In the nail biting end to the Islamabad United versus Peshawar Zalmi match, it was the city of Karachi and its people that landed a much needed victory.
We decided to get to the stadium really early because news channels were putting out so many security cautions and entry instructions that attending the PSL final seemed a Herculean task. We also managed to coordinate our route with Ali Zafar, who was performing at the ceremony, to ensure that we’d have an obstacle-free passage, which apparently did not even exist. And we had several people on speed dial as backups, to help us if we got stuck. We were really worried because security had been projected as a bit of a challenge, to say the least.
As we drove over to National Stadium, through almost empty roads at 4pm, we realized that this wasn’t an average day and we needed to expect the unexpected. Turning towards Karsaz from Shahrah-e-Faisal, one went through three tiers of security to get to the stadium but the smiles on peoples’ faces (even the security officers and rangers) guaranteed that it was all worth it. Kudos to the PCB management and the city administration for providing a smooth channel. The PSL final, between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi, was being played at Karachi’s National Stadium and was bringing International cricket back to the city after nine years. It was an unprecedented feeling!
We got off our cars outside the last checkpoint and got our bags checked as we walked through metal detectors. “Make sure you search Ali Zafar and get a couple of selfies with him,” an excited security officer shouted out as the performer spent an extra couple of minutes with his ‘official’ fans. We finally got in and took the elevator to the boxes where we had tickets for.
I’ve never been to the National Stadium before but the neglected and just recently dusted-off building spoke for the great times it must have witnessed through time. Today was no less great; for even an hour and a half before the closing ceremony, people had started pouring into the stands, filling up the bleachers and building up amazing energy. PSL anthems blared on loudspeakers and the crowd pulsed with life.
The opening ceremony started at 6pm on the dot and while Aima Beg and Farhan Saeed did absolutely nothing to feed the crowd and Shehzad Roy just barely got the PSL fever going with his song, it was Strings with their World Cup anthem – ‘Hai Koi Hum Jaisa’ – that got the people on their feet and roaring! Strings also performed ‘Sajni’ from their new album but it was the historical cricket number that brought back memories and set the mood to swinging. Strings were followed by Ali Zafar, who kept the energy up with his two PSL songs and managed to take the crowd to new heights of happiness. He’s such a natural entertainer that one doesn’t wonder, even for a second, why PCB loves him!
What amplified the feeling of watching cricket at a stadium in Karachi was the fact that the 1992 ICC Cricket World Cup, that historical match that Pakistan played against England and won, was also played on March 25th. It was just a very good day. And it kept getting better.
It would have been unfair to expect perfection but the good thing is that good will lent a bright side to every slightly damp situation. The stage dancers were quite awful and unnecessary but then there were boys in the stands who were providing non stop entertainment with their dance moves. Aima Beg wore an inexplicable lavender outfit with a black corset (which was being compared to a sauna belt) on stage but then Bilal Ashraf looked perfect in a white and green kurta pajama. The stadium’s acoustics were a bit off and it was impossible to decipher what anyone was saying, but when the National Anthem played, it was magic that was felt and not just heard.
The crowd coordinated waves, chants and screams; the people rooted for their teams and sang in merry and cheer. There wasn’t a single stressed face in the crowd and despite the security alerts, no one felt unsafe for even a second. The people of Karachi came out in full force and the stars that usually decorate high profile events and shows also came to sprinkle some stardust on the stadium. Ali Zafar, Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi were hot favourites; apparently many Karachi Kings celebrities were around though the unfortunate seating haphazardness didn’t allow access to them. Aamina Sheikh, Adnan Malik and Mikaal Zulfiqar from the upcoming Cake came to support cricket and promote their film. Cricketers were the true stars of the evening (everyone but Kamran Akmal) but it was nice to see so many celebrities rooting for the cause too. Chants of ‘Sammy, Sammy’ blurred with echoes of ‘Zalmi, Zalmi’ and United fans shouted out every possible jeering slogan that they could.
There were equal numbers of Islamabad and Peshawar supporters in the stands, initially, but as the match progressed, one sensed a shift in loyalties to the winning team. People were just happy that Pakistan was playing, that international cricketers had come to Karachi and that the first brick that paved the path to more matches, had been set. They were, at the heart of it, just supporting Pakistan.
A gentleman and his wife in our box articulated the feeling so well. “Look at these happy faces, these bright and gorgeous colours,” the gentleman said to his wife, pointing at the fifty-odd-thousand spectators in the stadium. “It’s like I’m looking at a bouquet of flowers.” That’s actually how good it felt to be in Karachi Stadium, for the PSL Final, on Sunday. It’s a feeling we’d like to experience more of.
