HYDERABAD: After Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah stopped the construction of unauthorized sports courts at Niaz Stadium, the provincial govt has decided to carry out the extension of historic cricket venue Niaz Stadium in consultation with Pakistan Cricket Board.
Commissioner Hyderabad Muhammad Abbas Baloch said that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah contacted with high ups of Pakistan Cricket Board to seek consultation so that lost glory of the historic stadium could be restored at the earliest.
He said that provincial government fully committed to expanding seating capacity of the stadium with repair and renovation of stands so that the venue could host the international T-20, ODI and Test matches as well as the matches of Pakistan Super League.
He maintained that alternate space would be provided for the establishment of Squash Court and Tennis Court and the premises of the Niaz Stadium would be utilized only for the extension of the historic cricket venue.
It may be noted that Sindh sports board had started construction of the tennis courts for Rs. 20 million and squash court for Rs. 65 million.
According to the inquiry report, the construction was started in the parking area of Niaz Stadium without any permission, therefore construction work has been stopped.
The Commissioner Hyderabad has proposed that funds earmarked for these ongoing schemes may be diverted for rehabilitation of Niaz Stadium in order to make the ground worthy of holding international matches.
Niaz Stadium History
Niaz Stadium was established in November 1961 by then commissioner Hyderabad Niaz Ahmed. The inaugural first-class match was played here between South Zone and Pakistan Education Board on March 16-18, 1962.
It also hosted the first international Test between Pakistan and England on March 16-21, 1973. Niaz Stadium, in all, has hosted five Tests and seven ODIs till January 2008.
The Stadium was also the inaugural centre of the 1987 World Cup. The historic stadium holds the record of first-ever hat-trick of ODI by Jalaluddin.
The ground remained with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for 11 years until the municipal committee revoked the MoU arbitrarily on April 2, 2018 and seized control of it.
It may be noted that CM Murad in 2018 had announced for the renovation of Hyderabad Stadium for the PSL and International matches.
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