PCB considers developing the Abbottabad stadium as an international venue for matches in the summer

[MenInG]

Brilliant idea. Could be a game changer.

=

Considering that no international cricket matches take place during the summer season, a decision was made to explore in the northern part of the country. In this regard, Abbottabad Cricket Stadium was discussed as a potential venue for hosting international matches in the future. In this regard, conceptual plans for constructing a new pavilion at Abbottabad Cricket Stadium were also presented and the idea was well received and approved accordingly.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Yeah it is essential to built more stadiums in hilly areas where cricket players can enjoy the game without suffering scorching heat on the ground.

Muzaffarabad Cricket Ground can also one of them.

 

[Kriketer]

Before they build anything further they should genuinely consider getting rid of concrete slabs in Pindi, upgrade that stadium as it seems to be in a terrible condition. Flat out the concrete slabs and just put grass there if they can't afford proper plastic chairs like many other international grounds. Putting shaadi chairs feels like the ultimate humiliation, not that PCB knows what that is.

Not sure what happened to Islamabad stadium that they were discussing. We should definitely have more stadium in the mountain areas like Himachal stadium of India which looks beautiful

 

[shah_1]

How about upgrading current international stadiums?

Abbobtabad has no airport and no nearby five star hotel, it will be a logistic nightmare for the team to travel due to security protocols.

PC Hotel in hyderabad is final stage of completion, it is the most appropriate place to play international cricket due to decent weather in November and December, and also the city is pretty safe as well.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Yeah it is essential to built more stadiums in hilly areas where cricket players can enjoy the game without suffering scorching heat on the ground.

Muzaffarabad Cricket Ground can also one of them.

Muzaffarabad gets hotter than Islamabad in the summer.

 

[shah_1]

It does rain a lot in abbobtabad during summer.

 

[Savak]

Quetta, Gwadar, Gilgit Baltistan, Abbottabad, Muzaffarabad etc. The PCB needs to work on developing the stadiums on these venues to host international cricket in the summer, fall months in Pakistan

 

[DeadlyVenom]

One way of reducing security costs could be to have 5 star hotels adjoining the ground and being part of the complex.

In non cricketing times the hotels can function as normal and during matches they can be given to the touring country for a week or two.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Quetta, Gwadar, Gilgit Baltistan, Abbottabad, Muzaffarabad etc. The PCB needs to work on developing the stadiums on these venues to host international cricket in the summer, fall months in Pakistan

For Gwadar Stadium - Pakistan should try to make it into a tourist resort. No entry or exit. The same way resorts are in countries like Tunisia.

Make stadium complex in Gwadar with adjoining tourist areas and overseas fans could stay in a luxurious resort, recieve 5 star service, sunbathe and lounge in pools.

It's perhaps a pipe dream but I dont see fans/players roaming freely in Pakistan yet so a nice resort type environment could work as a middle ground.

It will however require some big bucks.

 

[Major]

Bad idea and waste of money.

Abottabad isnt a safe city as the city has one road thus it will he a security risk.

If they make a tunnel through isb only than would such a stadium work.


They need to make a stadium in islamabad or bahria town rawalpindi and also fix the pindi stadium. Make more stands on top

 

[Major]

For Gwadar Stadium - Pakistan should try to make it into a tourist resort. No entry or exit. The same way resorts are in countries like Tunisia.

Make stadium complex in Gwadar with adjoining tourist areas and overseas fans could stay in a luxurious resort, recieve 5 star service, sunbathe and lounge in pools.

It's perhaps a pipe dream but I dont see fans/players roaming freely in Pakistan yet so a nice resort type environment could work as a middle ground.

It will however require some big bucks.

Bro, alot of people about gwader around, but in reality its not possible to have a stadium in gwader.

Gwader doesnt have safe drinking water, survivability isn't possible there. I heard that even at the five star hotel yhere, they only get bathing water 30mins after letting the lobby know.

 

[saqib.rai]

PSL 2025 will take place in June-July.

Jan-Feb-March 2025 Is packed with us touring South Africa, West Indies touring us, Tri-series involving New Zealand and South Africa and then the Champions Trophy.

It was rumored that PSL can clash with the IPL but PCB has scheduled matches against New Zealand and Bangladesh during IPL 2025.

So need to develop Abbottabad before PSL 2025 so PSL 2025 can take place in Pindi and Abbottabad.

 

[saqib.rai]

Bad idea and waste of money.

Abottabad isnt a safe city as the city has one road thus it will he a security risk.

If they make a tunnel through isb only than would such a stadium work.


