WC Organizing committee meeting concluded in bhurban recently and its been decided that
22 games in India (including final at Mumbai)
14 games in Pakistan (including semi-final at Lahore)
9 games in Sri Lanka (including semi-final at columbo)
6 games in Bangladesh (including opening ceremony in Dhaka)
Plus each country may end up setting up their own account in bank due to the bad experience of 1996 of having a joint account.
Karachi deserved a semi-final after semi and a final in Lahore in 1987 and 1996. Can some one elaborate why Karachi was not considered? Am i missing something ? Isnt it better to show that we have more facilities than keep on hosting important events at same city/ground?
^^ Qaddafi Stadium is the Head quarters of PCB, maybe thats one reason its given right to host
1996, Karachi hoested all the high profile games of the WC: Pak v SA, PAk V Eng and the WI V SA quater final, That QF, when it was assigned to Karachi, who knows may be it was thought that Pak may make it to that QF and thus Karachi would have had all the Pak's game, whereas Lahore got 2 out of 4 games that were Pak v UAE and UAE v Holland which were very very low profile games.
in 1987, Karachi again got the 2 high Profile games of Pak v ENg, Pak v WI and WI v SL, Lahore got Pak V WI and Pak v AUS semi final
Count so far for WC games in Karachi=6 (with 5 outaa 6 games being high profile games) and WC in Lahore=6(4 ouuta 6 high Profile games)
Plus location of lahore issuch that it makes it comparitively easier for people for India to come (as Wahga is very close) incase if there is a India-AUS semifinal.:D In Lahore and Pak V NZ be the other Semi in Colombo.
^ good points plus not to forget that PCB/World Cup committee have to take into consideration security concerns of foreign teams. Being a Karachite myself, I would love to have WC semi final and I have been strictly against this policy of not giving international matches to Karachi because of security concerns. However for a tournament like WC, I don't think they would like to arrange a semi for Karachi and then changing it at the last minute.
I'd disagree with you. You need to host a high profile game like WC semi final to get it going again and I don't see any issue with the security If they decide to host the semi in Karachi.
Only point of Nikema that i agree to is the location of Lahore and its easy for Indians to cross over from Waugah. As far as high profile games are concerned, trend can be reversed. Lahore can get high profile games or may be Faisalabad and Rawalpindi can get their fair share too and Karachi hosts the semi.
Lahore being the HQ of PCB has nothing (or should have) nothing to do with the host of semi.
I'd disagree with you. You need to host a high profile game like WC semi final to get it going again and I don't see any issue with the security If they decide to host the semi in Karachi.
Only point of Nikema that i agree to is the location of Lahore and its easy for Indians to cross over from Waugah. As far as high profile games are concerned, trend can be reversed. Lahore can get high profile games or may be Faisalabad and Rawalpindi can get their fair share too and Karachi hosts the semi.
Lahore being the HQ of PCB has nothing (or should have) nothing to do with the host of semi.
DC, you, I and thousands of Karachites would love to have the semi final, and I agree that a high profile game will really help the cause in Karachi. However do you think PCB or WC committee will be willing to take the risk?
In order to get it going again PCB will be willing to take a risk of organizing a test match or ODI featuring Australia, Saffies or England in Karachi. What will be the worst case senario? Something will happen in the city and they'll cancel the match, PCB will get some compensation in the form of money or a match afterwards else where in the world.
However god forbids, if something goes wrong right before the semi final in Karachi, which will freak ICC, foreign teams out, do you think PCB will have a back up plan????
Probably the same senario was discussed when WC 2011 organizing committee met and after realizing that damages will outweigh benefits, decided to opt against Karachi.
DC, you, I and thousands of Karachites would love to have the semi final, and I agree that a high profile game will really help the cause in Karachi. However do you think PCB or WC committee will be willing to take the risk?
In order to get it going again PCB will be willing to take a risk of organizing a test match or ODI featuring Australia, Saffies or England in Karachi. What will be the worst case senario? Something will happen in the city and they'll cancel the match, PCB will get some compensation in the form of money or a match afterwards else where in the world.
However god forbids, if something goes wrong right before the semi final in Karachi, which will freak ICC, foreign teams out, do you think PCB will have a back up plan????
Probably the same senario was discussed when WC 2011 organizing committee met and after realizing that damages will outweigh benefits, decided to opt against Karachi.
There can always be a backup (move semi to somewhere else) although I am sure Pakistani security forces are strong enough to provide 2-3 days of security umbrella during semi. They have to provide the umbrella anyway in league games. Karachi is no more dangerous than Colombo. I think there are equal chances of Europe getting bombed by fanatics but have we stopped playing cricket and other games there? SA , ENG and IND all came to KHI and played and everything went well. Its about time that PCB stop considering KHI a security threat.
Problem yee hai k ager ghar waley (PCB) hee insist nahee kareen gaay tu doosroon (ICC/other teams) ko keya paree hai. THere are still 4 years to go. PCB should have selected KHI for semi. Khuda-na-khosta ager halat kharab hotey tu they can always switch the venue. I havent heard that they have even considered KHI for semi.
^^ you have a point, but as** our MOD** said that " damages will outweigh benefits, decided to opt against Karachi...so thats why PCB has gone in favor of LHR...
Personally to me i developed a huge liking for crowd in smaller cities of Pak, in 90's my favorite places in Pak were Sialkot, Gujranwaala, Peshawar..I have always liked the crowd from these places as this crowd knows that its not very often that they will have international cricket staged on these venues so they arrieve with great sprit and are very supportive to both teams. Now lately Multan is one such place too. You are more likely having a capaciety crowd on these small venues than in Lahore, Krachi or Pindi.
Another thing i like about these smaller venues is the size of ground which is less than Lahore and Karachi, usually out field on these grounds is pretty quick(maybe due to lack to grass in different patches(due to lake of care by PCB or whoever is responsible for those grounds) and this quick out field results in a game where batsman enjoy plaing strokes and crowd gets their moeny worth
Where as in Pindi, Lahore and Karachi the crowd knows that there is always gong to be international cricket played on these venue, so they can pick which games they waana go to in that season and the result in that you have many times less than 30% people present in ground and that is including the security officials.
^ Yeah, why are they not having games at Sialkot and Gujranwaala? As far as I remember these 2 grounds had a really lush green outfields. How are the other facilities there?
I'm not aware of other reasons, anyone from Karachi (like myself) knows that National Stadium is in desperate need of renovation. It's better to put your best foot fwd.
I'm not aware of other reasons, anyone from Karachi (like myself) knows that National Stadium is in desperate need of renovation. It's better to put your best foot fwd.
Can you elaborate on what kindaa renovations are needed in NSK??
I remember some time last year i heard the news that NSK was used for private functions like, marriages and was rented out alot...now how can you maintain quality of outfield if thats what goes on on the stadium.
Can you elaborate on what kindaa renovations are needed in NSK??
I remember some time last year i heard the news that NSK was used for private functions like, marriages and was rented out alot...now how can you maintain quality of outfield if thats what goes on on the stadium.
Parks outside the main stadium were rented for functions and not the actual field and even if any renovations needed this is the right time to decide and do the renovations.
Parks outside the main stadium were rented for functions and not the actual field and even if any renovations needed this is the right time to decide and do the renovations.