NEWSThe postponed matches of the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be held in Karachi from June 1 to 20 with the nation's cricket board promising a zero-tolerance approach towards all those who breach the COVID-19 SOPs. The participants will begin their seven-day quarantine from May 22, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Sunday (April 11).
The League was postponed after several players tested positive in March after Peshawar Zalmi coach Daren Sammy and captain Wahab Riaz breached the bio-secure bubble by meeting with their franchise owner Javed Afridi, who was not part of the bubble. Before the postponement, 14 league matches were conducted between February 20 and March 3.
The decision to resume PSL-6 was taken by PCB's Board of Governors during a virtual conference call on Saturday. The PCB had appointed a two-person fact-finding panel to review the bio-security protocols, bylaws and arrangements for the PSL-6 and make recommendations on how to better ensure implementation of a bio-secure environment for future events.
"The BoG discussed and debated the panel's findings in detail. They expressed their disappointment at the failures that were highlighted in the report and advised remedial actions needed to be taken.
"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, which are put in place for safeguarding the health and safety of all participants."
The statement further stated that the PCB was in final stages of appointing a globally-recognised safety management company in order to ensure the safe resumption and completion of PSL 6.
"The members were informed that a mandatory seven-day quarantine period for all participants will commence from 22 May in one hotel and following three days of training sessions, PSL 6 matches will resume on 1 June with the final scheduled for 20 June," it added.
PCB hall of fame
The PCB will be launching its own 'Hall of Fame' to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of their stalwarts from yesteryears. As part of the initial launch, six members from the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame -- Hanif Mohammad, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Zaheer Abbas -- will be inducted into the PCB 'Hall of Fame'.
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, the day when the country made its Test debut in 1952. According to PCB guidelines, cricketers who have retired from international cricket for at least five years will be eligible for induction into the PCB Hall of Fame.
"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," PCB chief Ehsan Mani said.
"...it is appropriate that these six extraordinary performers be the founding inductees as they continue to inspire the next generation of superstars," he added.
The decision was taken during a virtual meeting of PCB's Board of Governors on Saturday.
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