Najam Sethi working hard to convince franchises and players to play PSL final at Lahore

Pakistan Super League (PSL) starts from 9th of February where the reigning champions Islamabad United are challenged by Peshawar Zalmi in Dubai. There are some major changes from last year’s PSL. One of those changes is that Lahore is poised to host the final of the tournament. It will be a huge step for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and all the cricket fanatics in Pakistan. Although, security of the players remains a concern.

PSL chief Najam Sethi has arranged a meeting to clear out the concerns that the players have over the security. “Tomorrow at 11 am, there will be a meeting with all the franchise owners and foreign players where I will give details of the preparations we are making for security and safety for Lahore, which will be endorsed for their satisfaction by the ICC and other player associations,” he said.

The organizers unveiled PSL trophy during a special ceremony yesterday. They even announced that there will be awards for the best batsman, best bowler, and even best wicketkeeper of the tournament. The trophies have been named after cricketers of the yester years Hanif Mohammad, Fazal Mahmood and Imtiaz Ahmed.

Last year all the teams had Pakistani captains but this year it is totally different as three of the five teams have a foreign captain. Brendon McCullum leads Lahore Qalandars, Kumar Sangakkara captains Karachi Kings while Darren Sammy heads Peshawar Zalmi.

Also read- Brand new PSL launches with dazzling trophies and awards

Pakistan are working hard to bring international cricket back to its doorstep. They haven’t hosted an international match for seven years and are taking small steps towards it. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) president and the head of ICC’s Pakistan-Task force Giles Clarke visited Lahore recently to take a look at the overall situation. He met PCB officials and discussed security measures taken by them.

This visit is a boon for Pakistan as their hard work seems to be paying off. This will encourage the international teams to think about touring Pakistan which once was a frequent occurrence. There was a hiss between Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) and PCB over the players being uncertain about the security. This visit will surely help the PCB’s cause and settle down the matter.