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A disappointing conclusion to a great tournament

Mamoon

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Sorry to say, but that was awful. Like most others, I'm delighted to see the final taking place in Lahore and the good that can potentially come out of it, but the cricket itself as well as the overall production + atmosphere was well below the mark.

The pitch was slow and low; too much spin and at times, uneven bounce. The likes of Sammy had to use all his strength to muscle the ball over the rope. In addition, the outfield was quick but looked poor with all those grassless patches. The lighting was not sufficient either, it was just too dark. Furthermore, the crowd was dull as well; took time to get into the thick of things and were mostly limited to political chants. Not enough energy.

It was a massive drop down from the standards that we have been used to in the UAE. Some people are saying that the PCB didn't have enough time to prepare but I think that's nonsense. The idea of the final in Lahore was not proposed overnight; they had months to make the necessary arrangements, but looks like all of their attention was on the security measures and some pointless dramaybaazi before the actual cricket. Even the national anthem was botched.

They had more time to prepare for the final than they did for the Zimbabwe series in 2015, but everything was so better for that series.

Complete letdown as far as I'm concerned.
 
One side was massively stronger and well settled as a unit than the other. The chances of the match being exciting were limited from the start. The rest of the things you mentioned are all true.
 
Awfully one sided final after what has indeed been an enjoyable tournament.
I understand the political reasons for the final being in Lahore and also the desire for Quetta to file some foreign players.
Ultimately however, it will make no difference to international sides touring Pakistan -- that won't happen whilst bombs are going off.
Like it or not, that is the reality
 
I still don't understand why this crowd was so dull. They should have been excited for obvious reasons.
 
UAE was so much better sad to say. Pitch here was awful and Quetta lost all their foreigners
 
Nothing to disagree here.

However the pitch stands out among everything else. Completely inexplicable.
 
The distance between the crowd and the boundary was also pathetic. Won't be surprised if most of the fans couldn't see what was happening.
 
I have to agree, the standard of this anti-climactic final was below average and large part due to a slow, low pitch that was not conducive for good cricket. In the first 5 overs of the Zalmi innings there was decent bounce and it looked a belter but the pitch got worse throughout the night. Quetta were badly hurt by the loss of their key foreign players like Pietersen and Rossouw leading to a mismatch.

The state of the outfield was poor - too many patches that made it look like you'd need a tetanus shot after diving around on it. This is meant to be Pakistan's leading ground yet to see it so poorly maintained makes me shudder to think what other stadiums look like.

I don't mind the dark lighting, Gaddafi Stadium has always been like that over the years at night. The broadcasting was OK, didn't notice any major difference in the picture quality compared to Sunset and Vine. However the sound quality was poor, you couldn't hear the crowd well despite the fact many at the ground said the atmosphere was great at the start.

Overall, the tournament recovered well after it was nearly derailed with the scandal surrounding Sharjeel and Latif. However the quality of cricket was dubious at times with chasing sides making a hash of even simple targets, and its disappointing no young Pakistani batsman has emerged. Shadab Khan though has been a terrific find.

The final proven an underwhelming end to what has been an entertaining tournament with numerous close finishes.
 
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Well, if the PCB is planning to arrange the final next year again in Pakistan then they should make sure that all foreign players in the squads are available to play in Pakistan, otherwise most of us won't bother even watching the group matches and end up watching this kind of unfair contest.

I was supporting Peshawar to win but not against a depleted Quetta without their original foreign players who were fully gelled with them since the start of PSL 2.
 
Poor pitch ruined it all.

I agree that it was not a very enjoyable experience for me as a cricket fan. I was hopeful till the end that it might be a thriller but the pitch just got worse. Can't blame the crowd for not being excited, it was a dull affair overall.

I hope some good comes out of it in the future.
 
at least if there was a flat road the Quetta bats who had just been flown in could have adjusted a lot better. But a spin track just handed the game to Zalmi whos players had been playing in these conditions for the last 3 weeks. Politics were put above sport. To ask a team to integrate 4 new random players into their squad for a final from a sporting P.O.V is a shambles.
 
Realistically international cricket won't come to Pakistan for years -- and this final won't make a difference.
That said it was cool to see the final in Pakistan -- Quetta should not have been "forced" to field the second string foreigners.
Still PSL2 was better than PSL1 -- progress definitely
 
I agree. It was a huge letdown in quality. The ground and the pitch should have been prepared better.
 
a lot of things could have been improved with a better pitch and HD broadcast.
 
Realistically international cricket won't come to Pakistan for years -- and this final won't make a difference.
That said it was cool to see the final in Pakistan -- Quetta should not have been "forced" to field the second string foreigners.
Still PSL2 was better than PSL1 -- progress definitely

This international cricket coming to Pakistan is rubbish that a few simple minded people will believe.

This was just a final of an excellent tournament.
 
Fitting end to what was really a legit Mickey Mouse Tournament. The team full of TTFs won and deservedly so. There were oldies galore, but at least the PSL was entertaining.
 
Seriously I have no idea why are you spreading this negativity, first in multiple posts and now this thread.
Its time to celebrate and talk positively for history making day for Pakistan cricket.

Who cares about some technical stuff, see the bigger picture, FGS.
 
Najam Sethi is to blame for this

He was too busy trying to curry favor with Sharifs and trying to win imaginary points for Noon League

Final ka bhi baira ghark aur apni bhi baisti with the 'Go Nawaz Go' chants ringing all around the stadium
 
The game was a joke the crowd left before the presentation.
more awards given then the oscar's
The pitch was a sad state.
If this is what pcb have to offer then id leave it
 
First of all it was a great great tournament. I really enjoyed every game in the UAE. Especially Sharjah felt like watching a game in Pakistan.