They need to make a stadium in islamabad or bahria town rawalpindi and also fix the pindi stadium. Make more stands on top

They need to develop a stadium in the north before PSL 2025 as it will most likely take place in June-July

 

[ExpressPacer]

Bad idea and waste of money.

Abottabad isnt a safe city as the city has one road thus it will he a security risk.

If they make a tunnel through isb only than would such a stadium work.


They need to make a stadium in islamabad or bahria town rawalpindi and also fix the pindi stadium. Make more stands on top

From a security perspective, one road should be a good thing since it makes it easier to patrol.

Although I do agree that the safety of KPK isn’t really optimum despite being better in recent years.

 

[ExpressPacer]

They need to develop a stadium in the north before PSL 2025 as it will most likely take place in June-July

Pakistan is cash-strapped, my friend. A modern day stadium costs hundreds of millions of dollars to build. We don’t have the money for investment projects like this.

 

[saqib.rai]

Pakistan is cash-strapped, my friend. A modern day stadium costs hundreds of millions of dollars to build. We don’t have the money for investment projects like this.

Pakistan is low on foreign reserves.

Still billion of ruppees of development funds are being given in the last budget.

They don't need a fancy stadium, just a basic one that can accommodate matches in June-July.

 

[Major]

From a security perspective, one road should be a good thing since it makes it easier to patrol.

Although I do agree that the safety of KPK isn’t really optimum despite being better in recent years.

Naa. One road means anyone can jump out to attack qnd their is no alternative route.

Abbotabad is beautiful and i wish there was a tunnel passing through from the moubtains of Islamabad, straight into Abbotabad. Its just behind islamabad

 

[ExpressPacer]

Naa. One road means anyone can jump out to attack qnd their is no alternative route.

Abbotabad is beautiful and i wish there was a tunnel passing through from the moubtains of Islamabad, straight into Abbotabad. Its just behind islamabad

The new motorway to Abbotabad takes you a little over an hour to get there from Islamabad. Have you not heard about it?

 

[Major]

The new motorway to Abbotabad takes you a little over an hour to get there from Islamabad. Have you not heard about it?

motorway is outside of the city. You need to travel to a stadium inside through a city's road.
No team will travel from isb to abbotabad for a game.

 

[ExpressPacer]

motorway is outside of the city. You need to travel to a stadium inside through a city's road.
No team will travel from isb to abbotabad for a game.

Which is why it’s only practical if they’re hosted in Abbotabad. Maybe at Kakul.

 

[Savak]

Which is why it’s only practical if they’re hosted in Abbotabad. Maybe at Kakul.

Foreign teams and players can easily be put in Kakul.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Foreign teams and players can easily be put in Kakul.

Especially the Indian team if they ever decide to tour.

 

[rpant_gabba]

Where is PCB going to get the capital? who is going to fund it and how is ROI going to work?

A stadium even in South asia is gong to cost $100M?

PCB revenue from ICC is ~20 mil per year,

PCB hopes to earn 8-10 billion Pakistani rupees from sale of media rights

Lahore, Aug 15 (PTI) Pakistan cricket authorities are hopeful of raking in revenue ranging between rupees 8 to 10 billion from the sale of media rights of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and its international matches at home.

www.deccanherald.com

say $33M from TV rights

After expenses they are probably left with $10M/year maybe?

 

[AMSS]

A stadium even in South asia is gong to cost $100M?

no. Even the NM stadium cost a little under 100 mills. A 25k seater in Pakistan with lower labor costs than India would be cost no more than 10-15 million usd.

PCB revenue from ICC is ~20 mil per year,

So? How do salarymen buy apartments costing 5-6x their annual salary? Loans of course.

 

[Vikram1989]

I don't think stadium in abbotabad Is a good idea as it got lot of bad name outside of pak.People may go to Laden's house and will bring more bad name

 

[rpant_gabba]

no. Even the NM stadium cost a little under 100 mills. A 25k seater in Pakistan with lower labor costs than India would be cost no more than 10-15 million usd.

do you have breakdown of labor costs vs material costs in south asia? would love to see it.

10-15million for a stadium? how much did SL spend on their white elephant?

Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

MR says 4.5biilion rupees = ~$30M in 2010

Finance minister says 1 biilion = ~$8 million in 2010

for a 35K stadium. you think after 12 years the cost remains the same? SL labor is not that much more expensive than PAk

Material cost from 2019 to now is ~3X for construction

So? How do salarymen buy apartments costing 5-6x their annual salary? Loans of course.

So who is going spot PCB $50 to 100M? Pakistan is struggling for $1B from IMF.

