Pakistan set to begin preparations for tri-nation series, Champions Trophy today

KARACHI: Labourers work on upgrading the floodlights at the National Bank Stadium on Monday.—PPI

LAHORE: Building on a strong winning streak in their recent One-day International (ODI) series, Pakistan are set to begin their preparations for the upcoming tri-nation series and Champions Trophy. A training camp will be held at the Ghani Glass Ground here on Tuesday, marking the first time the national team will practice at the venue.

The tri-nation series featuring South Africa, New Zealand along with the hosts will kick off in Lahore on February 8. Following that, the team will also focus on preparations for the Champions Trophy, which is set to begin in Karachi with the opening match between Pakistan and New Zealand on February 19.

In an interesting development, the camp will feature the addition of Hina Munawar as the team operations manager. Hina, on deputation from the Punjab Police, will become the first woman to join the men’s national team’s management. This is the first time a female official will serve in a men’s cricket team management role, a departure from the previous practice of female staff working exclusively with the national women’s team.

The upcoming tri-series will also be the first international event to be held at the newly renovated Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, and at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi, where final touches are being made ahead of the event.

Despite recent struggles in Test and Twenty20 International formats, Pakistan’s performance in the past three ODI series has raised hopes. The team has been impressive, defeating world champions Australia 2-1, Zimbabwe 2-1, and most recently South Africa 3-0. As hosts of both the tri-series and the Champions Trophy, Pakistan will benefit from home advantage, with support from local crowds and familiar conditions.

LAHORE: Fans queue up to purchase tickets for the upcoming Champions Trophy on Monday.—PPI

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a 15-player squad for both events, though in a surprising move, only one specialist spinner, Abrar Ahmad, has been included, leaving out Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, despite their stellar performances in recent Test series against England and the West Indies.

Meanwhile, the PCB has confirmed the arrival and training schedules of the South Africa and New Zealand teams. The New Zealand squad will arrive in Lahore in the early hours of Wednesday. Both Pakistan and New Zealand will hold joint training sessions at Gaddafi Stadium on February 6, ahead of the stadium’s formal inauguration.

The South African team will arrive in Lahore on Friday morning and will hold a training session at the LCCA Ground, adjacent to Gaddafi Stadium, on February 8.

After the tri-series opener. Pakistan will depart for Karachi on February 9, while New Zealand stay behind to face South Africa on February 10. Pakistan’s first practice session in Karachi will take place at the National Stadium on February 10, with the final leg of the tri-series set for February 14.

In addition, the PCB has announced that ticket sales for the three-nation series will begin on Tuesday, both online and through selected courier company centers.

INDIA-PAKISTAN CHAMPIONS TROPHY CLASH SOLD OUT

Tickets for the highly anticipated India-Pakistan ICC Champions Trophy clash were sold out in just over an hour after sales opened at 4:00pm local time on Monday.

As per reports, just four minutes into the sale, the online queue saw a waiting time of over an hour, with more than 140,000 fans eager to secure seats for the marquee encounter, with most only to discover that tickets across most categories were unavailable for the high-octane clash, scheduled for Feb 23.

Tickets for India’s matches against Bangladesh (Feb 20) and New Zealand (March 2) also went on sale on Monday, but remained available even two hours after sales began, the first semi-final—scheduled for March 4 in Dubai—was also sold out.

Tickets for the 10 Champions Trophy matches taking place in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi went on sale last week and are available to buy online.

Meanwhile, physical tickets for matches in Pakistan are available to buy across 108 locations in 26 cities. Long ques of enthusiasts were seen waiting to get their hands on the tickets on some of these spots on Monday.

The Champions Trophy final tickets — to be played on March 9 — will be available for purchase following the conclusion of the first semi-final in Dubai. The two-week competition will see the world’s top eight teams vie for the title, which Pakistan will be defending.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2025

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