BUT unfortunately the final was dull and very boring. The reason I said IF this is the standard then be GLAD that these games are not in Pakistan. Such wickets destroy T20 games as they are meant to be entertaining.
 
Najam Sethi is to blame for this

He was too busy trying to curry favor with Sharifs and trying to win imaginary points for Noon League

Final ka bhi baira ghark aur apni bhi baisti with the 'Go Nawaz Go' chants ringing all around the stadium

Izzat bhi phir uss ki ke uss ki wajah se cricket Pakistan main wapis aayi ha......credit should be given where its due
 
So disappointed with the quality of production low quality camera's i hope Pcb continues with Sunset+Vine next year !
 
The game was a joke the crowd left before the presentation.
more awards given then the oscar's
The pitch was a sad state.
If this is what pcb have to offer then id leave it

Exactly. IF this is the standard then people should be glad that it is not in Pak. We really need to improve our domestic standards.
 
I wish people would stop whinging about Quetta's lack of foreigners. The reality is that the foreigners on both teams performed equally well - there were no match-winning performances on either side. The pitch was very poor and that made all the difference. The final did not live up to the standards of the group games, but I would not say it was disappointing.
 
This international cricket coming to Pakistan is rubbish that a few simple minded people will believe.

This was just a final of an excellent tournament.

Well that's what they said about the PSL too..international cricket is coming..it's about time us overseas Pakistanis start supporting this notion..the more games we hold like today the harder it will be for those that refuse..
 
Seriously I have no idea why are you spreading this negativity, first in multiple posts and now this thread.
Its time to celebrate and talk positively for history making day for Pakistan cricket.

Who cares about some technical stuff, see the bigger picture, FGS.

Agree with your post here. Yes, the admin related stuff were not up to the required standards and pitch, conditions and all were not great either.

But the good thing is a historic day in Pakistan. Pakistan cricket and Pakistan in general will be in the news for all the positive reasons, isn't that worth it. For all international coverage representing Pakistan in positive light I believe makes this day great.
 
The members of PP or at least a few of thus new intake are a disgrace...we've just had a major final in our country and all we hear is whining and moaning?? It was a great occasion perhaps not the best match but a great match...watching our players back in lahore with some great foreigners was inspiring..but alas we have PP to throw a big fat slice of moaning cake at everyone..pathetic. .
 
Sorry to say, but that was awful. Like most others, I'm delighted to see the final taking place in Lahore and the good that can potentially come out of it, but the cricket itself as well as the overall production + atmosphere was well below the mark.

The pitch was slow and low; too much spin and at times, uneven bounce. The likes of Sammy had to use all his strength to muscle the ball over the rope. In addition, the outfield was quick but looked poor with all those grassless patches. The lighting was not sufficient either, it was just too dark. Furthermore, the crowd was dull as well; took time to get into the thick of things and were mostly limited to political chants. Not enough energy.

It was a massive drop down from the standards that we have been used to in the UAE. Some people are saying that the PCB didn't have enough time to prepare but I think that's nonsense. The idea of the final in Lahore was not proposed overnight; they had months to make the necessary arrangements, but looks like all of their attention was on the security measures and some pointless dramaybaazi before the actual cricket. Even the national anthem was botched.

They had more time to prepare for the final than they did for the Zimbabwe series in 2015, but everything was so better for that series.

Complete letdown as far as I'm concerned.

It was classic Noora production.

Sethi didnt focus on the cricket part while busy retweeting and curry favoring with Sharifs. And all that for nothing with Shehzad Sharif and Noora League getting embarrassed with 'Go Nawaz Go' chants on live tv for all the world to see.

So neither did he get the cricket, stadium or broadcasting part right and he also ended up seeing his masters getting embarassed.

Bad night for him..
 
In sport this happens, not all matches are competitive. In cricket one sided matches are a regular occurrence.

It was a great event , people should stop with their complaints.
 
I think we don't deserve cricket in Pakistan. .I enjoyed the final..it was great watching international t20 league cricket come to Pakistan...then I came onto PP...pathetic. .
 
I think we don't deserve cricket in Pakistan. .I enjoyed the final..it was great watching international t20 league cricket come to Pakistan...then I came onto PP...pathetic. .

I agree till we convince international teams to come to Pakistan we should not have finals like these in Pakistan.
 
The pitch made the final a disappointing end.

Darren Sammy hitting sixes was the highlight of the match and if the pitch had been a road, then we would have seen the crowd and viewers being entertained with those sixes.

The lack of competitiveness would have been papered over with some lusty blows, but instead we got a final without those big hits and to make it worse, there was no competition between the two teams.
 
Do you want another borefest final?

Do you understand that it is Pakistan Super League for Pakistan people and you want it not be in Pakistan?

The real fan base is in Pakistan, the money generated to pay off these players are generated from Pakistan, heck this is the domestic competition of Pakistan.

This is just the start and I'm so happy that we have taken that first step. Hopefully things will improve for betterment of Pakistan cricket from here.
 
First goal is not to bring international cricket to Pakistan, PSL's first goal is to bring PSL to Pakistan and today's match was a huge step towards that goal.

I have no idea what some people are complaining and talking about. May be they received a different TV/internet reception, I'm here in USA and to me everything I watched was great. Not every match in cricket goes to the wires, so what.
 
