‘Cricket City’ all set to enthrall crowds with PSL’s fourth chapter

A view of the National Stadium after being refurbished. The stadium had worn a deserted look for the past nine years due to the law and order situation in the city. (Photo Arab News/M.F. Sabir)

A photograph depicting the frontage of the National Stadium. (Photo Arab News/M.F. Sabir)

• Karachi’s National Stadium will host five matches of the popular event
• Measures in place live stream the games, commissioner says

ISLAMABAD: Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shallwani said on Thursday that Karachi will stand out as the “Cricket City” during the upcoming season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
The title was given to the city during a meeting on Thursday wherein Shallwani was briefed about PSL’s fourth edition which will take place from February 14 to March 17.
The T20 tournament will span across Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi in the UAE leg, before moving to Lahore and Karachi for the final eight matches.
A statement released by the Deputy Commissioner of the Karachi division said that Karachi’s National Stadium will host a total of five matches, with the first to take place on March 7 when the Karachi Kings will take on the Peshawar Zalmi. 
The other four matches will see the Karachi Kings against the Quetta Gladiators on March 10, Qualifier 1 against Qualifier 2 on March 13, Eliminator 2 on March 15 and the final on March 17.
The Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore will host the Lahore Qalandars when they go head to head with the Islamabad United on March 9. It will then be the Lahore Qalandars against the sixth team on March 10 and Eliminator 1 (3 versus 4) on March 12. 
In order to ensure that the PSL season remains a success, the commissioner said that images of cricket legends will be displayed across different parts of the metropolis during the length of the tournament.
“Special measures are being taken to make the PSL matches successful and memorable,” Shallwani said. “The surroundings of National Stadium and different areas as well as roads and intersections of the metropolis will be decorated.”
With the help of former test cricketer Sadiq Muhammad, the commissioner said that measures are being taken to live stream the matches in different parks of the city. “Such live streaming would be arranged at about 10 parks where cricket lovers can watch PSL matches,” Shallwani added.