Lahore
South Africa’s Dale Steyn and Hashim Amla, England’s Moeen Ali and Alex Hales, and West Indies’ Kieron Pollard and Carlos Brathwaite are among 28 international superstars who have registered their names for the preliminary list of Platinum category of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Wednesday.
It is the first time that Steyn has registered for the PSL, which the PCB says “reflects the popularity of the competition and the brand it has become since its inception in 2016”.
If picked, Steyn’s next year’s visit to Pakistan will also be his first since the 2007 tour when he played Tests in Karachi and Lahore.
“Cricket means the world to Pakistani fans and I am excited that I will get to be a part of the HBL Pakistan Super League draft pool,” said Steyn, one of the greatest fast bowlers of his generation.
Amla, Steyn’s longtime South African teammate, also toured Pakistan in 2007 before returning in 2017 with the ICC World XI for a three-match T20I series, while for England’s Moeen and Rashid, next year’s trips will be their maiden cricket tours, if picked.
“I am very excited that I am going to be a part of such an incredible pool of players for the HBL PSL Player Draft. On the circuit, players talk about the quality cricket that they have experienced playing in the HBL PSL and I can’t wait to be a part of it,” Moeen said.
Apart from Moeen and Rashid, Jason Roy is the other World Cup winner to have registered for PSL 2020.
“Pakistan cricket always offers unique and exciting stuff and this tournament is no different. They have some of the most passionate fans in the world and it is extremely heartening to experience this passion. I have had brief but memorable stints at the HBL PSL and it’s great to be back in the pool,” said Roy, who has previously represented Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators.
Roy’s compatriot Hales and West Indies’ star Pollard are familiar faces in the PSL. “I had a great experience playing in Karachi last year and I can’t forget the love that I received from Pakistani fans. HBL PSL has grown so much in such little time and it is definitely an exciting tournament to be a part of,” said Hales, who was picked by Islamabad United in 2018.
“Last year, I truly experienced what cricket means to Pakistani fans as I played in front of jam-packed crowds. It was definitely a highlight in my career and I hope that the HBL PSL festivity continues this season as well,” added Pollard, who played for Peshawar Zalmi in the 2019 event.
Among the 28 players from eight cricket-playing nations, England has seven, South Africa six, the West Indies five, Afghanistan and Australia three each, Sri Lanka two and Nepal, and New Zealand one each.
Complete list
• Afghanistan – Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb-ur-Rehman and Rashid Khan
• Australia – Dan Christian, Ben Cutting and Chris Lynn
• England – Moeen Ali, Harry Gurney, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid and Jason Roy
• Nepal – Sandeep Lamichhane
• New Zealand – Colin Munro
• South Africa – Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn and Imran Tahir
• Sri Lanka – Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera
• West Indies – Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Evin Lewis, Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard.—Agencies