You can't expect every match to go down to the last ball. It's not unknown for finals, even of major tournaments, to be boring and/or one sided. In fact, it's seldom that finals are as exciting as many of the matches of earlier rounds, and rarely do finals go down to the wire. That's the beauty of sport, especially team sport.
 
Do you understand that it is Pakistan Super League for Pakistan people and you want it not be in Pakistan?

The real fan base is in Pakistan, the money generated to pay off these players are generated from Pakistan, heck this is the domestic competition of Pakistan.

This is just the start and I'm so happy that we have taken that first step. Hopefully things will improve for betterment of Pakistan cricket from here.

Pakistani people don't just exist in Pakistan they exist in other parts of the world as well. What is the point of having a final when most oversee's players are not even interested in traveling to a country thats facing huge political problems with terriosim? Was this a good step? Sure. Did this bring good cricket? No.

In the end you need to decide why you watch cricket. If its for formalities like these than thats great for you. But not all of us sitting at home will enjoy poor quality product that you enjoy only cause it entered into your country.

So if you want to bring a tournament like this to Pakistan how about you convince the international teams first?
 
Brilliant tournament. Obviously would have preferred the final to be closer but we were spoiled earlier on with close games.

Yes today wasn't perfect , but getting cricket to Pakistan is the key. Today was a step in the right direction.
 
You can't expect every match to go down to the last ball. It's not unknown for finals, even of major tournaments, to be boring and/or one sided. In fact, it's seldom that finals are as exciting as many of the matches of earlier rounds, and rarely do finals go down to the wire. That's the beauty of sport, especially team sport.

The difference here is one team was full strength and the second had lost most of their key players. The quality of cricket played in this game was very poor.
 
Pakistani people don't just exist in Pakistan they exist in other parts of the world as well. What is the point of having a final when most oversee's players are not even interested in traveling to a country thats facing huge political problems with terriosim? Was this a good step? Sure. Did this bring good cricket? No.

In the end you need to decide why you watch cricket. If its for formalities like these than thats great for you. But not all of us sitting at home will enjoy poor quality product that you enjoy only cause it entered into your country.

So if you want to bring a tournament like this to Pakistan how about you convince the international teams first?

Well the point of having this tournament final in Pakistan is because it is their tournament! Its not UAE's, UK's, USA's or anyone else tournament. This is for Pakistani people and they are the biggest stakeholders in this PSL. Therefore, having the final in Pakistan serves their biggest stakeholder which is how it is in every organisation.

Yes, I agree the quality of cricket went down due to foreign players backing out. But you need to understand this is the first step that is being taken to bring back cricket to Pakistan. Maybe next year no foreign player will back out, it could happen and if it does happen it would be solely due to the initial step taken today. Its a landmark achievement and will only reap benefits in future for Pakistan cricket.
 
Match was not a close one but the arrangements , quality of broadcasting, coverage and commentary was top class. Had a great time watching the final today.

Thanks to the organizers, great job.
 
Well the point of having this tournament final in Pakistan is because it is their tournament! Its not UAE's, UK's, USA's or anyone else tournament. This is for Pakistani people and they are the biggest stakeholders in this PSL. Therefore, having the final in Pakistan serves their biggest stakeholder which is how it is in every organisation.

Yes, I agree the quality of cricket went down due to foreign players backing out. But you need to understand this is the first step that is being taken to bring back cricket to Pakistan. Maybe next year no foreign player will back out, it could happen and if it does happen it would be solely due to the initial step taken today. Its a landmark achievement and will only reap benefits in future for Pakistan cricket.

Well said :14:
 
Well the point of having this tournament final in Pakistan is because it is their tournament! Its not UAE's, UK's, USA's or anyone else tournament. This is for Pakistani people and they are the biggest stakeholders in this PSL. Therefore, having the final in Pakistan serves their biggest stakeholder which is how it is in every organisation.

Yes, I agree the quality of cricket went down due to foreign players backing out. But you need to understand this is the first step that is being taken to bring back cricket to Pakistan. Maybe next year no foreign player will back out, it could happen and if it does happen it would be solely due to the initial step taken today. Its a landmark achievement and will only reap benefits in future for Pakistan cricket.

Hey look I understand your point of view very clearly. I don't mind having this first step to bring cricket back to Pakistan. I just feel it could have been organized better than it was rushed like it was. I would rather watch good cricket than watch a final by caring about where it was placed. The idea of having cricket back in Pakistan would excite anyone but at an expense of good cricket? Hell no! Thats why next time they hold a final in Pakistan they need to properly convince international teams to come to Pakistan. If they do that than how can these oversea's player refuse?

Like if we see a final like this again what will we say than? "Oh last year it was the first step. This year is the second step. Lets take it one step at a time". Yeah well you can keep doing that. However the quality of the finals will immensely suffer. As a true cricket fan I would not like that.
 
Is what it is but I'm more concerned about bringing international cricket back.

To convince others you need to create a track record. Add this to portfolio along with Zimbabwe tour.

Next PSL there needs to be a 50,000 seater stadium as minimum to host the final. The revenue earned must be unreal, this will surely will bring in more sponsors.
 
Well said :14:

Today I feel very sad reading all the negative comments on pakpassion about the final being played in Pakistan.

This is the reflection of what we have become over the years as individuals. For the last decade we have lived our lives in negativity. The international media has portrayed us for all the negative news and over the years we have accepted that within ourselves that somehow being a Pakistani is a negative thing.

