Najam Sethi hints that Hyderabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Multan will host PSL matches in 2019

[Abdullah719]

Najam Sethi speaking after PSL 2018 final:

"Next year we will play in Hyderabad too, the CM said they will repair the stadium"

"Peshawar, Pindi, Multan, here we come"

"Lahore is 20-25k, this is 30-35k. Thing of how difficult the logistics are here, I think everybody chipped in to make it happen. The people of Karachi are joyous and it makes my heart thump louder"

"(PSL 4) We'll need to work out logistics, sometimes it's weekend in UAE and sometimes here so some teams will be there and some teams will be here so we'll figure out these details over time"

"Seating capacity here needs to be fixed, the old seats need to be replaced, enclosures need to be made. There's 30 (corporate) boxes, we need 150 all around the stadium"

"There will be 3 productions teams (for PSL 4). One will be in UAE and two here in Pakistan, one each for North and South. South team will cover Karachi and Multan, North team will cover Pindi, Peshawar and Lahore, Dubai and UAE team will cover Sharjah and Dubai"

"If these matches weren't the wishes of the people, this wouldn't have started. Wherever I went, people would ask when is cricket coming to Pakistan so I decided to do this"

"In each contract it was written that players have to go to Pakistan but it was also written that if there's any accident or there's some reason to not play, we can't force them to tour. So due to that, 3-4 players pulled out but we got excellent replacements for them, this happens, injuries happen, pullouts happen, that's why there's two drafts. Next time when teams come, this question will be raised again and we will make preparations to deal with that"

"Reg Dickason is an international security company appointed by ICC, their green light opened the door for cricket in Karachi. West Indies also listened to them and opened their doors and will now come to Karachi"

 

[Savak]

I don't even need to see any audits, financials to guage how successful the PSL has been for Pakistan Cricket in the long run and for the PCB financially

After the PSL the PCB has done the following

- Hired Mickey Arthur and a few other Foreign Coaches, trainers for the National team

- Rebuilt the Academy in Karachi

- Rebuilt the Academy in Lahore

- Rebuilt Qadhaffi stadium in Lahore

- Rebuilt National Stadium in Karachi and will pursue further work on the National Stadium in Karachi

- Rebuilt the Academy in Multan

- Have plans to launch academies in other areas of Pakistan

- Have plans to rebuilt the Stadiums in Hyderabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Multan

- Are pursuing a costly but a just and well justified compensation claim against the BCCI

All these things are not cheap, they cost money and the PCB was unable to do anything about it from 2009 to 2015 but since the PSL came into existence these above projects have been undertaken ambitiously

 

[Abdul]

Good stuff. Sethi is the man.

 

[mmkextreme_1]

Excellent stuff from Sethi

Hopefully, he sticks around for 5-7 years in the PCB, the guy is doing wonders. Can he be re-elected after this term?

Other things I hope he can do is:

-Make a couple of 2 tier stadiums. Lahore's stadium should have a capacity of 50-60k. Karachi's stadium should have a capacity of 70-80k.

-Make more NCAs across the country.

We are with you Sethi Sahib, make us proud

 

[mmkextreme_1]

Also to add to my above post, love the idea of keeping Dubai and Sharjah in the loop. Since it's not that long of a flight there, I think we should always use those grounds for matches (gives us a few more options in terms of grounds..also sort of makes it unique). Doesn't harm us if we stage 4-6 games there in a tournament. It's not really that far from there.

I think if the number of games is reduced in the Dubai and Sharjah, we will see packed houses there as well (since people would know that there are only a limited amount of games here).

 

[Titan24]

I don't even need to see any audits, financials to guage how successful the PSL has been for Pakistan Cricket in the long run and for the PCB financially

After the PSL the PCB has done the following

- Hired Mickey Arthur and a few other Foreign Coaches, trainers for the National team

- Rebuilt the Academy in Karachi

- Rebuilt the Academy in Lahore

- Rebuilt Qadhaffi stadium in Lahore

- Rebuilt National Stadium in Karachi and will pursue further work on the National Stadium in Karachi

- Rebuilt the Academy in Multan

- Have plans to launch academies in other areas of Pakistan

- Have plans to rebuilt the Stadiums in Hyderabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Multan

- Are pursuing a costly but a just and well justified compensation claim against the BCCI

All these things are not cheap, they cost money and the PCB was unable to do anything about it from 2009 to 2015 but since the PSL came into existence these above projects have been undertaken ambitiously

Totally agreed.

 

[Hasan123]

Good stuff from Sethi. Use the funds from PSL to improve domestic cricket please.

 

[Slog]

I have to say well done to Sethi and PCB and feel that they are due an apology since I used to believe he was not sincere in having cricket return to Karachi.

Obviously there is bias for Lahore and Punjab due to him being from there and his close relations to Sharifs but he delivered!

