Daily Times

LAHORE: Lahore Qalandars will clash with Islamabad United in the first match (it will be the 15th match of the tournament) when the Pakistan Super League VI resumes at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on Wednesday (today). Pakistan’s flagship T20 League was halted in March after seven players and support staff tested positive for COVID-19, and restart efforts stalled as the country was hit by a third wave of the virus. The PSL will now be completed in the intense heat of the UAE, with the earliest games starting at 5:00pm local time and evening matches at 10:00pm local time. With day-time temperatures hitting 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), players will wear ice vests on the field, while bowlers have been told to drink coconut water, a natural coolant. The final will be played on June 24. The UAE will also host the remainder of the suspended Indian Premier League in September and October, while India is considering moving the October-November T20 World Cup to the Gulf country.

The fate of the PSL had been hanging in the balance for the last three weeks with several challenges around logistical arrangements and more crucially pending approvals from Abu Dhabi government. One of the main roadblocks was getting the necessary exemptions for the production crew from India and South Africa to land in the UAE. The delay in their visas and then clearances for chartered flights to land in the UAE caused a delay. The tournament will after all be played in Abu Dhabi, despite speculation in recent days that it was going to be moved to Sharjah. The PCB has had lengthy negotiations with the Abu Dhabi government to stage the tournament, but the resumption has not been as smooth as it was expected. The PCB even came close to postponing the event further.

One of the biggest challenges was to wrap up the PSL before June 22 as the Pakistan squad was set to fly to England on June 23 which was later changed to June 25 after the England Cricket Board (ECB) agreed to delay the start of the bilateral tour to accommodate the PSL. But there will be no change in the dates of the matches with the first game of the tour, an ODI in Cardiff, set to be played on July 8. The squad will land in Manchester from where they will be transported to Derby for the mandatory 10-day isolation period and training session. They will then move to Cardiff on two days before the first ODI.

“Since its inception in 2016, the PSL has embraced and overcome numerous challenges, only to emerge as a stronger and competitive league year-on-year,” Wasim Khan, the PCB chief executive, said. “The enhancement and credibility of the brand remains critical to the PCB and I am pleased that we have continued to take decisive actions in the face of ongoing pressures and major challenges outside of our control. Everyone has worked tirelessly to find solutions and way forward, and I am delighted that the PSL is resuming.” He said the conditions weren’t ‘unplayable’. “There will be ice vests, packs, ice collars, regular drink intervals to make sure that players are kept safe and healthy,” he added.

The PSL is something of a poor relation to the super-rich IPL, but still attracts a host of international stars –– even if some are past their prime. But with a global cricket calendar badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, several big names will miss the rest of the tournament including big-hitting West Indian Chris Gayle, and South African fast bowler Dale Steyn. New Zealand’s Martin Guptill, however –– whose 147 Twenty20 international sixes are a world record –– will be in action, alongside Australian Usman Khawaja and West Indian Andre Russell. Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, second in the world Twenty20 rankings, is also taking part. Pakistanis are used to playing in the UAE, which effectively became a home venue for a decade from 2009 because of security issues after the visiting Sri Lanka team was attacked by Islamist radicals in Lahore. But they haven’t played there at this time of the year, when the searing heat is accompanied by sapping humidity.

Schedule:

(All matches at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium. Single matches to start at 08:00 pm UAE time; double-headers to start at 05:00 UAE time and 10:00 pm UAE time, respectively):

June 9: Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United (9:00pm PST)

June 10: Multan Sultans vs Karachi Kings (6:00pm PST), Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars (11:00pm PST)

June 11: Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators (9:00pm PST)

June 12: Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi (9:00pm PST)

June 13: Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars (6:00pm PST), Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi (11:00pm PST)

June 14: Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings (9:00pm PST)

June 15: Quetta Gladiators vs Lahore Qalandars (6:00pm PST); Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings (11:00pm PST)

June 16: Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators (9:00pm PST)

June 17: Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi (6:00pm PST); Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars (11:00pm PST)

June 18: Multan Sultans vs Lahore Qalandars (9:00pm PST)

June 19: Quetta Gladiators vs Karachi Kings (6:00pm PST); Multan Sultans vs Islamabad United (11:00pm PST)

June 21: Qualifier (1 vs 2) 6:00pm PST), Eliminator 1 (3 vs 4) (11:00pm PST)

June 22: Eliminator 2 (loser Qualifier vs winner Eliminator 1) (9:00pm PST)

June 24: Final (9:00pm PST).

Match starts at 09:00 pm (PST)