Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated Lahore’s newly renovated Gaddafi Stadium for the upcoming Champions Trophy on Friday amid much fanfare and festivities.

PM Shehbaz inaugurated the stadium with Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and other officials beside him.

Naqvi had said last month that the stadium in Lahore would be reopened on February 7 (today) by the premier while National Stadium Karachi would be reopened by President Asif Ali Zardari on February 11.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, PM Shehbaz said that it was a happy day for everyone that the stadium’s reconstruction was completed in “such grand fashion”.

Speaking on the Champions Trophy, the premier said that he had faith in the Pakistan team to win the tournament. “We all are praying for you. We are all waiting for the moment when you will defeat India,” he added.

“[Babar] Azam and Rizwan, we have lots of expectations from you,” the premier said.

“[Shaheen] Afridi, you should follow in the footsteps of your father-in-law and pile up wickets,” he added.

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, while speaking at the inauguration ceremony, said that the Champions Trophy and the tri-series were neither the for PCB nor the government, rather it was for all of Pakistan.

“We are all one team and this is ours,” he said.

The Green Team also unveiled the kit for the Champions Trophy amid celebration.

A grand celebration with fireworks and music took place after the inauguration ceremony in front of a crowded Gaddafi stadium.

The reconstruction of three stadiums — in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi — which started on Oct 10 last year, looked in peril at one time as the board tried to finish the preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan’s first ICC event since the World Cup in 1996.

The Gaddafi Stadium, also the headquarters of the PCB, is set to host the Champions Trophy as the ICC had cleared all three venues (National Stadium, Karachi, Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi and Gaddafi Stadium) for hosting the matches but the PCB allocated a huge amount of Rs12.80 billion to revamp the three stadiums.

While the Gaddafi Stadium reconstruction has been completed, the Rawalpindi Stadium reconstruction will be completed after the Champions Trophy concludes.

The Gaddafi Stadium will host five matches, including the semi-final of the Champions Trophy — five if India fails to qualify for the final. Separately, the opening fixture of the tri-nation series on Saturday will be played between Pakistan and New Zealand at the Gaddafi Stadium before South Africa take on the BlackCaps on February 10 in a day encounter.

Naqvi praises labourers

A ceremony was scheduled for the reopening of the stadium, Naqvi said earlier in the day while speaking to workers at a press conference at the site.

Naqvi said, “Lots of people have been messaging and congratulating that ‘you made this stadium’ but I understand that you [labourers] are responsible for the completion of the stadium, you are deserving of the praise.”

“Every labourer [deserves praise], I met a worker who said he hadn’t gone home in 2 months, the way they were living here and working for 12 to 14 hours, you should have seen the conditions they were in,” he added.