Lahore Qalandars demand large-capacity stadium in Lahore

Lahore Qalandars have demanded a new stadium in Lahore with a capacity of 80,000 people.

The first person to raise this demand was the Chief Executive of Lahore Qalandars Atif Rana. He expressed his opinion that the current capacity of Gaddafi Stadium does not do justice to the fans.

"Gaddafi Stadium was not big enough for HBL PSL 7. In the final match, almost the same number of spectators that were present inside the stadium were also present outside. Looking at the passion and interest of the fans having a new bigger stadium is essential," he said.

Qalandars coach Aqib Javed also expressed his wish to have a bigger stadium so that more wishful spectators can be accommodated.

"Lahore Qalandars is working on this matter, and further progress will be seen in the days to come. Lahore is a highly populated city of 20 million people, having a stadium with a capacity of 27,000 people does not do justice," added the former pacer.

"The fan base of Lahore is not limited to only Lahore it is spread out throughout Pakistan," said Aqib.

Aqib also commented on the pitch conditions during the first Test match between Pakistan and Australia.

"The times have changed now and people have no interest to watch a match for five days without a result," he said. "The purpose of the home series is to take advantage of home conditions, captain Babar Azam should come in the ground with an aggressive mindset against the Aussies."

He further added: "They should emphasize making such pitches that favor Pakistan, We already have the best performing spinners in these conditions, compared to Australia which only has one main spinner, Nathan Lyon, as the rest are inexperienced or part-timers."

With Rawalpindi Test match concluded, it remains to be seen how PCB deals with the criticism and how the Karachi and Lahore pitches will be curated.