After a long time I'm seeing stable economy in Pakistan, good infrastructural developments, controlled inflation and better stock markets and deals with China. But we as individuals rather than accepting this positivity we are reluctant to change and want to stick with our negative attitude towards Pakistan. The nation is trying to progress but the people dont want to I concur and this is the general consensus which is holding our nation back.

Today is a landmark day not only for Pakistan cricket but Pakistan nation in general as the positive light is hovering over us after a long time in international news. But we as people rather than embracing it we decide to stay in the negative hole we have dug ourselves into.

I just hope with events like these and with time the attitude of our people changes so we can move our nation forward.
 
It was classic Noora production.

Sethi didnt focus on the cricket part while busy retweeting and curry favoring with Sharifs. And all that for nothing with Shehzad Sharif and Noora League getting embarrassed with 'Go Nawaz Go' chants on live tv for all the world to see.

So neither did he get the cricket, stadium or broadcasting part right and he also ended up seeing his masters getting embarassed.

Bad night for him..

Sethi is not responsible for the quality of pitch and the outfield. However, the production quality was poor. The ones who covered the Zimbabwe series should have been contracted.
 
Finals are often times anti-climatic affairs.

The dull pitch and low-grade foreigners in QG didn't help matters.
 
It was classic Noora production.

Sethi didnt focus on the cricket part while busy retweeting and curry favoring with Sharifs. And all that for nothing with Shehzad Sharif and Noora League getting embarrassed with 'Go Nawaz Go' chants on live tv for all the world to see.

So neither did he get the cricket, stadium or broadcasting part right and he also ended up seeing his masters getting embarassed.

Bad night for him..

Note sure if it was a bad night for him though. He succeeded in bringing the final to Lahore even if it was below expectations. People with Sethiphobia were left weeping in Bani Gala alone.
 
Today I feel very sad reading all the negative comments on pakpassion about the final being played in Pakistan.

This is the reflection of what we have become over the years as individuals. For the last decade we have lived our lives in negativity. The international media has portrayed us for all the negative news and over the years we have accepted that within ourselves that somehow being a Pakistani is a negative thing.

After a long time I'm seeing stable economy in Pakistan, good infrastructural developments, controlled inflation and better stock markets and deals with China. But we as individuals rather than accepting this positivity we are reluctant to change and want to stick with our negative attitude towards Pakistan. The nation is trying to progress but the people dont want to I concur and this is the general consensus which is holding our nation back.

Today is a landmark day not only for Pakistan cricket but Pakistan nation in general as the positive light is hovering over us after a long time in international news. But we as people rather than embracing it we decide to stay in the negative hole we have dug ourselves into.

I just hope with events like these and with time the attitude of our people changes so we can move our nation forward.

You're absolutely right.

All I was praying was for no "bad news" before, during and after the game. Was not worried about some other minor issues and I'm so glad everything went smoothly and it was disappointing to see people on a web site which is all about Passion for Pakistan trying their best to find and post negativity about Pakistan cricket and PSL.

I'm not PML supporters, I have my own opinion about them but for me Pakistan comes first and anyone who does something good for Pakistan will get my appreciation and today's final was a big event, and I have no hesitation in appreciating the government for that. I'm really happy today.
 
You can't expect every match to go down to the last ball. It's not unknown for finals, even of major tournaments, to be boring and/or one sided. In fact, it's seldom that finals are as exciting as many of the matches of earlier rounds, and rarely do finals go down to the wire. That's the beauty of sport, especially team sport.

Correct, but some of the basis were not covered today. The pitch and state of outfield was poor. The ground wasn't well prepared for a major final.
 
I don't post much but from what I have noticed the thread starter Mamoon is probably the most negative of the poster on PP. Always negative and pessimistic on every Pakistan player / game. In the match thread, it was whining over and over and then a whole thread here for some more negativity.

The match was one sided which made it boring but I thought it was still a very good quality cricket. Some minor technical issues were there but in no way were they this bad.
 
I don't post much but from what I have noticed the thread starter Mamoon is probably the most negative of the poster on PP. Always negative and pessimistic on every Pakistan player / game. In the match thread, it was whining over and over and then a whole thread here for some more negativity.

The match was one sided which made it boring but I thought it was still a very good quality cricket. Some minor technical issues were there but in no way were they this bad.

I don't think anyone disagrees that this was a good step taken by the PCB. The idea of bring cricket back to Pakistan through a league devised to please them was a very great gesture. The real issue for some of us is that the quality of cricket we saw on display. In the end politically this was a great move however cricket wise this was very poor. This was not a final where two teams played there best cricket to win the final. It was a final devised to please the nation with the name this league takes from. If you wanna do that why play cricket?
 


I don't understand the criticism of the coverage. Looking at this video, it seems pretty good!

Some people tried to watch it free from those illegal websites and obviously quality was not that great. Gateway's quality was great and it was only for 2.99 today, the cheapest ever pay per view event.
 
I don't post much but from what I have noticed the thread starter Mamoon is probably the most negative of the poster on PP. Always negative and pessimistic on every Pakistan player / game. In the match thread, it was whining over and over and then a whole thread here for some more negativity.

The match was one sided which made it boring but I thought it was still a very good quality cricket. Some minor technical issues were there but in no way were they this bad.

I am not sure what good quality cricket you saw. Ball turning square and the pitch had uneven bounce. Only 6 sixes in the whole match, 0 during Quetta's innings.

It was a very poor pitch for a T20 match. Without a doubt, the worst match of the tournament. I'm very happy to see the final take place in Lahore and it was wonderful for the people, but the preparations were not good enough for such a high-profile final.
 
