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Muhammad Naeem Khan Niazi
LAHORE, Feb 21 (APP):The ICC elite panel umpire from Sri Lanka, Kumar Dharmasena, Friday fell for the beauty and grandeur of the revamped Gaddafi Stadium as he lavished praise on the new-look iconic stadium during his maiden visit to the stadium after infrastructural enhancements.
The Gaddafi Stadium boasts of landmark achievements as the iconic stadium underwent remarkable transformation, adorned with modern amenities and infrastructure enhancements. The former Sri Lankan all-rounder, who is among the umpiring panel to supervise the England-Australia match of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 on February 22 (Saturday) and visited the stadium for the very first time since its reconstruction this month.
In a video message posted on the social media platform (facebook) on Friday, he was all smiles and could be seen recording the happy moments at the iconic stadium where Sri Lanka won the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 1996. Dharmasena, 24 then, was part of the Sri Lankan squad.
“I am so happy and privileged to be back here as an umpire. It is a historic ground especially for the Sri Lanka as we won its only ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 1996 at the same venue some 29 years ago,” he reminisced.
The former all-rounder praised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for rebuilding the fantastic stadium in a record time.
The Gaddafi Stadium was rebuilt in the record period of 117 days on the initiative of the Chairman PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi who wanted to provide immaculate facilities as per the international standard to the players and the public. The first match at the revamped Gaddafi was played between Pakistan and New Zealand during the tri-nation series on February 8, 2025.