LAHORE: When announcing the tournament schedule on Saturday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) stated that it will “display its redesigned and redeveloped” Gaddafi Stadium here and Karachi’s National Bank Stadium in the tri-nation series between the home team, New Zealand, and South Africa starting on February 8.
Originally, the series was supposed to take place in Multan as a warm-up for the teams before the ICC Champions Trophy, which would be hosted from February 19 to March 9 in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi.
However, the PCB made the decision to move the tri-nation series to Karachi and Lahore in order to eliminate any uncertainty regarding the nation’s Champions Trophy preparations and to use it as a practice run for the renovated stadiums.
At the Gaddafi Stadium here, Pakistan and New Zealand will play the first match of the tri-nation series. On February 10, South Africa will play the BlackCaps in a day match.
Karachi’s National Bank Stadium will host the Pakistan-South Africa match on February 12 and the series’ final on February 14.
The tri-series will be the first event held at the renovated Gaddafi Stadium after construction is expected to be completed by February 2, according to a statement from the PCB.
According to the PCB, South Africa will make its maiden appearance at the Gaddafi Stadium on the morning of February 9, while Pakistan and New Zealand are set to train there on February 6.
The board claims that fresh chairs have been placed throughout the Gaddafi Stadium to boost the number of spectators. To improve broadcast LUX levels, 480 cutting-edge LED lights have also been placed.
A brand-new hospitality area for officials and players is almost finished, and the venue also has two enormous digital replay displays.
According to the PCB, major improvements have been made to the National Bank Stadium, including the construction of a new hospitality enclosure for officials and players at the University End.
According to their news release, “350 LED lights have been installed to improve broadcast coverage, ensuring optimal visibility for global audiences.”
“To improve spectator comfort, 5,000 new chairs have been installed and two digital replay screens have already been fixed.”