You earlier: Kudos to PCB for bringing PSL to Pak. Big achievement! Massive thanks Sethi.

You today: Final here is big disappointment!

Others: Indeed! Poor final, poor camera and pitch. Bad preparation by PCB and Sethi! Incompetence!

You: I agree, but please don't say anything to PCB and Sethi. Massive disappointment but it's not their fault.


That's the summary I see. :usman: :danish
 
Some positives and negatives of today.

Quality of cricket was largely poor
One-sided match
Quality of overseas players wasn't brilliant
Post match presentation was awful
Some of the commentary terrible
Interviews during the match terrible
Pre match and post match show were absolutely awful
Sethi's awful speech

Full house
World watching a match in Lahore
No security issues
Good support for both teams
 
Some positives and negatives of today.

Quality of cricket was largely poor
One-sided match
Quality of overseas players wasn't brilliant
Post match presentation was awful
Some of the commentary terrible
Interviews during the match terrible
Pre match and post match show were absolutely awful
Sethi's awful speech

Full house
World watching a match in Lahore
No security issues
Good support for both teams

Agree with your following negatives.
It was not a close finish, was one sided
Pre-match and post match shows could be better
Sethi's speech was not needed and was not great

All others were positives
and I enjoyed the commentary, had no issue with that
Lots of positives wit few things needs improvement.
 
The pitch was fine..a team scored 148 on it..stop moaning.

Come on Khan saab that outfield looked like one of those allotments we used to grow cabbage and lettuce in when we were kids. No wonder Pakistani fielding is so poor, you'd need a tetanus shot after diving around on that outfield.

The pitch was not befitting that of a final. Bounce was uneven, and the pace of the pitch got slower and slower as the match progressed making it difficult for batsmen to time their shots.

Zalmi only got to 148 thanks to some wild swinging from Sammy.
 
Some positives and negatives of today.

Quality of cricket was largely poor
One-sided match
Quality of overseas players wasn't brilliant
Post match presentation was awful
Some of the commentary terrible
Interviews during the match terrible
Pre match and post match show were absolutely awful
Sethi's awful speech

Full house
World watching a match in Lahore
No security issues
Good support for both teams

All in all it was a major disappointment
 
Ridiculous Statement

Note sure if it was a bad night for him though. He succeeded in bringing the final to Lahore even if it was below expectations. People with Sethiphobia were left weeping in Bani Gala alone.

A rather ridiculous statement this last one. The integrity of the tournament and cricket was compromised by parachuting new players into a team right at the final, it was a pathetic final. More importantly, what really matters is ODI and test record not some lame T-20 league. On that count Sethi and this PCB have fared miserably. And you think this does anything to the person who challenged the mighty WI, AUS, and led the team to WC victory. Sethi, in contrast, has put us on verge of WC disqualification. PSL is a great cover up.
 
Completely agree with OP.

PSL final was a massive let down after great knockout games.
 
Can't say as I had no interest in the tournament and did not watch any matches. Had it been the return of international Cricket then the crowd would have been up for it much more then a dummy match. Could be that the pitch curator did not have enough time to prepare the wicket with the final being a sudden announcement.
 
All of the latest equipment that we have today in modern cricket become common after 2009. Hawk-eyes, Snickos, HD / 4K production, Hotspot etc. So no company in Pakistan actually spent money on those since we aren't having cricket since 2009 on home soil. Purchasing them over the night for one game was definitely way expensive. Its not the technology that makes cricket what cricket is, its the spirit and passion of the game.

Crowd wasn't dull. It was immature, instead of chanting Pakistan Zindabad they started chanting political slogans and management turned down their audio in broadcast so you couldn't hear it. People need to act like one nation infront of the world at least.

This won't bring International Cricket in Pakistan? Yes, it will. Just wait and watch. Things aren't done overnight. There is no shortcut. Baby steps needs to be taken. It was first step. Which at least created a portfolio for PCB to show to other teams in terms of security.

Quetta chocked actually, they couldn't able to handle the pressure of final and in resulted in one sided game.

Overall it was a great tournament and good final too. We wanted cricket to win and it won yesterday. Hopefully things will improve over the period of time. Security will improve and technology will get better.

For all those saying all negativity about PSL Final, I will advise them to start looking at things positively, It will help them in their own life in future. "Her chez me keeray ni nikalne chahehye".
 
The pitch was rubbish and the people had to go through an ordeal to get into the stadium. They were exhausted and unfortunately the match did not have anything to excite them either. The match failed to create a festival environment they were hoping to achieve and "go nawaz" go" thing has really become embarrassing now. Its not a pti jalsa, its a goddamn cricketmatch.
 
What stands out for me is how Pakistan's supposed gun players choke when the big moment comes along. It has now become a defining feature of Pakistan cricket
 
Do you understand that it is Pakistan Super League for Pakistan people and you want it not be in Pakistan?

The real fan base is in Pakistan, the money generated to pay off these players are generated from Pakistan, heck this is the domestic competition of Pakistan.

This is just the start and I'm so happy that we have taken that first step. Hopefully things will improve for betterment of Pakistan cricket from here.

why are you bothering? As a overseas Pakistani I'm ashamed of the attitude of some overseas Pakistanis. You people have no idea how important this is for the nation. The final was the single most important event since the asia cup in 2008. Its all well and good living in our pampered lifestyles moaning about this and that but it doesnt help. I feel some people dont want cricket to return to Pakistan just so they can moan.
 
Some positives and negatives of today.

