LAHORE: The historic Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) ground may soon face a reduction in size, as Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has selected a major portion of the ground’s west side for the construction of a water tank. This development, aimed at preventing flooding at the Nishtar Sports Complex during the rainy season, has raised concerns among cricket enthusiasts and officials.

“Wasa officials have inspected the LCCA ground and decided to use the entire west side for the water tank construction, disregarding the fact that the remaining area will no longer be suitable for hosting matches,” an official from the Lahore Regional Cricket Association told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

“There are several other locations where the tank could be constructed, but destroying the entire ground is unwise,” the official added. “The LCCA ground has hosted matches for international cricket teams and is currently used for PCB’s domestic matches, as well as a practice arena for the Pakistan team and Pakistan Super League matches.”

The recent agreement between the Sports Board of Punjab and Wasa for the construction of the water tank aims to address the issue of rainwater pooling during the monsoon season. However, the decision to use the LCCA ground, where eight to ten cricket clubs, including the Abdul Qadir Cricket Academy, operate, is expected to disrupt hundreds of club cricketers.

This is not the first time the LCCA ground has been targeted. In the past, the Punjab government considered building a hotel on the site to accommodate international teams during their tours to Lahore. However, strong opposition from local clubs led to the shelving of that plan.

Currently, the LCCA ground is under the control of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), with federal interior minister Mohsin Naqvi serving as its chairman. Three years ago, the Lahore Commissioner controversially handed over control of the ground to the PCB, taking it from the LCCA without prior notice.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2024