Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: After failed negotiations with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has formally approached Qatar to host its own Twenty20 League in Doha in February next year. A formal proposal for the league, which was termed as ‘dicey’ by PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan who later retracted his statement, has been sent to the Qatar Olympics Association, asking to upgrade the only cricket stadium in the country. The PCB had initially planned to host the franchise-based T20 League in UAE, Pakistan’s virtual home since 2009. However, when the PCB approached the ECB to secure the venues during the third week of June, they learned that the organisers of the Masters Champions League (MCL)– a tournament for retired international cricketers – had already booked the stadiums for the February window. The MCL was unveiled at the Burj Al Arab on June 3, with former cricketers Brian Lara, Adam Gilchrist and Wasim Akram all in attendance as icon players.

The ECB, which is the sole regulator of cricket in the UAE, refused to lease out the three stadiums to Pakistan, given the MCL had already locked the deal. It is likely the PCB will wait another month before going forward with Doha as the alternative venue for the inaugural version of the league. The PCB has been floating the idea of hosting their own T20 league for the last five years, though the talks never really materialised into anything substantial. Logistical issues led to an indefinite postponement of the league in 2013, and while there was an attempt to revive the tournament in 2014, with the PCB inviting various parties to acquire rights for the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the quality of the bids meant that the board put their plans on hold again. PCB’s chairman Shaharyar Khan and executive committee head Najam Sethi have both been at loggerheads in public over the tournament.