ICC Umpire and former Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Dharmasena, who is to officiate the match between Australia and England at Qaddafi Stadium today, became emotional when he reached the stadium on Saturday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
In his message posted on social media, the umpire said as soon as he entered the stadium, the memories of Sri Lanka winning the 1996 World Cup (WC) became fresh again as it was at this venue that Sri Lanka had played the final against Australia which it eventually won.
March 17, 1996 was the date when Sri Lanka lifted the trophy for the first time.
The ICC elite panel umpire 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), 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, which was won by the Kiwis.