The 2019 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has come to a successful end with Quetta Gladiators clinching their maiden crown in front of a packed house at the National Stadium in Karachi on Sunday.
The triumph on Sunday though, was not just for Quetta but also for Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Islamabad and Multan. It was a collective triumph for Pakistan cricket as a whole with the passionate fans in the country being treated to the kind of spectacle they have been largely deprived of over the course of the last decade.
It has been exactly 10 years since the horrific terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus took place at Lahore with the incident subsequently bringing international cricket to a standstill in Pakistan.
However, the past week of the PSL in Karachi has gone on to serve as a timely reminder of the resilient spirit of Pakistan cricket and its loyal fans. The National Stadium in Karachi witnessed as many as eight PSL games this time around and the reception from the cricket fans in the country has been overwhelming to say the least.
More than 250,000 spectators in Karachi have attended the eight games with the final affair on Sunday seeing fans packed to the rafters on Sunday. The reception has not just been huge from Pakistan fans but also the overseas stars of the PSL who have made their way to Karachi in abundant numbers.
Thank you Karachi for the love and support.
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 18, 2019
Cricket fans in Karachi welcomed #HBLPSL with open arms and celebrated cricket in true spirit. This one dedicated to every cricket fan in the city because you proved that it indeed is #KhelDeewanoKa đź’š pic.twitter.com/TeGOUy0Cy5
The wounds of 2009 have meant that the bulk of the PSL has been held in the UAE since the tournament’s inception in 2016 but that picture has been changing gradually. In 2017, the final of the tournament was staged in Lahore amid heavy security in a major breakthrough for the Pakistan Cricket Board.
The 2018 edition was even bigger in that respect with as many as three matches including the final being held on Pakistan soil. Still, there was a long way to go then as far as the revival of international cricket in the country goes with several foreign players opting out of travelling for the Pakistan leg.
This year, however, the turnaround has been drastic. All six franchises have played at least one match on Pakistan soil and nearly all of them have done so with a near full-strength overseas contingent.
International stars such as Shane Watson, Colin Ingram and Kieron Pollard have expressed their awe of the reception they have received in Pakistan. There has been a collective outpouring of support and admiration by the foreign players in the PSL for the job done by Pakistan authorities in successfully hosting the Karachi leg.
Darren Sammy "I'm looking forward to more teams visiting and more cricket being played in Pakistan" #PSLFinal pic.twitter.com/PUho9O7zUf
— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) March 18, 2019
It is safe to say that slowly, but positively, the perception of the international community is changing with regards to Pakistan and that is the greatest triumph of PSL 2019.
PCB chairman Ehsan Mani has expressed his hopes of hosting the 2020 edition completely in Pakistan and with the progress made by the board in the last three years, it does not seem like a far-fetched ambition.
It is safe to say that the 2019 edition of the PSL has been the biggest one yet and the huge shift in perception has not been the only positive aspect of the tournament. That PSL has produced several future stars of the Pakistan team with the likes of Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi being some of the notable examples.
The recently concluded edition has been no different with several youngsters like Mohammad Hasnain and Umer Khan catching the eye. While young Hasnain has already been handed a maiden Pakistan call-up for the upcoming series against Australia, Umer is on course to make his debut sooner rather than later.
The sparse attendances in the UAE-leg of the tournament remains the only blemish on what has been a resoundingly successful PSL but things should only get better with Pakistan seeing more matches on home soil.
PSL 2019 has been an excellent one all-round for Pakistan cricket and the 2020 promises to be even bigger. It is now up to the Pakistan cricket authorities to seize the momentum that has been generated and keep the bandwagon rolling.
