Mayor offers Karachi’s National Stadium for PSL final

Mayor Waseem Akhtar on Thursday offered the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) the option of hosting the final match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the National Stadium in Karachi. 

The mayor not only extended the invitation in a talk with media personnel, but also took to Twitter with a message to the PCB; “I offer @TheRealPCB to hold #PSL2017 final in Karachi. We will cooperate in every way, if it happens it will be a great success.”

While the PCB had announced Lahore as the host, the location for this year’s PSL final has once again become a bone of contention as security fears were raised in the wake of Monday’s bombing near the Punjab Assembly. The suicide attack seemed to target law enforcers who were negotiating with protesters and left 14 people dead, including senior police officials. 

With much talk around the country over the fate of the tournament’s final, Mayor Akhtar iterated that he would take full responsibility for foolproof security arrangements at the National Stadium.

The mayor’s offer came after PSL Chairman Najam Sethi had said in a television that he had been in contact with several foreign players after the bombing and they had hinted at being ready to play the final in Lahore.