Dubai\Lahore
Four of the five players waiting for their visas have been green-lighted by the UAE authorities, with preparations underway for their travelling, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed Monday.
Cricketers Umar Amin, Imran Randhawa, Asif Afridi, Hammad Azam and Khalid Usman were among those waiting for their visas.
According to the PCB, the UAE has not issued visa for Imran Randhawa, who is quarantining in Lahore and will depart for Abu Dhabi as soon as his application is processed.
Sources say Hammad and Khalid had terminated their club contracts in England to play for the sixth edition of the PSL.
It must be noted that a player has to undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine period after arriving in Abu Dhabi, as per the regulations in place.
After a long wait, the PSL will start from June 9 at Sheikh Zayed International Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has come under severe criticism over the delay in the start of the tournament, which was earlier scheduled to kick off on June 1.
The remaining matches of the postponed tournament briefly faced some obstacles before the final schedule was announced.
The hiccups were caused due to logistic issues, mainly because of the Indian and South African production team members.
The sixth edition was suspended in March after a coronavirus outbreak in the bio-secure bubble set up in Karachi.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) looks set to endure a baking hot week, with temperatures expected to hit 46 degrees in Dubai on Monday, as the resumption of the Habib Bank Limited (HBL) Pakistan Super League (PSL) season six draws closer.
According to the National Centre of Meteorology, Abu Dhabi, which will be hosting the HBL PSL season six matches, is forecasted to reach 45 degrees in the next few days.
Humidity is also expected to shoot up to 90 percent in coastal regions while drier weather is expected inland. In the Sweihan area of Al Ain, a weather centre registered a temperature of 51 degrees during Sunday afternoon in the UAE.
According to the weather forecast hot temperatures, high humidity and hazy conditions are expected throughout the week.
It should be noted that the HBL PSL season six, which was originally postponed due to the rise in coronavirus cases in Pakistan, is scheduled to resume on June 9 in Abu Dhabi while the final is expected to be played on June 24.
The weather is Abu Dhabi is expected to be very hot and the players have begun to train for the harsh conditions that are being expected.—Agencies
