Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday hosted a star-studded ceremony in Karachi to mark the re-opening of the National Stadium. All squad members of Pakistan’s Champions Trophy squad were present at the stadium, including star batter Babar Azam. Fans were given free entry to the event, which featured performances from top Pakistani celebrities. However, fans reserved biggest cheer of the night for Babar. As Babar was given the mic to address the crowd at the stadium, fans started chanting his names.
Babar was visibly moved by the reception and had to wait patiently for the chants to subside. When he finally got the chance to speak, he expressed gratitude and urged fans to support the team in their Champions Trophy campaign.
THE CHEERS pic.twitter.com/imo4pBVxgj
— a. (@chicaaesthetics) February 11, 2025
“I have a complaint with the people of Karachi that they do not come to watch the matches. Just as they turned up for this opening ceremony, they should come for the matches as well,” Babar said.
During the ceremony, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi hit back at social media trolls who questioned the board’s ability to complete the upgradation of Karachi and Lahore stadiums.
“We win, you lose. This is for those who claimed on social media that we could not complete the construction of this stadium. If we failed to complete this, you would have won, and we were unsuccessful. However, by completing this [upgradation] project, we won, and you lose now,” Naqvi said as quoted from Geo News.
He also thanked the workers for their hard work, which was dedicated towards the timely completion of the stadiums, “I admit here that Karachi stadium would look more good than Lahore’s Gaddafi stadium.”
The newly constructed pavilion of the Karachi stadium features dressing rooms for players and match officials, complemented by hospitality rooms.
In addition to the new pavilion, several major upgrades have been completed at the Karachi’s National Bank Stadium to enhance both the playing and viewing experience.
The stadium was inaugrated on the eve of Pakistan tri-series game against South Africa. New Zealand are already through to the final of the series, after beating both Pakistan and South Africa in Lahore.
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