 

[sohailmm]

I have to say well done to Sethi and PCB and feel that they are due an apology since I used to believe he was not sincere in having cricket return to Karachi.

Obviously there is bias for Lahore and Punjab due to him being from there and his close relations to Sharifs but he delivered!

wow , kuch bhi kr loo , karachi walo k rola khatham nhi ho ga. You guys forget easily that Punjab has biggest share of Pakistan's popluation( more than 60 ). it the food source of whole country.
But nhi Karachi k sath ziadti ho rhi ha .
I am from pindi but I never feel the need to shout at every opportunity that my city is being ignored for PSL. Haven't heard from any city's residents also in Punjab actually

 

[Slog]

wow , kuch bhi kr loo , karachi walo k rola khatham nhi ho ga. You guys forget easily that Punjab has biggest share of Pakistan's popluation( more than 60 ). it the food source of whole country.
But nhi Karachi k sath ziadti ho rhi ha .
I am from pindi but I never feel the need to shout at every opportunity that my city is being ignored for PSL. Haven't heard from any city's residents also in Punjab actually

Karachi runs the whole country with its taxes and industry

And besides you have severe comprehension issues. I am actually acknowledging that I was wrong and that Sethi did well..

 

[Langau]

We all have to pray that he stays for atleast 5-8 more years.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

Good to hear!Sethi has done extremely well.

Hopefully seating capacity is increased and other improvements(repainting,renovation of stands) can be made soon.

 

[Savak]

PCB’s efforts paying positive results for Pakistan cricket: Najam Sethi

LAHORE - Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shairman Najam Saethi has said that the doors of international cricket have opened to Pakistan and PCB’s efforts for resumption of international cricket have started paying positive results.

Speaking here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday at the logo unveiling ceremony of the Pakistan-West Indies three-match T20 series, Sethi said: “The PCB is thankful to all the sponsors and stakeholders for their support for this historic series that sees the return of international cricket to Karachi after nine long years. We are committed to full restoration of international cricket in the country and for that we need continued support of our esteemed sponsors. We look forward to a highly entertaining T20I series that will keep the passionate cricket supporters in Karachi fully engaged and entertained,” he said.

The PCB chief said it was a heartening that foreign cricket team have started visiting Pakistan which will be having a greater impact on the future of cricket in Pakistan. “We don’t only believe in making hollow promises, we believe in delivering, which is evident from PCB’s continuous efforts for the cause of return of international cricket in Pakistan,” he added.

Replying to a query, he said that Cricket West Indies wanted that the names of the players, who are part of the team be disclosed with a bit delay. “After the tour of West Indies team, other foreign teams will also visit Pakistan as we are working on staging international cricket in Pakistan on regular basis,” he said.

Sethi was joyous on the success of Pakistan Super League (PSL) and termed it a successful brand of international cricket leagues. “We need support from people to make the PSL more successful in years to come,” he said.

On Pak-India bilateral cricket series, Sethi said the matter is before the International Cricket Council (ICC) and in few months time, this issue will be resolved as a result is expected in this regard. “I just cannot share details or discuss this matter, which is being heard by the ICC,” he added.

The PCB chief said he was happy on staging the PSL final at Karachi as at one stage, people were not sure that it would take place in the port city and they were having similar doubts regarding the tour of the West Indies team. “All the arrangements have been finalized to hold the series in a smooth manner and we are set to welcome the return of international cricket in Karachi after a gap of nine years,” he said.

He disclosed that the rights of the next three editions of the PSL will be sold out in coming few months as a lot of sponsors are approaching the PCB to be a part of PSL. To another query, he said owing to certain legal complications, the PCB could not setup a separate board of the PSL and keeping in view on the future of the PSL in years to come and ever growing responsibilities of the PSL efforts are underway to find a way out for having a spate board for the PSL.

https://nation.com.pk/30-Mar-2018/pcb-s-efforts-paying-positive-results-for-pak-cricket-sethi

 

[hadi123]

We are doing a good job regarding bringing cricket back to Pakistan.

 

[Abdullah719]

CRICKET: HYDERABAD, NOT IN THEIR LEAGUE

It’s that time of year: the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is around the corner. Cricket lovers are happy because, for the first time, all fixtures of the fifth edition of the league will be staged in Pakistan.

Things have been looking up for international cricket here as well. Sri Lanka arrived in Pakistan in December 2019 to play a two-Test series to end the 10-year-old drought of international cricket on our soil. Then Bangladesh agreed to play a series.

However, Hyderabad’s cricket fans’ agonising wait to see international cricket returning to the only international Test stadium in Sindh after Karachi –– Niaz Stadium –– remains unrealised for want of the required infrastructural development at this ground.

Established by a former commissioner Niaz Ahmed in 1959, Niaz Stadium will not be hosting a single PSL fixture, despite an earlier announcement by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah that it would also host matches. The CM had met with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani last year before announcing that PSL 2020 matches would also be staged at Niaz Stadium Hyderabad in addition to the National Stadium Karachi (NSK).