 

[daytrader]

I don't think stadium in abbotabad Is a good idea as it got lot of bad name outside of pak.People may go to Laden's house and will bring more bad name

When they go there the locals will show them the true story and convince them otherwise

 

[AMSS]

do you have breakdown of labor costs vs material costs in south asia? would love to see it.

10-15million for a stadium? how much did SL spend on their white elephant?

Look man, you made up numbers about the cost of NM stadium. Why do I care what you'd love to see? Look up yourself but just don't post BS about cost.

Pakistan is not looking to build stadium the size of NM stadium. Their purpose will be well served building stadium 1/4th that size.

SL is a country with per capita income 5 times that of Pakistan. Their labor cost is not the same as Pakistan.

SL labor is not that much more expensive than PAk

Yeah, the labor cost is the same in a 4500-5000 USD and 1200 USD per capita income country. Can you stop being dumb?

So who is going spot PCB $50 to 100M? Pakistan is struggling for $1B from IMF.

PCB does not need foreign currency loans for building a freaking stadium. Their domestic banks can do it. Pakistan has excess capacity to make cement and exported it to India till some time back. Same with other materials used to build a stadium.

So please, stop telegraphing your illiteracy by bringing in IMF and other Indian talking points.

With free government provided land, and a revenue of 20 mills per annum that is growing, and PSL a established league, PCB can raise 100 million USD equivalent loan (in PKR) domestically and build 3-4 new stadium simultaneously that they can pay off over a long term financing - 10-15 years.

 

[rpant_gabba]

People's Football Stadium - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

>>>In 1999, when Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto came into power, new floodlights imported from France worth PKR 30.7 million were installed, to enable evening matches to take place.<<

Cost of flood lights 25 years ago was ~$0.6M.

But the whole stadium today will cost only $5-10M.

 

[MenInG]

Discussion needs to be about Pakistan only.

 

[rpant_gabba]

Discussion needs to be about Pakistan only.

We are talking about pakistan and cost comparison in the the neighborhood.

A simple break down of material vs labor cost of construction in Pakistan on industrial scale would answer the question

 

[AMSS]

People's Football Stadium - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

>>>In 1999, when Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto came into power, new floodlights imported from France worth PKR 30.7 million were installed, to enable evening matches to take place.<<

Cost of flood lights 25 years ago was ~$0.6M.

But the whole stadium today will cost only $5-10M.

Notice the keyword above - ''imported''. There might even be kickbacks involved back in the day.

Floodlights are not something imported today, and if they are at all imported, they'd be imported at dirt cheap prices from China. LED lights, TVs etc have gotten cheaper, not more expensive from 20 years ago.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Bro, alot of people about gwader around, but in reality its not possible to have a stadium in gwader.

Gwader doesnt have safe drinking water, survivability isn't possible there. I heard that even at the five star hotel yhere, they only get bathing water 30mins after letting the lobby know.

I have been to Gwadar. Its a long way from being developed you are right.

At the moment empty plots of land are being sold and snapped up mainly by overseas Pakistanis.

But there is potential and scope for improvement and it can be made into a decent resort.

 

[Asad T]

If the PCB wants to develop a cricket ground in the Northen Areas, this is THE ground to develop. About 8,500 ft above sea level this is the Natural Cricket Ground in Pisan, Gilgit-Baltistan. Overlooking Mt. Rakaposhi as well.
I visited it over the summer. It was ridiculously stunning

 

[YousafTheBeast]

PCB is a board run by old clowns year after year.

Pakistani’s pay money to watch a game of cricket in Karachi and Lahore but are forced to watch it 10-15m away from the boundary. Their view is obstructed by fences and pillars. The people sitting in the back rows of the stands can’t see the ball in the air because of the low rooftops. The stadium in Islamabad has fans sitting on wedding chairs lmao.

And, then all you hear is PCB is looking to build a stadium in Quetta, PCB are doing this in Peshawar, PCB is renovating a stadium on Abbottabad. I bet you I could find 38 stadiums in one city in India that has better structure than any Pakistan stadium.

 

[hassan918]

That would be great but PCB should make sure that they take proper care of this new stadium unlike they have done with some other stadiums like Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad and Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot.

 

[rpant_gabba]

Notice the keyword above - ''imported''. There might even be kickbacks involved back in the day.

Floodlights are not something imported today, and if they are at all imported, they'd be imported at dirt cheap prices from China. LED lights, TVs etc have gotten cheaper, not more expensive from 20 years ago.

things like corruption you talked about have gotten better in the past 25 years along with commodity prices such construction materials.

