What a waste

The Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad was one of Pakistan's premier venues, staging Tests and ODIs and hosting Pakistan's opening match in the 1987 World Cup

Martin Williamson

25-Feb-2013

The Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad was one of Pakistan's premier venues, staging Tests and ODIs and hosting Pakistan's opening match in the 1987 World Cup. But in Dawn's Sunday magazine, MH Khan reported on the venue now and how it has fallen on hard times though a combination of self interest and stubbornness.

It's a lesson in what can go wrong with the best of grounds in the wrong hands. When built, it was a state-of-the-art sports stadium. But things have gone badly awry ... for example:

The ground has been treated badly over the last decade. In 1994, stagnant rainwater of surrounding areas was released on its outfield and nobody took notice of it for several weeks. It was drained out only when the press raised the issue and the entire outfield had to be dug out.

Pakistan

Martin Williamson is executive editor of ESPNcricinfo and managing editor of ESPN Digital Media in Europe, the Middle East and Africa