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. The dates for the resumption have now been finalised, with the league restarting on June 1 and the final scheduled for June 20. Twenty matches remain, with all of them to be played in Karachi.
The season was curtailed last month after an outbreak of Covid-19 among a number of players made its continuation untenable. 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 board’s medical panel.
Dr Sohail Saleem, the head of that panel, is being released after his resignation, which he had submitted in the wake of the curtailment, was accepted. An independent two-person fact-finding commission has since compiled a report and made a series of recommendations that the PCB’s board of governors discussed in detail in a meeting on Saturday.
The board of governors (BoG) “expressed their disappointment at the failures that were highlighted in the report and advised remedial actions needed to be taken”, a PCB release said.
“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,” it said.
The PCB is now close to appointing an international firm that, the release said, “specialises in providing Covid-safe technology solutions, bio-secure monitoring & management, as well as response and reaction to positive tests”.
A mandatory seven-day quarantine period will be in place for all players and staff that will begin from May 22. Teams will have three days of training before the season resumes on June 1 with the Lahore Qalandars taking on the Islamabad United. All matches will be played at the National Stadium, with two match days of double-headers.
REVISED SCHEDULE:
All matches at National Stadium, Karachi. Evening matches will start at 8pm local time; in case of double-headers, the first match will begin at 5pm local while the second match will start at 10pm.
1 June: Lahore Qalandars vs Islamabad United (N)
2 June: Multan Sultans vs Karachi Kings (N)
3 June: Islamabad United vs Quetta Gladiators (N)
4 June: Peshawar Zalmi vs Lahore Qalandars (N)
5 June: Islamabad United vs Karachi Kings (D); Multan Sultans vs Quetta Gladiators (N)
6 June: Peshawar Zalmi vs Karachi Kings (N)
7 June: Quetta Gladiators vs Lahore Qalandars (N)
8 June 8: Multan Sultans vs Peshawar Zalmi (N)
9 June: Islamabad United vs Lahore Qalandars (N)
10 June: Quetta Gladiators vs Karachi Kings (N)
11 June: Multan Sultans vs Islamabad United (N)
12 June: Quetta Gladiators vs Peshawar Zalmi (D); Karachi Kings vs Lahore Qalandars (N)
13 June: Islamabad United vs Peshawar Zalmi (N)
14 June: Multan Sultans vs Lahore Qalandars (N)
16 June: Qualifier (1 vs 2) (N)
17 June: Eliminator 1 (3 vs 4) (N)
18 June: Eliminator 2 (loser Qualifier vs winner Eliminator 1) (N)
20 June: Final (N)
