ISLAMABAD, Feb 11: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reached a deal with owners of the Sports City Dubai to build a stadium in the federal capital, and allied facilities, with an investment of one billion dollars, the board’s chief stated.

The PCB hopes to complete construction of the Islamabad Cricket Stadium before the 2011 World Cup, to be organised jointly by Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

This was stated by Dr. Nasim Ashraf, the PCB Chairman, while administering the oath on Saturday to the newly-elected office-bearers of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Sports Journalists Association (RISJA).

The PCB chief said the deal with an investment group of Dubai’s royal family was signed during his recent visit to Dubai, under which 1 billion dollars would be spent on the building the stadium, including the cost of land, and allied facilities such as a five-star hotel and a shopping mall.

He said the deal was signed with the same group which had built the Dubai Sports City, adding that the group wanted to invest more in Pakistan. “We will get start the construction of the stadium soon.”—APP