The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a significant move to honor two cricketing giants, Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan, by renaming two enclosures at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi. The Quaid enclosure will now bear Shahid Afridi’s name, while the Majid Khan Enclosure will be renamed in honor of Younis Khan.
In a further tribute to the nation’s cricketing legacy, the PCB has also decided to rename the Zaheer Abbas enclosure to the Nazar Mohammad Enclosure. These enclosures, each with a capacity of 1,050, were previously named after cricket legends Majid Khan and Zaheer Abbas.
The PCB is also making adjustments to the Hanif Mohammad and Fazal Mahmood enclosures as part of the ongoing upgrades to the stadium. Additionally, two new VIP enclosures will be added to the newly reconstructed stadium building to further elevate the spectator experience.
Progress on the stadium’s construction is advancing rapidly. Three floors of the far-end building have already been completed, and partition work is underway on the top floor. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is nearly finished, with final cleaning and touch-ups currently taking place. Meanwhile, preparations for the two VVIP stands at ground level are progressing smoothly.
The National Bank Stadium is on track to be completed by January 31, with project director Bilal Chohan confirming that the building will be ready on schedule.
Looking ahead, the PCB is gearing up for a major event in the cricket calendar. An exciting eight-team tournament will take place from February 19 to March 9, 2025, across three venues in Pakistan—Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi—as well as in Dubai. The tournament will feature 15 matches, with Group A consisting of Pakistan, India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh, while Group B will include Afghanistan, South Africa, England, and Australia.
The tournament will kick off on February 19, with Pakistan facing New Zealand in Karachi, followed by the much-anticipated Pakistan vs. India match on February 23 in Dubai.
