‘NSK will be ready for PSL final’

KARACHI: Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair on Sunday was confident that the National Stadium would be ready for hosting the PSL-3 final slated to be held on March 25.

“The NLC has great professional reputation, clear cut objectives and deadlines,” Zubair said at a press briefing during his visit to National Stadium. “I don’t know of anything which could create problems in the way of holding the final here,” he added.

“They have briefed us and I have no doubt about their plans. I will review their progress regularly. I don’t want to interfere in their work but we do want to tell the whole world how serious we are about it,” Zubair said.

He said the NSK development work would be completed in two phases.

“The first phase is very short as we have to hold the PSL final on March 25. And the second phase will be completed by November next year. And at that time we along with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi, federal and provincial governments will try to hold maximum international matches in Karachi,” Zubair added.

He said that the PSL final in Karachi would not only be a cricket match but it would also revive the beauty of the city and cricket in the city.

He said that he would personally try to convince foreign players to come and play the PSL final in Karachi.

“I will try to convince them as Karachi has changed a lot during the last four years. The PSL final will be a fruit of our four and a half years of efforts,” the governor said.

“We are also going along with squash legend Jehangir Khan to hold a big international squash event in Karachi. It will be after 20 long years that any such activity will be held here,” Zubair revealed. He said that the things had already been finalised in this respect. He said that Karachi was the cultural, sporting and economic hub of Pakistan. “After holding any big sporting event here we will go to any economic forum and tell the world that if we can organise a big sport event why we cannot organise a small economic activity,” he said.

He promised that whatever support would be needed from the federal government would be extended to successfully conduct the PSL final. Former Test cricketer and advisor to the PCB chairman Salahuddin Sallu, Iqbal Qasim and NSK Manager Rashid Khan were also present at the briefing.