ISLAMABAD, Feb 10: The disorder that marred the first one-day International between Pakistan and India at Peshawar will not be repeated at Rawalpindi, a top cricket official said on Friday.
“In Peshawar thousands of ticket-less people were allowed in that caused great inconvenience to those with valid tickets,” the ad hoc chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Shaharyar M. Khan admitted at a news conference.
Speaking at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium where the second International is to be played Saturday, the official said that the game was a sell out.
“All tickets have been sold out and my advice to those who don’t have one is to stay at home.”
“People without tickets will not even be permitted to cross the outer security circle and therefore they should not bother to come to the stadium.”
He added that the Rawalpindi-Islamabad region had the highest number of PCB invitees. “Since the box at the match venue is small, we have set up a special enclosure for them.”
He agreed that the Rawalpindi had limited capacity just as Peshawar’s Arbab Niaz Stadium. But he explained the PCB would not invest in these stadia unless it had control over them.
“I understand the Rawalpindi Stadium has certain problems. The dressing rooms are too small and it doesn’t provide the facilities that a modern Test or ODI venue should.”
“We will have such a venue that will be the best in the entire region. I assure you that we are going ahead with it.”
The PCB chief boss has had a meeting with the chairman of CDA on Friday.
“We are all in agreement now that we should move forward in having a really beautiful and modern stadium.”