 

[Savak]

If the PCB wants to develop a cricket ground in the Northen Areas, this is THE ground to develop. About 8,500 ft above sea level this is the Natural Cricket Ground in Pisan, Gilgit-Baltistan. Overlooking Mt. Rakaposhi as well.
I visited it over the summer. It was ridiculously stunning

View attachment 136982

I believe there is a Serena Hotel in Gilgit Baltistan. Foreign teams might raise security concerns playing here tho. Also there is no infrastructure for crowds.

 

[daytrader]

Rakaposhi cricket tournament showcases true beauty of Gilgit-Baltistan
Played at world’s highest natural stadium, event aims to promote peace among people of Diamer, Hunza and Nagar

In Gilgit-Baltistan's Pissan Nagar, the world's highest natural stadium played host to the inaugural Rakaposhi cricket tournament on Tuesday which attracted hundreds of spectators and participants from various regions.

The two-day event, organised by the local community and supported by the government, aimed to promote peace and festivity among the people of Diamer, Hunza and Nagar districts, who have been living in harmony for centuries.

The tournament featured six teams, two from each district, competing in a round-robin format. The top two teams will play the final on Wednesday.

The Pissan natural stadium, located at the foot of the majestic Rakaposhi mountain, offered a spectacular view of the surroundings. The stadium stands at an elevation of 8,400 feet above sea level, making it the highest natural cricket ground in the world.

Known as the “mother of mists”, Rakaposhi ranks as the 27th-highest peak globally and the 12th-highest in Pakistan.

Rakaposhi cricket tournament showcases true beauty of G-B | The Express Tribune

Played at world’s highest natural stadium, event aims to promote peace among people of Diamer, Hunza and Nagar

tribune.com.pk

 

[Cricket Warrior]

We need more hillside cricket stadiums to provide relief especially in summers.

Why not develop a Gwadar stadium too? location of this stadiums is awesome.

 

[Asad T]

I believe there is a Serena Hotel in Gilgit Baltistan. Foreign teams might raise security concerns playing here tho. Also there is no infrastructure for crowds.

Yeah I have stayed at the Serena Gilgit, it's a good hotel, but it's about a 2 hour drive from that specific ground.
Gilgit Baltistian is quite safe, I felt safer there compared to Karachi for example.
But yeah, infrastructure stinks. The road to the Pisan ground is a steep dirt track and dangerous because it is narrow. Hardly enough space for 2 cars to be side by side (if one is going up and the other is going down).

 

[Bilal Ahmad15]

Meanawhile, Arbab Niaz Stadium and Peshawar say Hi...

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Zaka Ashraf in his presser today on the construction of the new stadium:

“I am thankful to DHA leadership and administration as they have promised space for stadiums and grounds which can serve as training locations for young cricketers. We are talking to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government too as we wish to have HBL PSL’s inaugural game in Arbab Niaz Stadium. We want to build a ground in Islamabad, Bahawalpur and Gujranwala too and we are in talks with DHA over it. Punjab Government has been interested in helping us as well, so we are in talks with them too. We want to increase the number of grounds, to go along with the domestic contracts we offered to our men’s and women’s cricketers earlier. This will help expand our talent pool as well.”

 

[Cricket Warrior]

There is one in Muzaffarabad too with better facilities. Why not renovate that one and use it for international games in summers?

 

[mazkhan]

Abbotabad , mansehra , swat , muzzafrabad are all areas where stadiums can be developed for summer cricket if the right curators are put in place pitches like south african highveld can be made with pace bounce and High altitude.

 

[BouncerGuy]

This Abbottabad stadium should have been completed and ready to go by now. Political interference is making a mess IMO. We have other options available in the country though like Muzaffarabad or maybe Mirpur AJK stadiums. Need to invest more on these.

 

[MenInG]

Looking at Dharamsala, wonder where we got to with the Muzaffarabad proposal?

 

[Rana saab]

In other cricketing nations stadiums are built by their governments but in Pakistan its unfortunate that our governments lack vision about development of sports infrastructure.Thats why we are far behind in sports.In recent times after revival of international cricket we realized that our stadiums are not of international standards.

 

[Major]

I really love the look of sheikh zayed stadium. Such a simple yet a marvelous design. They built only two stands and have high grass banks where one can enjoy as a picnic while watching cricket.

I wish we had such a stadium in Pakistan. The maintenance cost for such stadiums must be low. Have to take care of only two stands and just mow the grass.

We could easily have something like this in Islamabad, but for some reason our people are focus on making concrete structures