Peshawar stadium to undergo revamp

Officials promise to bring matches back to venue.

LAHORE: The Peshawar Cricket Association has taken the Arbab Niaz Stadium under its wings for a period of three years to promote the most popular sport in the region.

With a capacity of 20,000, the stadium had been a regular Test venue and has hosted seven Test matches since 1995 with 17 One-Day Internationals since 1984. However, poor facilities and arrangements forced the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to take away international and domestic fixtures from the venue.

However, the association has pledged to undertake a refurbishment programme over three years and hand the PCB a quality venue.

Secretary of Peshawar District Cricket Association Syed Hanif Shah pledged to bring back cricket to the venue while an MoU was signed between the Khyber-Pakthunkhwa government and the district association.

“The PCB has promised to extend full support in terms of equipment and upgrading of the stadium,” Shah told The Express Tribune. “Since the stadium was under the sports board’s supervision and wasn’t handled with care, it was also used for hosting of various non-sporting events.

“We’re keen to take administrative charge of the centre as it was ruined while the stadium was under the control of local administration. The PCB assured us of that by inaugurating a cricket academy as well as promising provision of technical expertise to players of Peshawar association.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2011.