Sunday, March 25, 2018 turned out to be a red-letter day for Karachiites as they witnessed a high-octane grand finale of the Pakistan Super league (PSL) season three which featured some top class foreign stars from New Zealand, South Africa, England and West Indies.
All efforts of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and it’s Chairman, Mr. Najam Sethi, came true with successful staging the PSL 3 final in a stadium that observed an International status match after a gap of almost nine years.
Fans from across the metropolis had been waiting for the mega event since it was announced to be staged in “the heart city of Pakistan”. The tickets of the final were sold out within few hours, which not only exhibited the exuberance of the cricket fans but also proved that Pakistan is completely a safe venue where all type of sporting events can take place easily sans any security concern.
The grand night started off with a colorful concluding ceremony which show cased some wonderful performances from few of the Pakistan’s renowned artists including the soulful performance of Aima Baig followed by Shehzad Roy, Farhan Saeed, Strings band and the voice of the HBL PSL, Ali Zafar.
The Islamabad United took Peshawar Zalmi on charge in front of a jam-packed National stadium with a tally of almost 33,000 spectators. The match went in favor of Islamabad United with a nail biting finish.
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I think it was not only a victory for Islamabad but also for Pakistan against terrorism from which the country has been fighting since decades. The resumption of the International cricket is putting the Pakistan’s cricket back on to the track. The Finale crowd in Karachi was a huge slap on the faces of those who declared Pakistan as a terrorist Nation where organizing any International sporting event is impossible.
This league is all about Pakistan and building its positive image. So, the PCB must pay attention towards its betterment as some areas still need to be tended.
The first challenge for the PCB will be to bring back the whole lot of the league to Pakistan which will – though take some time but – solely depend on how much efforts the PCB puts in it to make it possible as soon as possible.
At the same time, there’s no doubt that they have worked hard day in and day out for the revival of cricket in Pakistan. Law enforcers also deserve appreciation for their role as it couldn’t have been possible without the impressive security arrangements provided by the military and armed forces for the PSL matches.
Here, the cricket body along civil and military leadership should also mull over how to manage international events without much troubling citizens such as blocking roads for long hours.
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I know the conditions are tough at this point of time and criticizing is much easier than doing, however they should make such a strategy that could address this issue.
There were many people who criticised the board for being failed to pull the crowd in the stadiums of Dubai and Sharjah but the attendance in Lahore and Karachi had shut their mouths.
On the other hand, Cricket has huge fan following in the country, people are crazy to watch more International stars playing in their grounds. However the West Indies tour is going to be a thriller for them.
The PCB has taken a positive step to conduct this tour in Karachi instead of Lahore, which I think, is a chance for the board to strengthen the position of the city in regards to organize some more International events here in upcoming times.
Now it’s time for the Karachiites to enjoy international matches as the T20 Champions [West Indies] have arrived in the city to play three T-20 matches against Pakistan.
The whole cricket fraternity is looking forward to this series which might be another step towards the resumption of International cricket in the country.
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