PRIZED POSSESSION
There were different opinions but the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) proved a huge success. After overcoming many hurdles and proving many naysayers wrong, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is all set to organise the second edition of the T20 League in the UAE from today.
The focus, though, will be on the final since PSL Chairman Najam Sethi has already announced Lahore as the venue for this year’s title clash. If they are able to organise the final successfully and incident-free, it may well pave the way for the return of international cricket to Pakistan.
Sethi said: “Giles Clarke (Chairman of England Cricket Board) and his team visited Lahore last month and were hugely impressed by the security arrangements we made at the Gadaffi stadium and the National Cricket Academy (NCA). The government has also made a huge investment in securing the city and, rest assured, we will provide foolproof security to the players who will travel for the PSL final.”
The PSL has attracted some big names in cricket (players and coaches) which in turn triggered a flurry of activities in the country.
Almost all the franchises organised talent hunt programmes in Pakistan in their pursuit to unearth new faces. Lahore Qalandars, under Aaqib Javed, took the lead by taking the youngsters to Australia to play against development sides from the Big Bash League (BBL) — Sydney Thunder and Sydney Sixers.
Karachi Kings, one of the title contenders, also organised a talent hunt programme at the National Stadium, which attracted a large number of participants.
The Karachi Kings owners are among the frontrunners who are trying their best to develop the game at the grass roots level.
The involvement of former players who are playing the role of mentors, like Wasim Akram, Viv Richards, Dean Jones, Moin Khan, Mohammad Akram, Aaqib Javed, has given the PSL impetus to be perched among the top T20 tournaments in the world.
Besides, the PSL has provided an excellent opportunity for upcoming players to share the dressing room with these legends and learn the tricks of the game.
In it’s first edition itself, the PSL played an instrumental role in unearthing players like Mohammad Nawaz (Quetta Gladiators) Mohammad Asghar (Peshawar Zalmi). The PSL can do to Pakistan cricket what the Indian Premier League (IPL) has done to Indian cricket.
Twenty20 has given the game a new dimension by bringing in the money. The shortest version has become a necessity as former Sri Lanka star Aravinda de Silva, while talking to Khaleej Times recently said: “Twenty20 is saviour of cricket and one-day and Test format will benefit from it.”
The credit goes to the PCB for organising an incident-free first edition. There was no complaint from players last year and money matters were dealt with transparency.
Islamabad United won the inaugural edition of the HBL PSL after defeating Quetta Gladiators in the final of the tournament held in Dubai in February last year.
Former Pakistan captain and TV commentator Ramiz Raja said: “We have shown, as a country, that we have the capability to put up such a huge product,” says Raja. “The key challenge for PSL now is to really continue to better itself.”