PESHAWAR
DG Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khalid Khan Saturday said that two international standard ICC-PCB certified newly revamped Hayatabad Cricket Stadium and Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium would be ready for international cricket by June this year wherein 90 percent of the work has been completed.
Talking to media men during his visit to the Hayatabad Sports Complex as per the directives of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, Khalid Khan said the installation of 6,000 seats, imported from Spain, is being continued in the Cricket Stadium, costing Rs. 994 million.
In the light of the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan and the directives of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, projects worth billions of rupees are underway for the improvement of sports infrastructure in the province. More than 151 projects have been completed under the Prime Minister 1000 Playground Sports Facilities while other projects are nearing completion, he further added.
“All the durable fixed seating having full comfort level would be installed within the next two months besides 2,500 other durable fixed seating, also imported from Spain, has reached and to be installed in VIP, and VVIP enclosures of the main pavilion,” he said. He said: “90 per cent work on the pavilion was completed and that was why the process of installing comfortable seats has been started.”
The Hayatabad Cricket Stadium, approved by the PCB-ICC is going to be completed at a total cost of Rs 994 million within the specified period given by the NESPAK-NLC by the end of April 2022, he informed. The DG informed reporters that a glass wall and ceiling work of the first and second floors of the five story pavilion has been started. “Preparation on nine international standard pitches have been completed under supervision of PCB curator while work is currently underway on seven other practice pitches which are being prepared on fast track and the PCB Curator is looking after all pitches.”
Khalid Khan further said the completion work on the stadium is in full swing. According to the Project Director, the stadium should be handed over to PCB delegates in March-April this year for playing purposes. He added that PSL, Women National Team’s international matches and modern style school cricket matches would be held at the ground in future.
Thanking the PCB and ICC delegations for extending their guideline time to time to the K-P government he said, a modern touch like Australian, England, and New Zealand spectators’ fences with grassy surfaces have also been developed in order to ensure a full entertaining look to the general public during international matches.
It is pertinent to note that the work on the electronic scoreboard has been completed and the modern electronic scoreboard has arrived from Spain before being installed on modern lines. He said that construction of the International standard cricket stadium at Hayatabad should be completed in March-April. The project of Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium in Peshawar will also be completed by the end of June with a total cost of Rs. 1.97 million, which will facilitate the organisation of international matches as well as PSL matches in Peshawar and will give a boost to cricket throughout the province.
“We will try our best to provide the best facilities in the stadiums and they will not be less than the international standard in any way for which a lot of work is being done,” he said. He also visited the ongoing projects across the province and is taking all possible steps to complete these projects as soon as possible.
He said, it is a day of great joy, two international standard stadiums are being built under the leadership of Chief Minister KP Mahmood Khan and with the vision of the Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said the youths of Peshawar and the rest of the province are being facilitated with international standard playground facilities.
International players will soon be welcomed back in Peshawar and people of Peshawar will once again be able to host international standard cricket, he said. He said Peshawar will be a key contributor in international cricket by having two international cricket stadia – Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium and state of the art Hayatabad Cricket Stadium.
Khalid Khan said that Chief Minister Mahmood Khan is taking personal interest in the promotion of sports in the province. He said after the completion of the stadium, it will have a seating capacity of more than 28,000 spectators with three-star player-hostel facilities, swimming pool, National Cricket Academy Lahore like NCA-Peshawar, world-class pitches, pavilions with state-of-the-art other facilities similar to that is in Abu Dubai Cricket Stadium.
He also announced that the U21 Women’s Games will be organized from January 25 for which plans are being made. He said that the dates would be finalised in the meeting soon but tentatively it has been decided to hold the Games in January this year. He said that these games would provide opportunities to the girls to show their best talents and also ensure the provision of best facilities to the players and officials in these games.
