Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman, Ramiz Raja, has announced that two drop-in pitches will be installed in Karachi and Lahore in the near future. The drop-in pitches will be installed in collaboration with the Arif Habib Group as the two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding during the PSL 2022 draft on Sunday.
As per the agreement of the two parties, the two drop-in pitches will be installed at Naya Nazimabad Cricket Stadium, the cricket stadium owned by the Arif Habib Group, while the location of the second drop-in pitch will be decided in due time.
The PCB will have access to the Naya Nazimabad Cricket Stadium and once the drop-in pitches will be installed and the cricket stadium undergoes further upgradation, the stadium can be used by the PCB to host domestic and international level matches which include under-19, women’s, and Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches. The stadium is expected to be completely functional by 2023.
The estimated cost of the two drop-in pitches is Rs. 37 crores and according to the agreement between the two parties, the cost will be covered entirely by the Arif Habib Group.
PCB Chairman thanked the Arif Habib Group for their relentless support for cricket in Pakistan and said that the drop-in pitches will help promote the standard of cricket in the country. Ramiz added that Pakistan will have to replicate the playing conditions in Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa if they want to win an away Test series.
The 59-year old added that Pakistan possesses a lot of cricketing talent and PCB will offer their support in nurturing this talent by providing them with the infrastructure to succeed at the top level.
