LAHORE: Hard-hitting opening batsman and a hugely popular figure in cricket’s shortest version, West Indies’ Chris Gayle has expressed his consent to play the inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL) which is scheduled to be held in Doha from Feb 4-24 next year.

A spokesman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed to Dawn on Tuesday that Gayle’s consent has been received for the Twenty20 tournament.

The 36-year-old Gayle is the first real big name to show his consent for the PSL.

Other prominent players to show their consent include Sri Lanka’s Tilakaratene Dilshan and Angelo Mathews along with Gayle’s compatriots Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith and Sunil Narine.

Gayle’s consent, however, will prove vital to attract top T20 players of the world from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

A successful hosting of the PSL is a challenge for the PCB. The inaugural edition was supposed to be held in 2013 but was postponed and another postponement will damage PCB’s creditability.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2015

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