Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal raised serious questions about the PCB’s renovation of Gaddafi Stadium after the PSL match between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi was abandoned without a ball bowled on March 31.
“Yaar mujhe lag raha hai itna paisa Champions Trophy se pehle laga, kis base pe laga — ye saari cheezein dekhni thi na,” (“I feel so much money was spent before the Champions Trophy — on what basis, all these things needed to be looked at”) Kamran said on the YouTube channel ‘Game Plan’.
“Drainage system sabse best karna tha — aap kaise paani wahan pe khada ho sakta tha.” (“The drainage system should have been the top priority — how can water just stand there like that.”)
On covers, he said a simple fix was never made. “Cover mangwa ek minute mein aaya — thode cover zyada badha lo yaar, aapko pata hai ke har match hamare liye kitna important hai.” (“Covers can be brought in a minute — just get more of them, you know how important every match is for us.”) “Jab aap itna paisa laga rahe hain toh yeh sabse important cheez thi design karne ki, banane ki — drainage system sahi rakhna tha.” (“When you are spending this much money, the most important thing in the design and construction should have been getting the drainage right.”)
Kamran Akmal also compared it to what happens at international venues. “Melbourne mein, Sri Lanka mein jitne bhi stadium hain — wahan paani khada nahi hota, paani agar khada hota hai toh within five minutes drain ho jaata hai.” (“In Melbourne, in Sri Lanka — water doesn’t stand in those stadiums, and if it does it drains within five minutes.”) “Aur above all ye toh hamare yahan itni barish hi nahi hoti — usme hum nahi kar pa rahe.” (“And above all, it doesn’t even rain that much here — and we still can’t manage it.”)
Fellow former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali added: “Ground mein slope honi chahiye — slope hoga toh drain hoga.” (“The ground needs a slope — if there’s a slope, it will drain.”) Basit also pointed out on Game Plan that concerns about the stadium’s drainage had been raised before the tournament started.
The match was called off 30 minutes before the cut-off for a five-over game. Rain had stopped but the outfield stayed waterlogged. Both teams took one point each.
This was not the first time. During the Champions Trophy in March 2025, the Afghanistan vs Australia match at the same venue was washed out despite rain stopping — umpires ruled the outfield unfit because the drainage couldn’t clear the surface. Two matches in Rawalpindi were also lost in the same tournament for similar reasons.
The PCB completed the Gaddafi Stadium renovation in 117 days. Prime Minister inaugurated it on February 7, 2025. The original for upgrading three stadiums in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi was Rs. 12.8 billion. It ended up crossing Rs. 18 billion. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi confirmed the overrun and said the board had negotiated additional compensation from the ICC to cover the extra costs.
New floodlights, LED towers, hospitality boxes, bigger seating — the stadium seemingly got all of it. Just not working drainage.
