Rebranding of Gaddafi Stadium on the cards

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is set to finalize a significant commercial agreement with the Bank of Punjab, as reported by local media.

Under this agreement, PCB will sell the naming rights of Lahore's iconic Gaddafi Stadium to the Bank of Punjab for the next five years.

This strategic move is part of PCB's broader initiative to capitalize on commercial opportunities and enhance revenue streams aimed at advancing cricket in Pakistan.

The report further added that the Gaddafi Stadium will undergo a rebranding to reflect the bank's identity as per the terms of the deal.

The sale of naming rights aligns with global trends in sports, where prominent venues partner with leading corporations to secure mutually beneficial agreements.

In October 2022, the National Bank of Pakistan and the PCB agreed to a five-year naming-rights agreement, and the National Stadium in Karachi got its new title, National Bank Cricket Arena.

The title 'National Bank Cricket Arena' was later changed to 'National Bank Stadium'.

Shaheens beat Melbourne Renegades

Pakistan Shaheens claimed their third win in the Top End T20 series as they beat Melbourne Renegades by four wickets on Thursday at the TIO Stadium in Darwin.

In pursuit of the 108-run target, Shaheens lost opening batter Sahibzada Farhan (4, 4b, 1x4) in the first over. Skipper Mohammad Haris hit three fours in his 13-ball stay on the crease accumulating 17 runs.

Omair Bin Yousuf (25, 21b, 2x4s, 1x6) stitched a 29-run third wicket partnership with Usman Khan before falling prey to Tyler Pearson in the ninth over.

Usman anchored the chase with a steady 38 off 36 balls, which included a six and a four. Usman and Muhammad Irfan Khan (12, 16b) were both dismissed in the 17th over before Jahandad Khan finished the game with a six on the last ball of the subsequent over.

Harry Dixon and Kane Richardson picked up two wickets apiece while Pearson and Callum Stow dismissed one batter each.

Pakistan Shaheens, after opting to field first, took wickets at regular intervals. Mubasir Khan drew first blood with the wicket of opening batter Blake Macdonald (18, 10b, 3x4s) in the third over.

Dixon and Marcus Harris departed in the sixth and seventh over respectively with the scorecard reading 40-3 in 6.1 overs. Renegades continued to struggle in the middle overs slumping to 67-7 before they were bundled out for 107 in 18.3 overs.

Wicketkeeper-batter Jai Lemire (23, 24b, 1x4) was the top scorer for Renegades and was the last batter to be dismissed. Jahandad was the pick of the bowlers for Shaheens as he returned figures of 3-19 in 3.3 overs while Arif Yaqoob, Mohammad Imran Jnr and Faisal Akram picked up two wickets each.

Pakistan Shaheens will take on Bangladesh 'A' in the next fixture tomorrow.

No decision yet on CT 2025: Jay Shah

Jay Shah, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), commenting on the issue of the Indian cricket team traveling to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, said no decision has been taken so far in that regard.

"No stand as of now. We will cross the bridge when it comes," said Shah when asked to comment on the issue. "BCCI will address the situation when the time comes," he was quoted by the Times of India saying,

This ninth edition of the tournament will feature eight teams that earned their spots based on their performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup held in India.

Group A consists of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and New Zealand, while Group B includes Australia, England, South Africa, and Afghanistan.

India has not toured Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup, and the last time Pakistan visited India was for a bilateral series in 2012-13.

The two teams have refrained from playing each other in bilateral series due to ongoing tensions. The most recent Champions Trophy was held in 2017, where Pakistan secured their first title by defeating India in the final.