Karachi:
In the sixth edition of Pakistan Super League, the league was
postponed due to increasing cases of Corona.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
has postponed the league starting February 20 due to increasing cases of corona
virus in PSL-6.
After a virtual meeting between
the PCB and the team owners, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced the immediate
postponement of the Pakistan Super League-6. The PCB will now immediately take
steps for PCR testing, corona vaccine and isolation facilities for all 6 team
participants.
Pakistan Cricket Board Chief Executive Wasim Khan and Director
Commercial Babar Hamid will give more details at a press conference to be held
at the National Stadium Karachi at 3 pm. Due to limited space in the press
conference room, video camera persons will not be allowed to attend the press
conference, however, the PCB will stream the press conference live on its
YouTube channel.
National cricketers also looked sad after the postponement of PSL
and are expressing their feelings on social media.
Hassan Ali, the fast bowler of the national team, tweeted,
"PSL has taken notice. Shadab Khan tweeted something similar.
On the other hand, a few hours ago, Daniel Christine, an
Australian player of Karachi Kings, had announced his withdrawal from PSL 6,
which was confirmed by the PCB itself, which said that all-rounder Dan
Christine of Karachi Kings is leaving for Dubai.
According to sources, former national team captain and Karachi
Kings bowling coach Wasim Akram was also consulting about leaving the PSL as
doctors had advised him to leave the league immediately as he could be at risk
due to diabetes.
Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board had confirmed that the corona
test report of three more players of two teams of PSL 6 has come positive. All
three players will now be in isolation for 10 days.
All three players did not participate in the double-header matches
of HBL PSL-6 on Wednesday. The corona tests were conducted yesterday afternoon
after the three players showed symptoms.
The organizing committee of HBL PSL 6 will attend a virtual
meeting with all the team owners and their management on Thursday, details of
which will be shared later.
Speaking to Express, Atif Rana, CEO of the franchise, said that
the PCB had failed to implement the protocols of Bio-Secure Bubble. The owner
of a franchise was also pardoned for embracing the players.
Atif Rana said that the board was not only to make a paper
bio-secure bubble but also to implement it in hotels and venues but this was
not done. Atif Rana said that the PCB should have violated the Corona SOPs.
Fines would be imposed on the players or officials who did it.
Expressing frustration over the postponement of matches, he said
that Lahore Qalandars had already asked the PCB not to hold the event during
the Corona Epidemic, the board did not listen to them and decided to hold the
event in consultation with other franchises. It was decided that extreme
caution was needed in this situation, but negligence was shown.
The number of Corona victims has risen to seven. During the sixth
edition of PSL, corona tests of 7 persons have come positive, including 6
players and one official, while the PCB had also offered corona vaccine to all
the players.
PSL points table
In the sixth edition of Pakistan Super League starting from
February 20, 14 matches have been played till tomorrow in which Karachi Kings
is at the top of the points table with 6 points. Peshawar Zalmi also managed to
win 6 matches and take 6 points but he is at the second position due to run
rate. Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars are third and fourth with 6.6
points each.
On the other hand, Multan Sultans and Quetta Gladiators, who have
won the only match in the league, are in the fifth and sixth position with 2.2
points respectively.
It is to be noted that all the matches of PSL 6 were to be played
in Karachi till April 7 and other matches were scheduled in Lahore.
