Bugti Stadium to have Stands Named after 10 Men & Women Cricketers
Just a few weeks ago, Chairman PCB Najam Sethi told all media journalists that PSL 2023 will have some matches played in Quetta at the Bugti Stadium which made big headlines all around the world as Quetta has not seen any International cricket for many decades. However, in the PSL 2023 Schedule, there was no official PSL match scheduled and the reason was being the stadium is not quite ready to host International level events as it is not a venue where cricket is being played on a consistent basis even for the domestic season.
Exhibition Game At Bugti Stadium
While there is no official match being scheduled for Pakistan Super League this year but there is one exhibition match to be played on February 5 between Quetta Gladiators & Peshawar Zalmi franchises without the overseas players. This match will be a great starting point for PCB to see how much investment is required to completely revamp the stadium just like Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium Peshawar which is reaching the completion of mega-developments done at the venue.
1st Venue To Honor Women Cricketers in Pakistan
All the enclosures at Bugti Stadium, Quetta will be renamed to a list of 10 cricketers finalized by the PCB management committee which also includes 2 women cricketers which makes it a historic occasion as no other cricket stadium in Pakistan has enclosures named after Women cricketers in the country. The list includes below mentioned 10 cricketers finalized by the PCB.
- Kiran Baluch (Former women’s Test batter)
- Sana Mir (Former Captain)
- Misbah-ul-Haq
- Shahid Afridi
- Younis Khan
- Mohammad Yousuf
- Saeed Ajmal
- Saqlain Mushtaq
- Shoaib Khan
- Shoaib Malik
It is very much expected to have these enclosures all ready before the exhibition match on the 5th of February which according to PCB is a move made to honor former cricketers. The complete statement by Chairman PCB on this matter is as follows.
The contributions of these 10 cricketers are meritorious and it is important that we recognize their achievements and accomplishments by naming Bugti Stadium stands in their names,” Sethi said. “This will be PCB’s small token of appreciation to these players, which will also help in creating awareness about Pakistan stars and game development in the Balochistan province. These 10 cricketers are household names and, admired and followed by all generations of cricket lovers.
The inclusion of Kiran Baluch and Sana Mir reflects the PCB’s vision and endeavours for women’s empowerment and attracting young girls to take up this great game and represent their country at the international stage. I am sure we will get to see more girls taking up this sport in Balochistan and the PCB will leave no stone unturned to develop the women’s game in this region.
To make this venue a permanent fixture for PSL as well as for the domestic season, PCB will have to make amendments to their playing season because Quetta receives nonideal cricket weather from October to March with temperatures dropped to 4-6 degrees Celsius in the Winter. Infrastructure along with top-level security are other major key factors PCB will need to look at in the coming year if they want to play PSL matches in Quetta on a consistent basis.
