PSL: PCB gives permission for 50 percent crowd capacity for remaining games in Karachi

The 14 remaining round-robin matches of the Pakistan Super League at Karachi had their attendance increased from 20 percent to 50 percent by the Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday. The decision meant that around 19,000 fans could go to the National Stadium to see the country’s premier Twenty20 cricket league. The government also allowed the board to fill Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to its 27,000-seat capacity for the four playoffs this month. But the PCB said it would first assess spectators at Karachi before raising the crowd capacity to 50 percent in Lahore, which hosts the last 14 games from 10 March. “We will continue to assess how the crowds follow and implement the (coronavirus protocols) before we make a decision on crowd attendances for the Lahore-leg matches,” PCB chief executive Wasim Khan said. Khan urged spectators to wear masks, maintain social distancing, and regularly use hand sanitisers inside the stadium.