PCB look to construct cricket stadium in Pakistan capital – Cricket News Update
The Pakistan Cricket Board is looking into the prospect of constructing an international standard stadium in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan.
“There was an urgent need of constructing an international standard cricket ground in the federal capital since long and the proposed plan was in doldrums for the last four years,” PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf said. “President Asif Ali Zardari, who is also the
Patron-in-Chief of PCB, played a key role in resolving the issue and we are really grateful to him for showing personal interest and finally allotting us a piece of land in capital.”
A Memorandum of Understanding was recently signed between the Capital Development Authority in Islamabad and the PCB, with the CDA having agreed to provide the board 35 acres of land for the construction of a stadium which is expected to have the capacity
for 50,000 spectators. The estimated time for the completion of the project is one year. The agreement involves the condition that 30% of the income obtained from international matches and sponsorships will be given to the CDA, while 70% will go to the PCB.
“All the expenses of constructing the stadium would be bored by the board getting land for construction of two international grounds in only six months time is by all means a great achievement of the board,” http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ashraf-c46397 said.
The fate of the stadium once it is constructed, however, may pose a problem for the board. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 has been a no-go tour option for foreign team ever since the visiting Sri Lankan team found themselves the victims of a terrorist attack in 2009.
Since then the Men In Green have been forced to host their home series in neutral venues such as the UAE, and most recently http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758. The PCB’s efforts to invite other teams in a bid to convince them that the security situation in the country has improved
have also met a dead-end, with the most recent proposal being snubbed by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747. The only team which recently agreed to tour was a British Universities team which played against the PCB’s Under-19 team in Lahore.
In addition to the construction of a stadium, the PCB also recently took control of the Quaid-e-Azam stadium in Mirpur which the board felt was a potential venue for hosting international cricket matches.
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