Daily Times

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday rescheduled the ongoing Pakistan Super League5 (PSL) with the final to be held on March 18 instead of March 22. According to a PCB press statement, playoff matches have been replaced by semi-finals, which will be held at Gaddafi Stadium on March 17: first at 2:00 pm and the second at 7:00 pm. The final will also take place at the Gaddafi Stadium at 7:00pm. As many as ten overseas players and an overseas coach are also leaving because of the developments and fears over travel restrictions. The rejig shaves four days off the schedule even though it reduces the total match count by just one. Earlier, the play-offs were to run from March 17 to March 22. The PCB had also said that all players participating in PSL 2020 had been given the option to pull out of the tournament amid growing fears of the coronavirus pandemic. The PCB also confirmed that the remaining matches would be played behind closed doors.

According to the official statement by the PCB, the following players have confirmed they will not take part in any future matches of the tournament: Alex Hales (Karachi Kings), Rilee Rossouw (Multan Sultans), James Vince (Multan Sultans), Tom Banton (Peshawar Zalmi), Carlos Brathwaite (Peshawar Zalmi), Liam Dawson (Peshawar Zalmi), Lewis Gregory (Peshawar Zalmi), Liam Livingstone (Peshawar Zalmi), Jason Roy (Quetta Gladiators), Tymal Mills (Quetta Gladiators). Peshawar Zalmi coach James Foster is also going back home. However, none of the players from Lahore Qalanders or Islamabad United have said they are withdrawing from the league. As per the event regulations, the teams will be allowed player replacements, which will have to be approved by the PCB Event Technical Committee. “The PCB will continue to assess and monitor the situation and make decisions as appropriate in consultation with the team owners. No player has to date tested positive for coronavirus,” said the statement.

PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said: “This remains an evolving and unprecedented situation with a number of moving parts that require constant and regular monitoring. Today, the PCB and the team owners, as part of their duty of care, have decided to give all the players the option to decide if they wish to return home. Ensuring that the players feel comfortable remains paramount to the PCB. As of now, it is important to emphasise and clarify that the main concern of many of the 10 players and a coach, who have chosen to return home, revolves around avoiding a potential situation where they might become stranded either due to flight cancellations or border closures in their own countries. The PCB will facilitate their safe return and will ensure the same for all of the players and support staff personnel who decide to withdraw from HBL PSL 2020. As stated previously, we will continue to assess and review the situation and will not hesitate to make what we believe are the right decisions for everyone involved.”

As things stand, Lahore Qalandars and Islamabad United are the only teams unchanged with their players staying on for the rest of the tournament. There have been 21 reported cases of coronavirus in Pakistan so far, and most of those are in Karachi, with no one in Lahore testing positive yet. The Sindh Government on Friday confirmed another positive case of the coronavirus in Karachi. The coronavirus outbreak, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday, has led to nearly 5000 deaths globally.