After rising in Dubai, PSL sets in Karachi

KARACHI: Season 3 of the HBL Pakistan Super League began with a bang in Dubai last month. It concluded on a pleasant Sunday evening here at the National Stadium with more than 30,000 cheering fans enjoying every minute of the grand finale. Before the final, featuring defending champions Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United, rolled into action, the crowd which had been waiting patiently for hours was treated with a closing ceremony that featured some of the country’s top pop stars. From Aima Baig to Strings and finally Ali Zafar, the hour-long ceremony kept the spectators entertained ahead of the big match. The high point of the concert came when Zalmi skipper Darren Sammy joined Strings on stage along with his team-mates Hasan Ali and Kamran Akmal. Sammy is known in the cricket world for his six-hitting prowess but his dancing skills aren’t a secret either. He brought the packed crowd to its feet and later thanked the fans for their excellent support. “I love the people of Pakistan. Thank you PSL, without whom we won’t be in Karachi today. I see a lot of yellow in the stands, so expecting lots of Peshawar fans tonight,” he said. Earlier, Najam Sethi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, reiterated his promise of staging half of PSL’s next season in Pakistan. “Proving to the world that Karachi was a safe city was our biggest challenge. Every organ of the state has worked day and night to bring the game back. The players were more ready to come to Pakistan. There was a scare earlier, but we’re over it. Next year, we’re hoping half of PSL will be played in three-four-five stadiums in Pakistan,” he said.