National stadium enclosures to be named after Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan
National Stadium Karachi - Photo: Instagram
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the renaming of two enclosures at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi to honour former cricket captains Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan.
The Quaid enclosure will be renamed after Shahid Afridi, while the Majid Khan Eenclosure will be renamed in honor of Younis Khan.
In addition, the PCB has decided to rename the Zaheer Abbas enclosure to the Nazar Mohammad Enclosure. Previously, the enclosures were named after cricket legends Majid Khan and Zaheer Abbas. Each enclosure has a capacity of 1,050.
Further changes are planned, including adjustments to the Hanif Mohammad and Fazal Mahmood enclosures. The PCB is also working on adding two new VIP enclosures in the newly reconstructed stadium building to enhance the spectators' experience.
Meanwhile, significant progress has been made on the construction at National Stadium, Karachi, with three floors of the far-end building already completed. Partition work is currently underway on the top floor, marking a key phase in the development.
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is almost finished, with final cleaning and touch-ups being completed. Meanwhile, preparations for two VVIP stands at ground level are progressing smoothly as part of the ongoing upgrades.
The construction of the National Bank Stadium is also nearing completion, with project director Bilal Chohan confirming that the building will be ready by January 31.
Looking ahead, an eight-team tournament featuring 15 matches is set to take place from February 19 to March 9, 2025, across three venues in Pakistan—Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi—as well as in Dubai. The teams are split into two groups: Group A includes Pakistan, India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh, while Group B features Afghanistan, South Africa, England, and Australia.
The tournament will kick off with Pakistan facing New Zealand on February 19 in Karachi, followed by the highly anticipated match between Pakistan and India on February 23 in Dubai.