Just as any big tournaments go, the opening ceremony of the fifth edition of Pakistan Super League encountered major challenges after the management of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made three organisational blunders in the build-up to the ceremony, Geo News reported.
According to a report aired on Wednesday, the PCB installed two giant screens at Karachi's National Stadium for the opening ceremony that have reportedly blocked the view of at least two enclosures in the stadium.
The tickets for these two enclosures, priced at Rs2,500 initially, have been reduced to Rs1,500, but it is still unclear whether the ticket-holders possessing the tickets to these enclosures will be allowed inside the stadium for the opening ceremony before the match starts.
The news channel also reported that the PCB is yet to finalise a protocol through which those who purchased tickets at the initial price would be refunded for their payment. The two affected enclosures have been identified as Naseemul Ghani enclosure and Iqbal Qasim enclosure.
According to Geo News, the two enclosures hold the capacity to seat at least 5,000 people. The last-minute changes to the prices of the tickets have cost the PCB at least Rs5 million. In addition to these mistakes, it has been learn that the scoreboard of the stadium is also not working.
The report aired by Geo News said that the PCB had sent parts of the giant screen and the scoreboard installed at the stadium to a South African firm for repairs and maintenance. However, the repairs could not be completed on time, for reasons that were not immediately clear.
In order to compensate for the setback, the PCB has installed a new screen on top of the old scoreboard to cater to fans. However, the new screen is one that is usually used to screen content at weddings, and is not of sports quality, sources have told Geo News.