Quality of cricket was largely poor
One-sided match
Quality of overseas players wasn't brilliant
Post match presentation was awful
Some of the commentary terrible
Interviews during the match terrible
Pre match and post match show were absolutely awful
Sethi's awful speech

Full house
World watching a match in Lahore
No security issues
Good support for both teams

the positives completley outweigh the negatives. The setup was last minute and I enjoyed the commentary. the crowd was great, the atmosphere was fine for the first final in Pakistan for a long time. No security issues and great support. For me those things outweighed the negatives.. Feel sorry for Quetta but they were left in the lurch by the foreign players Why isnt anyone discussing that? for all teh moaning about teh pitch Zalmi made 148 which is a reasonable T20 score!! but alas lets moan and moan and moan!!
 
Anything disappointing in this thread is the OP.

Thankless Nation. Aren't you thankful that at least a bunch of International players agreed to travel to a city where bombs were going off just weeks ago? This in itself is a great achievement.
 
A rather ridiculous statement this last one. The integrity of the tournament and cricket was compromised by parachuting new players into a team right at the final, it was a pathetic final. More importantly, what really matters is ODI and test record not some lame T-20 league. On that count Sethi and this PCB have fared miserably. And you think this does anything to the person who challenged the mighty WI, AUS, and led the team to WC victory. Sethi, in contrast, has put us on verge of WC disqualification. PSL is a great cover up.

Not sure what you are talking about. Sethi is not responsible for the performance of the players. The integrity of the tournament was in danger of being compromised, but IMO, the fact that the Zalmi players along with a few umpires and the likes of Jones traveled to Pakistan saved the final. Yes the quality of cricket was poor, but that was more due to the lack of preparation which has already been addressed in this thread.

The notion that it was a bad night for Sethi is ridiculous. He promised to bring the final to Lahore a year ago and he has delivered on his promise, in spite of all the criticism and negativity around the decision. Imran was a legendary cricketer but a very petty and immature politician. He put political interest above national interest and made a series of poor comments in the build up to the final, simply because he knew that Sethi will give credit to the final, and he has been suffering from Sethiphobia for a long time now.

Even his former enemy but now buddy Sheikh Rasheed paid no heed to his comments and proceeded to watch the final. Imran Khan has come out a loser from this episode. As a former cricketing legend, he should have lended his support because this was something that the people wanted and as mentioned before, was in the national interest of Pakistan and a small step towards the revival of international cricket in our country.
 
Anything disappointing in this thread is the OP.

Thankless Nation. Aren't you thankful that at least a bunch of International players agreed to travel to a city where bombs were going off just weeks ago? This in itself is a great achievement.

Yes we are thankful, but why does that mean that the lack of preparation with respect to the pitch and the ground cannot be criticized? No need to be so sensitive.
 
All of the latest equipment that we have today in modern cricket become common after 2009. Hawk-eyes, Snickos, HD / 4K production, Hotspot etc. So no company in Pakistan actually spent money on those since we aren't having cricket since 2009 on home soil. Purchasing them over the night for one game was definitely way expensive. Its not the technology that makes cricket what cricket is, its the spirit and passion of the game.

Crowd wasn't dull. It was immature, instead of chanting Pakistan Zindabad they started chanting political slogans and management turned down their audio in broadcast so you couldn't hear it. People need to act like one nation infront of the world at least.

This won't bring International Cricket in Pakistan? Yes, it will. Just wait and watch. Things aren't done overnight. There is no shortcut. Baby steps needs to be taken. It was first step. Which at least created a portfolio for PCB to show to other teams in terms of security.

Quetta chocked actually, they couldn't able to handle the pressure of final and in resulted in one sided game.

Overall it was a great tournament and good final too. We wanted cricket to win and it won yesterday. Hopefully things will improve over the period of time. Security will improve and technology will get better.

For all those saying all negativity about PSL Final, I will advise them to start looking at things positively, It will help them in their own life in future. "Her chez me keeray ni nikalne chahehye".

No one demanded latest, state of the art equipment. Not sure where you pulled that one from. However, there is absolutely no denying that some of the basics like the condition of the pitch and the state of the outfield was not up to the mark, and reflected the lack of preparation. As I said, the idea of hosting the final in Lahore was proposed almost a year ago, PCB had more than enough time to get the basics right. Lahore is not Dubai and never will be close to Dubai, but the massive step-down in terms of the quality of product could have been avoided. PCB did a much better job with the Zimbabwe tour in 2015. None of these concerns were raised. Valid criticism is not 'keeray nikalna'.
 
All of the latest equipment that we have today in modern cricket become common after 2009. Hawk-eyes, Snickos, HD / 4K production, Hotspot etc. So no company in Pakistan actually spent money on those since we aren't having cricket since 2009 on home soil. Purchasing them over the night for one game was definitely way expensive. Its not the technology that makes cricket what cricket is, its the spirit and passion of the game.

I don't think anyone complained about the latest equipment not being there.


Crowd wasn't dull. It was immature, instead of chanting Pakistan Zindabad they started chanting political slogans and management turned down their audio in broadcast so you couldn't hear it. People need to act like one nation infront of the world at least.

No the crowd was not immature. If anything it was Sethi. If you look at his whole speech you see a lot of political point of views. In the end this was done as a political move instead of a cricket related move. Because it was done to please the masses by bring cricket back to a country no international team has visited since Zimbabwe team.

This won't bring International Cricket in Pakistan? Yes, it will. Just wait and watch. Things aren't done overnight. There is no shortcut. Baby steps needs to be taken. It was first step. Which at least created a portfolio for PCB to show to other teams in terms of security.

