ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board said on Thursday it had received approval from the United Arab Emirates government to stage the remaining 20 matches of the suspended Pakistan Super League tournament in Abu Dhabi.
The flagship tournament was stopped after 14 games in March after seven individuals, including six players, tested positive for Covid-19.
The date and details of the matches will be announced later after consultation with the franchise owners, the PCB said.
“We are delighted with this development as the remaining hurdles in the staging of the remaining PSL 6 matches in Abu Dhabi have been overcome and all systems are now good to go,” PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said in a statement.
The PCB is expected to conduct a virtual meeting with the franchise owners later today to provide them an update about the progress while finalising the logistical details.
“The PCB, in consultation with the team owners, will now work at pace to finalise all event-related arrangements, details of which will be shared in due course,” Khan said.
There were talks to conduct the remainder of PSL in Karachi but the proposal couldn’t be materialised due to the coronavirus situation in the country.
“We are grateful to the UAE government, National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, Emirates Cricket Board, and Abu Dhabi Sports Council for their support and patronage in ensuring all final obstacles were removed, which has firmly put us in a position to complete our marquee event,” the statement quoted Khan as saying.
“I take this opportunity to thank my staff for their untiring efforts and hard work that included sacrificing their Eid-ul-Fitr holidays in an effort to ensure the PCB honours its commitment to its fans to hold the remaining matches of the tournament in June.
The holding of the remaining matches in Abu Dhabi will allow our fans to once again follow and support their favourite players and teams through our high-quality broadcast coverage of one of the most competitive cricket leagues in the world.”
