LAHORE: West Indian famed T20 batting duo of Shimron Hetmyer and Johnson Charles were submitted as replacement picks by Multan Sultans in an online session held with the representatives of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises on Saturday.

The replacements were made after some foreign cricketers were not available for the league, suspended midway in March this year during its Karachi leg due to Covid-19 pandemic, for different reasons.

The PCB is planning to resume the league in Abu Dhabi most probably from June 5, after shifting it from Karachi, due to Covid-19 situation in the country.

Besides these replacements, all the six teams of PSL will also add two more players to make it 20 instead of 18 as a precious measurement to have a good number choices in case of fitness problems or positive Covid-19 testing which started on Saturday.

Left-handed Hetmyer, 24, will be making his HBL PSL debut while the wicketkeeper-batsman Charles has represented Quetta Gladiators as well as the Sultans in earlier HBL PSL editions.

Earlier, it was decided that all teams will be allowed 20-member squads and the teams submitted a total of 12 picks which included replacement as well as the 19th and 20th player submissions for some of the teams. Islamabad United, Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars have not made selections for their 20th player which they will make later, if needed.

Besides Hetmyer and 32-year-old Charles, Sultans also picked Hammad Azam and Mohammad Waseem (UAE).

Quetta Gladiators chose Australians Jack Wildermuth and Jake Weatherald, Zahir Khan (Afghanistan) and Khurram Shehzad as their picks.

Lahore Qalandars picked Tim David (Singapore) and Sultan Ahmed of the UAE; Islamabad United added Mohammad Akhlaq; Peshawar Zalmi added Bismillah Khan while Karachi Kings added Mohammad Haris Khan to their respective squads.

Meanwhile, the PCB said the availability of the picks submitted by the franchises is subject to the fulfilment of travel and quarantine requirements.

Former Pakistan captain and batting legend Inzamam-ul-Haq has been appointed as mentor and batting consultant of Peshawar Zalmi for the remaining PSL 6 matches.

Welcoming Inzamam, Zalmi chairman Javed Afridi expressed his delight that the batting maestro, who was the hero of the 1992 World Cup semi-final, has become a part of Zalmi family.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2021