Oh really, how will it? You think foreign countries will look at a domestic tournament that is played for 3 hours as a way to come to the country full of terriosim? Lets not forget just before this a terriost bomb exploded in the same city. Pakistan is far from safe. For it to be considered safe it needs to do a lot of work to weed out these terriosts.


Quetta chocked actually, they couldn't able to handle the pressure of final and in resulted in one sided game.

No they were robbed off there foreign players who won them matches up till this point. All to please the nation that is not considered safe. The quality of the final was ruined when this match was made all about politics.

Overall it was a great tournament and good final too. We wanted cricket to win and it won yesterday. Hopefully things will improve over the period of time. Security will improve and technology will get better.

Cricket did not win. What won was its feature in Pakistan.The match did not live up to the hype. Thats because what mattered was it being hosted in Pakistan.

Cricket would have won if both teams were with there best players going all out. This one sided contest was not worth the fact it was hosted in Pakistan.

For all those saying all negativity about PSL Final, I will advise them to start looking at things positively, It will help them in their own life in future. "Her chez me keeray ni nikalne chahehye".

These are not negative things. They are straight forward things that are not said out of some fairy tale. Cricket matters more than politics and this final was more about politics than cricket.
 
You earlier: Kudos to PCB for bringing PSL to Pak. Big achievement! Massive thanks Sethi.

You today: Final here is big disappointment!

Others: Indeed! Poor final, poor camera and pitch. Bad preparation by PCB and Sethi! Incompetence!

You: I agree, but please don't say anything to PCB and Sethi. Massive disappointment but it's not their fault.


That's the summary I see. :usman: :danish

You have got it all wrong. PCB and Sethi did a brilliant job in bringing the final to Lahore in spite of some high-profile politicians needing Burnol. However, he is not responsible for the arrangements for the cricket. That is PCB's jurisdiction and they had ample time to prepare, but they couldn't.

Not sure who are the others you are referring to, but most of the people are being hypersensitive and think the criticism for the low quality of cricket that was on display in the final is unwarranted. When did I say that 'please don't say anything to PCB'? Did you not read the OP? I have clearly mentioned that PCB showed incompetence in preparing for the final and was thus, responsible for the low standard of cricket.
 
Statement remains ridiculous

Not sure what you are talking about. Sethi is not responsible for the performance of the players. The integrity of the tournament was in danger of being compromised, but IMO, the fact that the Zalmi players along with a few umpires and the likes of Jones traveled to Pakistan saved the final. Yes the quality of cricket was poor, but that was more due to the lack of preparation which has already been addressed in this thread.

The notion that it was a bad night for Sethi is ridiculous. He promised to bring the final to Lahore a year ago and he has delivered on his promise, in spite of all the criticism and negativity around the decision. Imran was a legendary cricketer but a very petty and immature politician. He put political interest above national interest and made a series of poor comments in the build up to the final, simply because he knew that Sethi will give credit to the final, and he has been suffering from Sethiphobia for a long time now.

Even his former enemy but now buddy Sheikh Rasheed paid no heed to his comments and proceeded to watch the final. Imran Khan has come out a loser from this episode. As a former cricketing legend, he should have lended his support because this was something that the people wanted and as mentioned before, was in the national interest of Pakistan and a small step towards the revival of international cricket in our country.

There are some major flaws in your argument:

1) You are imputing phobias and psychological diagnoses without any evidence or expertise to make such pronouncements.

2) The integrity of cricket was indeed compromised by messing with the composition of a team right at the final. Dean Jones's presence does not change that.

3) ODI and test record are the yardsticks of a board's quality and success, not staging a T-20 league. Glamour and entertainment are not cricketing qualities. On that count this board recently has fared horribly.

4) IK's larger point that hosting a match under piles of state weaponry does nothing to bring international cricket back is still valid. Privileging entertainment and T-20 leagues over international cricket is more dangerous in the long-run. Imitation of corporate India and following popular trends is not equivalent to bettering quality of cricket.

5) PSL has benefits certainly (exposure to foreign players etc.) but it really is being blown way out of proportion.

6) I respect a leader who makes conceptually sound arguments even if unpopular. The whole "terrorism" was defeated by hosting a cricket match under the arm of a police state is ridiculous nationalistic parading that lacks much nuance.

7) No he is not petty. That's a polemical statement with no argumentative apparatus or weight.
 
It was not confirmed till last week. I heard Sethi saying that they had also reserved Dubai Stadium for the final.
Not much time to prepare after confirmation.
If you look at the 21 minutes highlights on youtube, everything was fine except some grass on the ground.
 
There are some major flaws in your argument:

1) You are imputing phobias and psychological diagnoses without any evidence or expertise to make such pronouncements.

If you are taking things literally, that is your problem. 'Sethiphobia' is a just a convenient term for the obsession Imran has with everything related to Sethi. If you don't see that, then again, it is your problem.
2) The integrity of cricket was indeed compromised by messing with the composition of a team right at the final. Dean Jones's presence does not change that.

Please explain what you mean by 'integrity'. Sure, the quality was compromised to an extent because of the absence of Quetta's foreign players, but the positives of hosting the final in Lahore outweighs the negative. My thread is not intended to disparage the decision to host the final in Lahore, it is simply a reflection on the fact that the PCB did not make the necessary arrangements from a cricketing point of view. The poor quality of the pitch, the barren outfield, the low lights, the botched national anthem and the disorderly presentation ceremony had nothing to do with the absence of Quetta's foreign players. PCB had more than enough to time to prepare for the final and they failed to produce a good quality product.

