow 20 percent crowd to attend each matchday of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 6, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday confirmed the ticket prices for 30 of the 34 matches, which will be played from February 20 to March 16. Ticket denominations for the Qualifier, two Eliminators and the final, to be played from March 18-22, will be announced closer to time.
According to a press release, online sale of tickets will start on Wednesday at 10 00 (Pakistan time) and fans can visit www.bookme.pk to purchase match tickets and select their preferred enclosure and choice of seat.
Fans can also call the Bookme helpline (03137786888) to book their tickets for which CNIC number and phone number is mandatory. When the match ticket has been confirmed, the customer will be sent a token number on the registered phone so that the customer can make the payment at the closest Jazzcash/Easypaisa shop. Upon payment, the customer will receive an e-ticket code along with a Quick Response (QR) Code, which the customer can use to print the ticket or show the SMS at the entry gate on match day.
To encourage families to attend the marquee event, the PCB has reserved certain enclosures of the National Stadium Karachi and Gaddafi Stadium Lahore for families.
At the National Stadium, enclosures reserved for the families include Hanif Mohammad (VIP Enclosure), Wasim Akram (Premium Enclosure), Zaheer Abbas, Iqbal Qasim and Nasimul Ghani Enclosures (First-Class Enclosures), and Intikhab Alam Enclosure (General) while family enclosures at the Gaddafi Stadium include: Fazal Mahmood (VIP Enclosure), Saeed Anwar (Premier Enclosure), Abdul Qadir (First-Class Enclosure) and Nazar, Quaid, Zaheer Abbas and Majid Khan (General Enclosure).
For Saturday’s tournament opener between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators, which will begin at 7 pm, cost of VIP stands (Hanif Mohammad and Javed Miandad Enclosures) have been fixed at Rs 5,000, while the price of the First-Class stands (Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, Waqar Hasan, Majid Khan, Iqbal Qasim and Nasimul Ghani Enclosures) have been kept at Rs 4,000. Similarly, price of Premium stands (Quaid, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan Enclosure) has been set at Rs 3,000, while the General stand tickets (Wasim Bari, Mohammad Brothers and Intikhab Alam Enclosure) have been fixed at Rs 2,000.
For Sunday’s double-header between Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi, and Islamabad United and Multan Sultans, which will start at 2 pm and 7 pm, respectively, cost of VIP stands (Hanif Mohammad and Javed Miandad Enclosures) have been fixed at Rs 4,000, while the price of the First-Class stands (Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, Waqar Hasan, Majid Khan, Iqbal Qasim and Nasimul Ghani Enclosures) have been kept at Rs 3,000. Similarly, price of Premium stands (Quaid, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan Enclosure) has been set at Rs 2,000, while the General stand tickets (Wasim Bari, Mohammad Brothers and Intikhab Alam Enclosure) have been fixed at Rs 1,000.
For matches to take place from Monday-Wednesday, cost of VIP stands (Hanif Mohammad and Javed Miandad Enclosures) have been fixed at Rs 3,000, while the price of the First-Class stands (Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, Waqar Hasan, Majid Khan, Iqbal Qasim and Nasimul Ghani Enclosures) have been kept at PKR2,000. Similarly, price of Premium stands (Quaid, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan Enclosure) have been set at Rs 1,000, while the General stand tickets (Wasim Bari, Mohammad Brothers and Intikhab Alam Enclosure) have been fixed at Rs 500.
For the first match in Lahore on March 10 involving Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings, ticket prizes for the VIP stands (Imran Khan and Fazal Mahmood Enclosures) have been set for 3,000, followed by Rs 2,000 for the First-Class Stands (Abdul Qadir and Sarfraz Nawaz Enclosures), Rs 1,000 for Premium stands (A.H. Kardar, Rajas, Javed Miandad and Saeed Anwar Enclosures) and Rs 500 for General stands (Inzamam ul Haq, Nazars, Quaid, Imtiaz Ahmed, Zaheer Abbas, Hanif Mohammad, Majid Khan, Saeed Ahmed Enclosures).
Meanwhile, overseas players have started arriving in Karachi, where the first half of the tournament will take place. Karachi will host 20 matches from February 20 to March 7 while Lahore will host the remaining 14 matches from March 10 to 22.
The Pakistan vs South Africa series kickstarted on Tuesday with a Test match at the National Stadium Karachi. While the day began with cricket aficionados witnessing some great wicketkeeping by ‘Super Rizwan’, it ended with four out after making just 33 runs. SA, on the other hand, had a score of 220-10.
Muhammad Rizwan’s exceptional wicketkeeping abilities left everyone in awe during the first session of the first test between Pakistan and South Africa. Middle-order batsman Van der Dussen was run out by a quick throw from Babar Azam and excellent work with the gloves from Rizwan.
With an excellent speed, Rizwan broke the wickets in seconds. The skipper’s throw in the right direction helped Rizwan run out the South African Middle-order batsman at 17 runs.
This Test series is very important for Pakistan Cricket as the green shirts have faced a humiliating defeat in New Zealand.
Pakistan’s 11 initially appeared strong with its two debutants, Nauman Ali and Imran Butt, but opener Imran, couldn’t do anything promising with the bat. Earlier in the day, Younis Khan and Yasir Shah had presented both Ali and Butt their first Test cap.
The visiting team opted for batting after winning the toss. They had a strong start but lost Markram early after which they could not construct a lasting partnership. The highest individual score from a South Africa batsman came from the blade of Dean Elgar, who scored a well-made 58. The visitors could only post a total of 220.
For Pakistan, with the ball, the spinners rose to the occasion. Yasir Shah was the highlight, with 3 wickets to his name, while debutant Nauman Ali snared two. The pacers had 3 wickets to their names. And then, Pakistan stepped out to bat, in their first innings. It was a horror start with the bat though, as they lost Abid Ali early and saw further collapses, including the skipper at 7.
In the end, they closed out Day 1, at 33 for 4, and probably have to thank the sun for setting down, rather than any of their batsmen. However, if one exception were to be made, one can say that Azhar Ali is gritting it out there – he is the man the visiting team would hope to snare as they resume play on Day 2.
All eyes will be on Karachi’s National Stadium as HBL Pakistan Super League 2020 returns this afternoon.
Multan Sultans, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi are all set to battle for the glittering trophy and a prize of $500,000 as the cricketing tournament returns after an eight-month gap caused due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
While all four squads have been rejigged with international and local stars joining the sides, the following foreign players will be satisfying cricketing fanatics until the final scheduled for Tuesday (Nov 17).
Karachi Kings
Alex Hales (England), Cameron Delport (South Africa), Chadwick Walton (West Indies), Sherfane Rutherford (West Indies) and Wayne Parnel (South Africa).
Lahore Qalandars
Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh), David Wiese (South Africa), Samit Patel (England), Ben Dunk (Australia) and Dane Vilas (South Africa).
Multan Sultans
Adam Lyth (England), Brendan Taylor (Zimbabwe), Imran Tahir (South Africa), Joe Denly (England), Ravi Bopara (England) and Rilee Rossouw (South Africa).
Peshawar Zalmi
Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies), Faf du Plessis (South Africa), Hardus Viljoen (South Africa) and Saqib Mahmood (England).
As for today’s clashes, Sultans will be facing Kings in the qualifier at 3 pm, whereas underdog Qalandars will be taking on former champions Zalmi in the first eliminator at 8 pm.
