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With only days left in the expiry of the adjusted deadline for having a match-fit National Stadium ready to hold the Pakistan Super League final on March 25, the venue seems to be struggling to get where it was supposed to be ... or, more precisely, people designated with the task are struggling to take it where it was supposed to be.
The pace at which various workers and their supervisors were seen going about their job a week or so ago gave the impression that there was no deadline in their mind. Was the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) really interested in making it happen at Karachi? Was it focussing on the work at the National Stadium Karachi (NSK) or was it actually working on Plan B — shifting the match to Lahore, that is?
These were genuine questions to which Arshad Khan, the genial administrative head of the stadium, had genuine answers. The project, he said, itself represented Plan B for the matches scheduled to be played out in Lahore, and that left no chance for all concerned to be wishy-washy about it. “The stadium has to be match-fit by the deadline — March 15 — and it will be,” he said, and, to the man’s credit, his body language did support the words. So, hopefully, it would be, and Karachiites can look forward to the day with hope.
As the venue for the scheduled PSL final stands right now, denuded of its roof, the image beamed abroad might end up substantiating the stereotype of Karachi rather than helping change it
Having said that, there are a few ifs and buts about what defines ‘match-fit’ status. The ground and the playing surfaces are in supreme condition. The newly-laid grass is lush and with as many as 11 tracks now part of the playing square — in addition to more than 30 others that are now part of the premises — the actual game of cricket is under no threat at all.
The problem rests with the stands that will be housing the spectators. Certain portions would remain closed on the day as they are not even expected to be ready. The planners have all but given up on those areas. And, there is no roof worth its name over any of the stands. On the day of the match, the NSK would be a completely topless entity.
Apart from the minor hazards of spending time in the open with the ball flying all over the place (hopefully) and landing at random among the spectators, the larger issue relates to the image of a stadium that has no roof but still has all the vertical, horizontal and zig-zagging towers and girders of the iron frame. Right now, it has a haunted feel and touch about it.
The PSL final in Karachi is supposedly not as much about cricket as it is about communicating to the world an image of the city — and of the country — that might be different from the general perception prevailing abroad. Enter the stadium, and it might as well be some place in, say, war-torn Beirut. Though the management insists that the stadium will “actually look better than ever under floodlights because of, and not despite, the bare frame”, it is somewhat difficult to find any logic behind the claim. The problem is that the image beamed abroad might end up substantiating the stereotype of a troubled city rather than helping change it. And if that happens, it will be tragic for the reality is actually pretty different from the perception.
In the second phase of the project, the stadium will get back its top covering, but that part seems to have problems of its own. The PCB plans to have a roof covering of Teflon-coated Rexine which, in its own right, is wonderful stuff till you factor into the equation the presence of all sorts of birds that roam local skies. After all, it is artificial leather and, regardless of its thickness, strength and coating, apparently has no chance against sharp objects used against it on a regular basis.
PCB officials are all praise for the choice, but the moment you mention the bird factor — especially the big ones like eagles with their sharp beaks and claws — they look at you with the innocent surprise that might characterise the visage the Teflon might feature after it would be beaked by the eagle. “That never occurred in the discussions … we will surely look at it,” they say with a charm that would disarm the harshest critic, but will surely fail to charm the birds away.
As someone remarked during the conversation, the PCB approach more often than not is that of someone playing Ludo rather than chess. What is the difference? In chess, a player thinks before making the move. A Ludo player, on the other hand, rolls the dice and then, depending on the numbers, decides to do whatever he decides to do. Is it okay to expect a Ludo player to have the attitude of a chess player? No … provided they are doing it at their own expense. If someone is being handsomely paid to be a chess player and acting like a Ludo expert, it is clear that there is something wrong somewhere. Where? Think about it.
Published in Dawn, EOS, March 11th, 2018