However, a lot of good will come out of hosting the final in Lahore. The poor quality of cricket has left a temporary impression, but the fact that we were able to host a high-profile match without any hiccups is an incremental step towards bringing international cricket back to Pakistan. Players like Sammy, Samuels, Jordan, Malan etc. and commentators/mentors like Dean Jones, Viv Richards etc. will be more willing to return in the future. If you don't see these benefits then again, it is your problem.
3) ODI and test record are the yardsticks of a board's quality and success, not staging a T-20 league. Glamour and entertainment are not cricketing qualities. On that count this board recently has fared horribly.

Who said that the PCB is successful because they hosted the PSL final? The PCB remains an incompetent and poorly organized board, directly responsible for Pakistan's lack of success. However, even a broken clock is right twice a day. The PCB has made good strides towards bringing international cricket in Pakistan over the last couple of years, and most of it has been at the behest of Sethi. We hosted Zimbabwe in 2015, there have been continuous talks with WI, SL and Bangladesh, Giles Clark also visited recently and now the PSL final. Things are moving in the right direction and that is all we can ask for at this time. We have to take incremental steps towards bringing international cricket in Pakistan. No one is showering praises on the PCB for doing wonders for Pakistan cricket and none is hiding their incompetence. You are simply creating a false narrative to drive home your point.

4) IK's larger point that hosting a match under piles of state weaponry does nothing to bring international cricket back is still valid. Privileging entertainment and T-20 leagues over international cricket is more dangerous in the long-run. Imitation of corporate India and following popular trends is not equivalent to bettering quality of cricket.

Imran is good at criticism but generally doesn't have a viable solution, and is quite good at stating the obvious. The security problems are a reality, and if we wait for the day where we will be able to host international cricket without any heavy security, then we can forget about it for years and years. If Imran was the PM and Pakistan would have hosted the final, he would not have any problem with the state-level security. Unfortunately he doesn't really have a larger point; he only has an axe to grind against Sethi and has failed to put national interest above his political interest.

His major problem with hosting the PSL final in Lahore was that it will make Sethi look good and PML-N would be use it as a selling point in their next election campaign. As former cricketing legend, he should have welcomed this idea and supported it because the people in Pakistan want to cricket at home and it brought joy to thousands of people in the country. Imran failed to talk all of that into consideration. You are obviously a PTI supporter so it is useless arguing with you on this matter, because you would be praising him even if he would have supported the decision to host the final in Lahore, because that would have shown how selfless he is and how he gave paramount importance to the interest of the people etc.

5) PSL has benefits certainly (exposure to foreign players etc.) but it really is being blown way out of proportion.

Again, you are creating a false narrative to manufacture argument which does not exist in the first place. Who has blown the PSL out of proportion?

Is it good for Pakistan cricket in general? Yes

Is it good for the young players? Yes

Will it help in bringing international cricket back to Pakistan? it should, with the right strategy. PSL final this year, maybe play-offs next year and in a few years, bring the whole tournament home.

Will it make Pakistan a cricketing superpower? No

Does Pakistan cricket have bigger issues that the PSL cannot solve? Yes

That's all. There is nothing more to PSL, and I do not see how it is being blown out of proportion.
6) I respect a leader who makes conceptually sound arguments even if unpopular. The whole "terrorism" was defeated by hosting a cricket match under the arm of a police state is ridiculous nationalistic parading that lacks much nuance.

This whole terrorism has been defeated etc. etc. is definitely nothing more than a PML-N hyperbole, who are using this to their political advantage. However, people aren't gullible enough to believe in it and it has been sold to us many times already. Terrorism will not be defeated unless we could go without any bomb blasts and other acts of terrorism for at least a few years. Only last month, we had a wave of terror attacks, so what defeat? However, because of this terrorism, we cannot just sit and do nothing. That is surrendering to terrorism, and just because we have not been able to defeat it yet, it does not meant that we should surrender to it altogether.

It is not a coincidence that Lahore was targeted right before the PSL final. It was a clear tactic to sabotage the final, and the fact that we went forward and hosted the final successfully without any problem showed our capability to bring happiness for the people of Pakistan and host an event in spite of the terrorism. The spirit of the nation has been uplifted once again and Lahore lit up after the darkness of the terrorism last month.

Pakistani people have been starved and isolated for a long time now, and the government and the PCB managed to achieve something that a lot of us thought was too risky, so instead of political point-scoring, we should appreciate what they did. Regardless of the way PML-N politicized it, the fact is that it brought joy to our people and that is all that matters. However, don't worry too much. The people haven't forgotten that we are still rampant with terrorists and we still have a lot of problems, it was just 24 hours of joy and we will back to our normal lives soon.
7) No he is not petty. That's a polemical statement with no argumentative apparatus or weight.

Imran has done a lot for Pakistan both as a cricketer and a philanthropist, for which he will forever remain a national hero. However, as a politician, he is too impulsive and immature, who fails to look at the bigger picture quite often. His intentions are mostly sincere, but he does not have enough control on his mouth and every now and then, he shoots from the hip and his supporters have to clear up the mess and implore people not to take his comments out of context. His comments in the lead up to the final were extremely poor and it is encouraging to see that a lot of PTI supporters on social media have openly stated that his negativity was uncalled for. Even a respected PTI supporter here [MENTION=21699]Pakpak[/MENTION] stated that he thought Imran's comments were out of order.
 
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