Published: Feb 09, 2017, 11:48 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 09, 2017, 11:48 PM (IST)
Pakistan cricket Board (PCB) chief Shahryar Khan opened the second edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) on Thursday, describing the glitzy Twenty20 event as key to paving the way for his country’s return to hosting international series. Pakistan has been a no-go zone for all of their major rivals since a terror attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March 2009. But the winds of change are blowing, or at least the PCB believes so, with the PSL 2 final being scheduled to be played at Lahore.
The Pakistan city is due to host the PSL final on March 5 after all the qualifying games are completed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the team’s home away from home for international cricket for the last eight years. “We are staging the second edition of the PSL with the aim of staging the final in Lahore on March 5,” said PCB chairman as he welcomed fans to the Dubai Stadium. “The success of the PSL will open the gates for teams to start coming into Pakistan,” he added.
Zimbabwe had also played a one-day series in 2015, but the heavyweights like of Australia, England, India and the West Indies have all stayed away from Pakistan ever since the terror attacks. And things are not likely to change anytime soon. So even though the PSL 2 final gets conducted in Lahore, thinking that international cricket will return to Pakistan anytime in the near future is an overambitious thought on the PCB’s part.
Meanwhile, the second edition of the five-team PSL kicked off with dancing, a light show and music by Jamaican reggae star Shaggy. The opening ceremony started with the national anthems of host country UAE and Pakistan before the crowd was entertained by a group of drummers and songs from all four provinces of Pakistan. All five captains of the participating teams signed a bat with the oath ‘to play clean and fair’ written on it before the teams marched past. After the opening ceremony, title holders Islamabad United were due to take on Peshawar Zalmi. Karachi Kings, Quetta Gladiators and Lahore Qalandars are the other teams in the tournament.
