Daily Times

LAHORE: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) VI will resume on June 1 with the final on June 20 after it was postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak. The remaining 20 matches of this year’s PSL will take place in Karachi’s National Stadium. Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 tournament was halted on March 4 after seven cases were reported. England and Quetta Gladiators batsman Tom Banton was one of the players who tested positive in the days prior to the tournament being suspended. At the time, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had said the decision was taken out of consideration for the health and wellbeing of all participants in the tournament. That came after a number of incidents raised questions about the security and implementation of the protocols put in place for the tournament; those were protocols that were in turn devised and put in place by the PCB’s medical panel. Dr Sohail Saleem, the head of that panel, submitted his resignation in the wake of the curtailment. The PCB will outsource the management of its bio-security protocols to an international firm when the sixth season of the PSL resumes in June.

A June restart was initially proposed subject to a PCB-commissioned independent report into how COVID-19 protocols were breached. Those plans have now been finalised with enhanced safety measures based on the commission’s findings. The PCB Chairman had also asked the panel to make recommendations on how to better ensure implementation of a bio-secure environment for future events. PCB’s Board of Governors were disappointed by the failures highlighted in a report into the breaches of the tournament’s COVID-19 standard operating procedures. The BoG met through a virtual conference call on Saturday. This was their 62nd meeting overall and second of the year. “The BoG endorsed all recommendations of the fact-finding panel, including robust and stringent implementation of the protocols, as well as maintaining a zero-tolerance approach towards all those who breach the COVID-19 SOPs,” the PCB said in a statement on Sunday. Teams will begin a mandatory seven-day quarantine period from May 22 before Lahore Qalandars take on Islamabad United in the first match on June 1. “The schedule of the 20 remaining matches has been finalised in consultation with the franchises. Evening matches will start at 8:00 pm; in case of double-headers, first match will begin at 5:00 pm while the second match will start at 10:00 pm,” said the PCB statement.

PCB Hall of Fame: In an effort to further acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of Pakistan cricket stalwarts, the BoG unanimously supported and approved the launch of the PCB Hall of Fame. Among the first six inductees into the Hall of Fame are Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Hanif Mohammad, Zaheer Abbas and Javed Miandad. “There will be three more inductions each year from 2021 with the inductees to be chosen by an independent panel and announced on October 16, day one of Pakistan’s inaugural Test in 1952,” added the PCB. Players retired from international cricket for, at least, five years will be eligible for induction into the PCB Hall of Fame. PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani said: “Since earning the Test status, Pakistan has produced world-renowned cricketers who have not only put Pakistan on the world map but have left their mark on world cricket. It is appropriate that these six extraordinary performers be the founding inductees as they continue to inspire the next generation of superstars.”

SCHEDULE:

June 1: Lahore Qalandars v Islamabad United

June 2: Multan Sultans v Karachi Kings

June 3: Islamabad United v Quetta Gladiators

June 4: Peshawar Zalmi v Lahore Qalandars

June 5: Islamabad United v Karachi Kings; Multan Sultans v Quetta Gladiators

June 6: Peshawar Zalmi v Karachi Kings

June 7: Quetta Gladiators v Lahore Qalandars

June 8: Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi

June 9: Islamabad United v Lahore Qalandars

June 10: Quetta Gladiators v Karachi Kings

June 11: Multan Sultans v Islamabad United

June 12: Quetta Gladiators v Peshawar Zalmi; Karachi Kings v Lahore Qalandars

June 13: Islamabad United v Peshawar Zalmi

June 14: Multan Sultans v Lahore Qalandars

June 16: Qualifier (1 v 2)

June 17: Eliminator 1 (3 v 4)

June 18: Eliminator 2 (loser Qualifier v winner Eliminator 1)

June 20: Final.