A stadium in shambles

In the Express Tribune, Z Ali looks at how the Niaz Stadium, in the Pakistan city of Hyderabad, is in a state of disrepair two weeks before its golden jubilee celebrations are to be held. Among the notable events that happened at the stadium are the first one-day hat-trick, the 1000th Test and the opening match of the 1987 World Cup.

A privately sponsored enclosure is the only decent thing standing with a structure formerly used as a ground-floor pavilion with VIP seats, crying out for repairs. The two-storey pavilion houses termite-ridden cupboards, once used to store players’ belongings, crumbling washrooms and broken frames of historic photographs.