Amid a barrage of criticism launched at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), who has been blamed for Rachin Ravindra's injury during the opening game of the ODI tri-series against Pakistan in Lahore, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt did defend the board, calling it the player's mistake. But the blame game was shifted back on PCB as veteran batter Ahmed Shehzad lashed out at the poor infrastructure at the three venues that will host the Champions Trophy, beginning next week.
The incident happened last week at the Gaddafi Stadium during Pakistan's innings, when Khusdil Shah slog-swept a delivery from Michael Bracewell towards a deep square leg. Ravindra had set himself up for the catch but lost the ball amid the lights as it hit him flush on his forehead. The New Zealand batter was bleeding heavily, as medical assistance rushed to him on the ground. After a short delay, he was taken off the field with his face covered in a towel.
Following the incident, PCB was criticised for the poor use of lights at the venue, which will be hosting Champions Trophy matches. Sehzad joined the bandwagon question the use of the allocated money towards renovating the Champions Trophy venues.
"The way Rachin was hit on the face, this is a concerning part. The player safety is of utmost importance. Is this how you spend a budget of 13 arab PKR? It takes 2 arab to construct a new stadium. Three stadiums aren't even ready yet. From the outside, everything looks good and glittery. The ones that are ready, were built in record time. But there are certain things such as this floodlight issues, the fact that the Karachi Stadium isn't ready yet. There are problems in the infrastructure of the Rawalpindi Stadium, which will now apparently take 6-8 more months to be resolved. The Gaddafi Stadium looks good but the lights look dicey," he said.
Are the Champions Trophy venues in Pakistan ready?
{{/usCountry}}"The way Rachin was hit on the face, this is a concerning part. The player safety is of utmost importance. Is this how you spend a budget of 13 arab PKR? It takes 2 arab to construct a new stadium. Three stadiums aren't even ready yet. From the outside, everything looks good and glittery. The ones that are ready, were built in record time. But there are certain things such as this floodlight issues, the fact that the Karachi Stadium isn't ready yet. There are problems in the infrastructure of the Rawalpindi Stadium, which will now apparently take 6-8 more months to be resolved. The Gaddafi Stadium looks good but the lights look dicey," he said.
Are the Champions Trophy venues in Pakistan ready?
{{/usCountry}}PCB were allocated 17 billion rupees to renovate three stadiums for the ICC tournament. Despite the criticism, The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore did host two ODI matches ahead of the Champions Trophy, both from the ongoing tri-series involving Pakistan, South Africa, and New Zealand.
On Tuesday, PCB will unveil the renovated National Stadium in Karachi, thus brushing aside concerns over its readiness. The board further announced free entry for the public for a musical ceremony, followed by a felicitation event for the construction workers. The venue will be hosting the final game of the tri-series between Pakistan and South Africa.