• Special Security Unit (SSU) personnel patrol on roller skates before the start of the 2021 Pakistan Super League opener between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators at the National Stadium in Karachi on Saturday, February 20, 2021. AFP
    Special Security Unit (SSU) personnel patrol on roller skates before the start of the 2021 Pakistan Super League opener between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators at the National Stadium in Karachi on Saturday, February 20, 2021. AFP
  • Special Security Unit personnel patrol on roller skates outside the National Stadium in Karachi ahead of the start of 2021 PSL. AFP
    Special Security Unit personnel patrol on roller skates outside the National Stadium in Karachi ahead of the start of 2021 PSL. AFP
  • Special Security Unit personnel patrol on roller skates before the start of first Pakistan Super League 2021 match between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators at the National Stadium in Karachi. AFP
    Special Security Unit personnel patrol on roller skates before the start of first Pakistan Super League 2021 match between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators at the National Stadium in Karachi. AFP
  • Special Security Unit personnel patrol on roller skates outside the National Stadium in Karachi. AFP
    Special Security Unit personnel patrol on roller skates outside the National Stadium in Karachi. AFP
  • Fireworks over the National Stadium during the opening ceremony of Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Karachi. AFP
    Fireworks over the National Stadium during the opening ceremony of Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Karachi. AFP
  • Fireworks at the National Stadium during the opening match of the Pakistan Super League between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators. EPA
    Fireworks at the National Stadium during the opening match of the Pakistan Super League between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators. EPA
  • Spectators arrive to watch the opening match of the Pakistan Super League between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators in Karachi. EPA
    Spectators arrive to watch the opening match of the Pakistan Super League between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators in Karachi. EPA
  • A cricket fan, dressed up as Charlie Chaplin, at the National Stadium in Karachi. AFP
    A cricket fan, dressed up as Charlie Chaplin, at the National Stadium in Karachi. AFP
  • Pakistani spectators arrive to watch the opening PSL match between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators. EPA
    Pakistani spectators arrive to watch the opening PSL match between Karachi Kings and Quetta Gladiators. EPA
  • Quetta Gladiators' Chris Gayle bats at the National Stadium in Karachi. AFP
    Quetta Gladiators' Chris Gayle bats at the National Stadium in Karachi. AFP
  • Karachi Kings wicketkeeper Joe Clarke takes a catch of Quetta Gladiators' Tom Banton. AFP
    Karachi Kings wicketkeeper Joe Clarke takes a catch of Quetta Gladiators' Tom Banton. AFP
  • Quetta Gladiators Ben Cutting is bowled by Karachi Kings' Arshad Iqbal. AFP
    Quetta Gladiators Ben Cutting is bowled by Karachi Kings' Arshad Iqbal. AFP
  • Karachi Kings bowler Waqas Maqsood celebrates after taking a wicket of Quetta Gladiators' Qais Ahmed. AFP
    Karachi Kings bowler Waqas Maqsood celebrates after taking a wicket of Quetta Gladiators' Qais Ahmed. AFP
  • Karachi Kings' Joe Clarke made 46 from 23 balls. AFP
    Karachi Kings' Joe Clarke made 46 from 23 balls. AFP

Cricket

PSL 2021: Roller skate police, fireworks and crowds mark opener in Karachi - in pictures

Karachi Kings defeat Quetta Gladiators by seven wickets on Saturday

Ajit Vijaykumar

February 21, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

The 2021 edition of the Pakistan Super League kicked off in spectacular fashion in Karachi on Saturday.

With 20 per cent crowd attendance at the National Stadium, fans in Pakistan got to enjoy some high-quality T20 action as Karachi Kings defeated Quetta Gladiators by seven wickets.

Anticipation was high as the T20 tournament began with fans allowed in limited capacity – around 7,500 which could be raised later in the tournament. What also added to the spectacle was the presence of Pakistan's new security unit that specialises in the use of roller skates while patrolling.

The action continued on the field after the opening ceremony. Karachi Kings had defeated Lahore Qalandars in the PSL final in November after the playoffs were postponed last March due to Covid-19. Three months later, the defending champions started things off with a comfortable win over 2019 winners Quetta.

Quetta's star West Indies batsman Chris Gayle hit 39 from 24 balls but his team could only manage 121 batting first. Karachi pacer Arshad Iqbal was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3-16 from his four overs.

In the chase, English wicketkeeper Joe Clarke smashed 46 from 23 balls as Karachi chased down the runs with seven wickets and 37 balls in hand.

The city of Karachi will host the first 20 league games with Lahore hosting the remaining 14 matches, including the final on March 22.

The biog

Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives. 

The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast. 

As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau

He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker. 

If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah

 

Green ambitions
  • Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
  • Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
  • Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
  • Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water 
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Coffee: black death or elixir of life?

It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?

Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.

The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.

The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.

Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver. 

The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.

But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.

Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.

It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.

So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.

Rory Reynolds

Pakistan CricketCricketPakistan Super League