Daily Times

The fifth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) began on Thursday, February 20, 2020. The opening ceremony and the match were held at the National Stadium, Karachi. To much surprise, the PSL gained traction over social media in the form of memes. The social media users were commenting more on the opening ceremony than the PSL itself. It was interesting to note that the host, Ahmed Godil, received much trolling over social media. He was termed as boring and many went on to say the opening ceremony lacked any grandeur and glamour.

While the aspects of an event’s opening, including its host, performances, lighting and wardrobe, can be changed according to the client’s demands, hosting an event as grand as the PSL is another story altogether. I believe people are not against cricket returning to Pakistan or for that matter, returning to Karachi. They are, however, agitated by the chaos that is created by hosting a cricket match or matches in Karachi. Traffic comes to a standstill, and congestion is a norm when the main roads leading to the National Stadium are closed for public. People are disturbed when the traffic is halted to let the VIPs, including players, pass by. Moreover, those residing near and around the National Stadium have to bear the ruckus until late at night. Cricket lovers, however, somehow manage to ignore this mess and arrive at the Stadium in groups to witness the return of cricket.

Yes, bringing cricket to Karachi is a step that needs applause. However, is hosting cricket matches the only way to gauge the growth of our society? The PSL will give job opportunities to many and may as well give a positive outlook of Pakistan across the world. However, during the days when the PSL is being played until March 22, 2020, people will forget or perhaps ignore, many vile menaces plaguing our society. We will not look at joblessness, child marriages, crimes, inflation and an economy that is going on a downward spiral. We will ignore child rape cases and harassments. We will collectively lose our consciousness to think as we applause and criticise batsmen’s shots, bowler’s line and length and fielder’s agility. At the same time, brands and the corporate sector will sell their products and services with discounts as the masses will go on a purchasing frenzy.

Hosting the PSL has less to do with providing people with entertainment and more with earning hefty profits

Hosting the PSL has less to do with providing people with entertainment and more with earning hefty profits. While the Twenty-Twenty (T20) cricket has defamed the very essence of sportsmanship and taken away the crux of playing a 50-over match, it has also become the talk of the town. A T20 match ends in nearly three hours as compared to the seven to eight hours taken by a one-day international (ODI) match to end. In reality, T20 cricket has only reduced the temperament and the outlook of cricketers, especially the batsmen, who prefer to hit towering sixes on every other ball rather than to fine-tune their playing style in a 50-over ODI match. While the structure of how a cricket match is played has not much of an impact on the society, the venue of where it is being played does affect the people.

The central location of National Stadium, in between the heart of Karachi, amidst a high-density locality, is an eyebrow-raiser for the population when the PSL is held. The concerned authorities must shift the venue from the National Stadium to perhaps outside the city–may be in Bahria Town. This will, in turn, create the PSL event more of a picnic event for cricket lovers when they visit Bahria Town with friends and family to enjoy a day out and watch a match.

Until the PSL is going to be held at the National Stadium, Karachi, it will compel people to vent out their frustration in the form of memes and social media statuses rather than focusing on the cricket matches. As far as the performances of the hosts and the singers are concerned, they will stay alive in our memories as memes, unlike the performance of our favourite players during the PSL.

The writer is an independent researcher, author and columnist