LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan, who had earlier termed the plans of hosting Pakistan Super League (PSL) as looking dicey, made a U-turn on Tuesday to say that the high-profile league is likely to be held at off-shore venues in Feb 2016.

In a clarification issued on Tuesday, the PCB quoted Shaharyar as saying from England that his views on PSL had been misinterpreted in a recent interview. “I have just had an update from the PSL secretariat and am very happy with the progress they are making. I have full confidence in the PSL being successfully organised outside Pakistan. I am sure that all issues will be successfully dealt by our PSL secretariat.”

“The PCB chairman has extended a warm welcome to the PSL project director Salman Sarwar Butt and external consultants Repucom,” said the PCB clarification.

“The chairman pointed out the need to keep in mind Pakistan’s security situation in terms of inviting so many foreign players and then guaranteeing security for five different teams all at one point in time.”

“The UAE has been an excellent host but just because they are not making their grounds available, we cannot sit back and delay the PSL. The PCB has created an FTP window for the PSL and we can’t afford to keep letting the window slip by. We have a dedicated team in place, and we have engaged world renowned consultants to get this rolling,” the PCB press release quoted Shaharyar as saying on Tuesday. “I am excited by the prospect of PSL and I wish our team led by the PCB Executive Committee all the best for this endeavour.”

However, it must be mentioned here that in a recent interview to Dawn in England, Shaharyar had said the hosting of PSL as per plan is looking dicey. “I’m not a great T20 man, so I’ve left this project to Najam Sethi and others. But at the moment, it’s looking dicey. And at this late stage, to go to Qatar and put everything right for February, it’s going to be difficult,” the PCB chief had stated in the interview. “My theory is that if you can’t do something well, don’t do it.”

Shaharyar had also emphasised that he wanted to host the tournament in Pakistan even if it meant not getting the top-quality players who would refuse to visit due to the security issues. Lahore, Multan, Faisala­bad and Karachi were named as possible hosts by the PCB chief who said that financial incentives would have worked well in getting known names to play in Pakistan. “I thought we should host it in Pakistan but they don’t take my advice on this.”

“You won’t get top players like Kevin Pietersen, Glen Maxwell and AB de Villiers but you might get Dwayne Bravo, Jason Holder, Elton Chigumbura and quite a few Sri Lankans who are short of money,” Shaharyar was quoted as saying in the interview.

“Give them a bit of money. That way you’ll fill up the stadiums and you not only have foreign players playing in Pakistan, but you’re setting the stage for a bigger PSL next year when you’ll have access to the UAE grounds.”

Sources, however, told Dawn that Shaharyar’s interview had irked Sethi and he rang up the chairman in London to convey his concern over it. Later, Shaharyar decided to defuse the tension through this clarification, the sources said.

The idea to host the PSL was floated in 2012 but so far no concrete steps could be taken to materialise the plan. Though the PCB, during Zaka Ashraf’s tenure, had also hired the services of former ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat to organise the PSL, it could not take shape and was temporarily shelved.

It may be mentioned here that when India had planned to launch the IPL, it was a best kept secret by the cricket authorities there and not a single word regarding the IPL had been leaked to either media or the public. When the league was finally launched, the cricket authorities in India unveiled a complete package that included the bidding process of the league, its budget, the franchise etc in a thoroughly professional manner.

On the contrary, the PCB has been harping about the PSL and its launching plans for the past three years but has not been able to materialise anything concrete as yet and it still seems pretty much like an idea in thin air.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2015

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