KARACHI: Amid extraordinary security arrangements, cricket-mad Karachi is all set to witness the final showdown of the third edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) between defending champions Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United.
The air of festivity and excitement is palpable in the city of lights as Karachiittes are going to savour big-time cricket at the National Stadium Karachi (NSK) after nine-years of cricketing drought.
Karachi has not hosted a high-profile cricket event since an armed attack on the Sri Lankan team in early 2009, which virtually halted international cricket in Pakistan.
The previous year, however, saw the return of the cricket of international standing in the country with the PSL 2017 final staged in Lahore, which was followed by three T20 matches against the World XI.
The city has been festooned with billboards, murals and life-sized cardboard cutouts of PSL crickets with colorful lights installed in greenbelts along major city roads.
More than 30,000 cricket fans are expected to throng the stadium to watch the fixture.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) along with the support of Sindh government has decorated the metropolis to welcome and honor the game and its players.