PCB cancels National Women’s Championship after hotel fire scare

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made the difficult decision to cut short the National Women's Championship in Karachi on Monday. This followed a fire incident at the team hotel, causing concern for player safety.

The PCB had reserved an entire floor of the hotel to accommodate the five participating teams and team officials.

At the time the fire started, most of the players and officials were away from the hotel. They were either at the National Stadium for matches or taking part in practice sessions.

“Five players were in their rooms when the fire broke out. It has caused damage to some property of the players and officials,” a source shared.

“PCB has decided to curtail the National Women's One-Day Tournament 2024-25 in Karachi following a fire incident at the team hotel,” the PCB confirmed in a statement.

Thankfully, all players were safely evacuated from the hotel as the fire unfolded.

“Fortunately, no players were injured, as the PCB promptly evacuated the five players in the hotel at the time of the incident and relocated them safely to the Hanif Mohammad High-Performance Centre.”

The PCB explored alternative accommodation options for the teams. However, finding a suitable replacement hotel proved challenging due to the ongoing Ideas Defence Exhibition in Karachi.

The PCB emphasized that the decision to shorten the tournament was made with the well-being of the players as the top priority.

“Additionally, the unavailability of alternative accommodations to meet the approximately 100 rooms of the required standards contributed to this outcome,” the PCB stated.

To determine the tournament winner, the PCB decided to hold a final match between the top two teams. The Invincibles and the Stars, leading the standings after each playing four matches, will compete for the championship title.

“To determine the tournament winner, the PCB has decided that the Invincibles and the Stars -- the top two teams after four matches each -- will face off in the final. The date and venue for the final will be announced in due course.”