Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan stadiums in disarray as deadline nears, videos expose shambolic state (WATCH)

The countdown to the ICC Champions Trophy, which is little over a month away, has begun, but the situation in Pakistan is far from ideal. Construction and upgradation work at the country's key cricket venues—National Stadium in Karachi, Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, and Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium—are still ongoing, leaving organizers in a race against time to meet the February 12 deadline for handing over the stadiums to the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The renovation work, which commenced in August last year, was initially scheduled to be completed by December 31. However, the venues remain nowhere near finished, and the ICC has expressed growing concern as it assesses the progress. It is understood that a team from the ICC will visit Pakistan later this week to evaluate the situation, with informal contingency discussions already taking place in Dubai.

The stadiums are not just undergoing refurbishment, but rather substantial construction work, including the building of new enclosures, the installation of floodlights, and the completion of player facilities. There are even concerns about the outfield and playing surfaces, which have yet to be finalized.

According to a TOI report quoting sources the current state of the venues as "disappointing." 

"It is a very disappointing picture. All three stadiums are far from ready and it's not renovation or refurbishment, but proper construction which is underway. There is so much work left with seats, floodlights, facilities and even the outfield and playing surfaces," a source told the publication.

The Gaddafi Stadium and National Stadium are particularly impacted by the extensive work required to finish multi-storied enclosures that will house dressing rooms and hospitality boxes. In addition, fencing, floodlights, and seating arrangements are still far from complete. The weather, which is not conducive to rapid construction, further hampers progress.

"The weather is not ideal for construction and finishing work to happen at a rapid pace. At Gadaffi, even the plaster work isn't completed yet. And most of the time is taken by finishing work because we are talking about dressing rooms etc. They just can't be random rooms/enclosures for an ICC event. ICC has a checklist which needs to be met. National Stadium has decided to not completely finish the new enclosure because there is no time," the source told TOI.

Gaddafi Stadium is scheduled to host some of the most important matches, including one semi-final and potentially the final, if India does not qualify. Despite the PCB's best efforts to speed up the work, concerns about player safety and the overall quality of the venues persist.

With no clear solution yet, discussions about moving the entire tournament to the UAE have intensified. The UAE, which has successfully hosted major ICC events in the past, could serve as a backup if the PCB fails to meet the deadline.

"It's a no-brainer on what would happen if PCB misses deadlines and venues don't meet ICC checklist. Tournament can't be played at semi-ready venues. The next week will give more clarity on the future but PCB and ICC together need to pull off a miracle," the source told TOI.

The ongoing delays and challenges have raised alarms, especially following the logistical setbacks experienced during the USA leg of the T20 World Cup last year. With time running out, the cricketing world is watching closely to see if Pakistan can deliver on its promise to host the prestigious tournament on home soil.