KARACHI: This Sunday was unusual for the residents of Karachi. Cricket returned home after a long hiatus of nine years. All roads leading to the National Stadium where the final of the Pakistan Super League was played between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United were decorated, giving the impression of a festival in the city. Decorative lights and cutouts of images of PSL players were put up on greenbelts along the roads and national flags was painted on roadside walls, alongside banners put up all over the city welcoming PSL players. Colourful lights were used to decorate trees and bushes in greenbelts along the route leading all the way to the stadium on Sharae Faisal, Karsaz Road, Sir Shah Suleman Road, Kashmir Road, Dalmia, and University Road. Road dividers were painted with fresh coats and there was no garbage heaps to be seen along these roads. Besides welcoming the players, the banners put up across the city also highlighted Sindhi culture, history and heritage. Many residents were seen taking photographs of their relatives with the decorations in the background. People taking selfies with PSL players’ cutout images were also a common sight in the city on Sunday. Dozens of shuttles had been arranged to transport spectators from five designated parking points to the stadium. “This is the real Karachi, the city of lights. Kudos to the government and law enforcers but they must make sure that the atmosphere we find in the city today is maintained. If Karachi can be cleaned up for cricket, so why cannot we keep it clean on other days as well?” asked a cricket fan who identified as Jawad. Sporting Karachi Kings’ jerseys, a group of youngsters said that they had turned up to show support for cricket in the city. “We are here to support cricket in Pakistan.” Another cricket fan said that it was the perfect opportunity for the world to witness how Karachi’ites loved cricket. “Pakistan was a peaceful country,” he exclaimed. The provincial government also set up big screens at various venues across the city to facilitate those who could not get a chance to watch the match inside the stadium. Inside the national stadium, it was a full house as cricket enthusiasts turned out in huge numbers to watch cricket live in the national stadium. Before the match started, a closing ceremony was held featuring leading Pakistani musicians and pop stars Shehzad Roy, Ali Zafar, Farhan Saeed, Aima Baig, Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood whose special performances uplifted fans’ spirits and made for an unforgettable cricketing experience. Foolproof security arrangements were put in place for the match. More than 15,000 security personnel performed duties and an extra contingent of law enforcers was deployed along the routes leading to the stadium, while officials from the Rangers and police patrolled various important city roads on motorcycles and cars. Earlier, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah monitored preparations at the National Stadium flying over it in a helicopter. The chief minister inspected the parking and entry/exit routes of the stadium and directed the authorities to ensure that no stone was left unturned in facilitating the spectators. Published in Daily Times, March 26th 2018.