LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has allocated around Rs17 billion for renovating stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy.
The funds were approved at a PCB Board of Governors (BOG) meeting in Lahore on Saturday, which also allocated an additional Rs 240 million for expenditure on women’s cricket.
This was a big leap for women’s cricket from the Rs 7 crore approved in the last budget.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi also told board members that the Champions Trophy will only be played on Pakistan soil and the matter will be discussed further at the ICC’s annual board meeting in Colombo later this month.
The meeting was held primarily to approve the Pakistan Football Association’s budget for 2024-25. Apart from the three-match series before the CT, Pakistan will host Bangladesh, England and West Indies this season, with tours to Australia, South Africa and Zimbabwe also scheduled.
Naqvi informed the board members that the board wants to improve facilities for spectators and transform the venue into an A-class stadium and work on renovating the stadium has begun.
The board approved around Rs 13 billion from the development fund for construction work of the three stadiums and another Rs 45 billion for hosting the domestic season.
The BOG was also informed that the Board has decided to increase the central contract fees/salaries of women cricketers and domestic players.
“The budget has been increased as the PCB wants to improve the level of competition and structure in domestic and women’s cricket,” Naqvi told the board.
Published July 7, 2024 14:33 IST
