KARACHI: In a welcome move on Friday, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi said half of all matches in the next Pakistan Super League (PSL) season, which will be its fourth, will be held in Karachi and Lahore.

“In the fourth PSL, we want double-weekend matches,” Sethi told reporters here at the National Stadium, explaining that on Thursday and Friday, matches would be held in the United Arab Emirates, whereas teams would play in Pakistan on Saturdays and Sundays.

He said it was not possible for Pakistan to host any more foreign teams this year after the March 25 PSL final and the West Indies T20 series in Karachi as all the schedules are very tight and there is no window available for any other foreign team.

“The PSL final is happening in Karachi. After that, we have the West Indies series. But have no more space after that. We’re going abroad to play, but along with this we are trying to find a window in August or September to play five to seven matches with the West Indies and Bangladesh in Houston and Florida. But that hasn’t been finalised as yet,” he said.

“We are exploring our options but we don’t have space for a foreign team’s visit. There are some teams that are ready [to play in Pakistan]. I won’t name them, but they have said they are ready so we will plan for next year. We want a top-level team, and not just three to four matches but a full-fledged series.

“The time is not right for that as yet. The stadiums must be prepared to host a full tour and nationwide security has to be top-class before it can happen,” observed Sethi.

He said new cricket stadiums will also be built in Islamabad and Peshawar. “We are hopeful there will be more PSL matches in other cities of Pakistan,” he added.

Sethi said he was looking forward to the PSL final on Sunday. “One of the teams [Islamabad United] won the first championship, the other [Peshawar Zalmi] was champion in the second edition. Let’s see who wins the third round,” he said. “Whoever wins, it will ultimately be a win for Pakistan.”

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2018