Some foreign players opt to leave for home
Staff Reporter
Islamabad
The Pakistan Cricket Board on Friday decided to cut short the ongoing Pakistan Super League 2020 and hold the final match of the tournament on March 18 instead of March 23.
According to a press release by the cricketing body, the playoff match has been replaced by the semi-finals, which will be held in Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on March 17; one at 2pm and the second at 7pm. The final will also take place at the Gaddafi Stadium at 7pm on March 18.
The playoff matches scheduled for March 14 and March 15 will be held according to schedule.
A decision on whether to allow spectators in the stadium during the remaining matches will be made after consultation with the Punjab government, the press release said.
The announcement came hours after the board announced that the tournament will continue as planned. PCB had also said that all players participating in PSL 2020 have been given the option to pull out of the tournament amid growing fears of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Today, the PCB and the team owners, as part of their duty of care, have decided to give all the players the option to decide if they wish to return home,” PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan was quoted as saying. According to an official statement by the cricket board, the following players have confirmed they will not take part in any future matches of the tournament: Alex Hales – Karachi Kings, Rilee Rossouw – Multan Sultans, James Vince – Multan Sultans, Tom Banton – Peshawar Zalmi, Carlos Brathwaite – Peshawar Zalmi, Liam Dawson – Peshawar Zalmi,
Lewis Gregory – Peshawar Zalmi, Liam Livingstone – Peshawar Zalmi’ Jason Roy – Quetta Gladiators,
Tymal Mills – Quetta Gladiators, Peshawar Zalmi coach James Foster is also going back home. However, none of the players from Lahore Qalanders or Islamabad United have said they are withdrawing from the league.
“This remains an evolving and unprecedented situation with a number of moving parts that require constant and regular monitoring. Ensuring that the players feel comfortable remains paramount to the PCB,” Khan said.
“As of now, it is important to emphasise and clarify that the main concern of many of the 10 players and a coach, who have chosen to return home, revolves around avoiding a potential situation where they might become stranded either due to flight cancellations or border closures in their own countries.” He added that the PCB will facilitate their safe return and will ensure the same for all of the players and support staff personnel who decide to withdraw from the league.