The CM had even ordered Divisional Commissioner Hyderabad Mohammad Abbas Baloch on March 26, 2019 to initiate necessary measures for the repair and maintenance of Niaz Stadium in order to develop it into a national-level arena where PSL cricket events could be played in 2020.

Spoiler

Sindh is Pakistan’s second largest province and it has only two international cricket stadiums –- NSK and Niaz Stadium –- where the Pakistan cricket team has set historic records. Given its importance, the PCB secured the ground’s administrative control in July 2007 under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the local municipal committee, which is its custodian. The ground remained with it for 11 years until the municipal committee revoked the MoU arbitrarily on April 2, 2018 and seized control of it.

The MoU revocation was understandable only to some extent. The local municipal leadership had the grievance that, while the ground remained with the PCB for 11 long years, the board didn’t honour its commitments made in the MoU, leading to its revocation. The PCB, meanwhile, had its own axe to grind as it explained that the board is not in a position to make heavy investment at any centre due to its own weak financial position.

Pakistan had to pay a heavy price for the deadly terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009. The country was stripped of the 2011 World Cup hosting rights. Pakistan played Tests and ODI series at neutral venues for the next decade and, during this period, the PCB avoided investing in cricket infrastructure at home.

The PCB’s flagship project of PSL then rekindled hopes of reopening the doors of international cricket in Pakistan. International cricket celebrities agreed to play matches in Lahore and Karachi. Now all PSL contests are to be staged in Pakistan, causing greater excitement among cricket lovers. It was after NSK hosted the PSL 2018 final that the Sindh CM hinted at holding more PSL matches in Karachi and Hyderabad. Then came 2019 when another encouraging announcement from the Sindh government was made about the holding of PSL matches in 2020. And yet, Hyderabad’s cricket isolation hasn’t ended.

“Had the ground been with PCB it would have been doing something for it in view of the successful PSL event,” the former Regional Cricket Association (RCA) Hyderabad president, Mir Haider Ali Talpur says. “Did the Qasimabad municipal committee make any noteworthy development at the ground? The answer is an emphatic ‘no’. While it was with the PCB the ground [at least] hosted first class matches regularly. Players such as Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal enjoyed high-scoring matches here,” he says.

He adds that everyone knew that since Pakistan was hosting its home series on neutral venues abroad, the board hadn’t maintained even NSK and Lahore’s Gaddafi stadiums due to the serious financial crunch, and that had only changed when the PSL came here. “It’s time the Sindh government should approach the PCB seriously and hand over the ground to it if it is to be developed as desired,” he says, regretting that Niaz Stadium’s MoU was revoked at a time when chances of holding matches here had improved.

Meanwhile, the CM’s directives issued last year for repair of Niaz Stadium seem not have reached anyone at the ground. The Hyderabad DC in Sept 2019 put up a note for the CM’s principal secretary mentioning that the sports department had not undertaken any major repair work at Niaz Stadium after the CM’s directives. “The ground is under the administrative control of the municipal committee Qasimabad, which is not in a position to maintain an international ground,” the commissioner’s note for CM read.

Since the local municipal council revoked its MoU with the PCB, the board is in no hurry either to do anything for Niaz Stadium, although the DC has almost regularly been pursuing the matter with the PCB. For its part, the PCB has its hands full with its home series and putting together the fifth PSL.

“We are told that the PCB will be sending its representative to visit the stadium,” says Commissioner Abbas Baloch while referring to his correspondence with the PCB. “The municipal council cannot organise international cricket matches as it is not in its mandate, therefore the PCB will have to come forward to handle the situation and we will help the PCB in this regard.”

The PCB was also approached by the Sindh sports department. But the way the sports department approached the PCB tells us a lot about the lack of professionalism involved. A deputy secretary of the department Mohammad Zia Abbas addressed a letter to the PCB chairman directly on March 21, 2019, stating the “CM Sindh has been pleased to desire that Niaz Stadium Hyderabad may be readied for international matches.” The language of the letter suggests that the PCB was under an obligation to do this. The bureaucrat who penned the letter didn’t even know if the PCB was headquartered in Lahore or Islamabad. He also didn’t know that, after the revocation of the MoU, Niaz Stadium is not the PCB’s liability and that the local municipal administration is squarely responsible to ensure its upkeep.

PCB official Lt Col (rtd) Ashfaq Ahmed, on April 3, 2019 simply responded to the March 21 communication by mentioning that the “stadium which was forcefully taken over by the municipal committee on April 2, 2018 is, therefore, no longer under PCB’s control. The Sindh government may undertake necessary renovation and upgradation of the stadium being under its administrative control.”

Col Ashfaq Ahmed tells Eos over the phone from Lahore that he had briefed the PCB chairman about his conversations and correspondence with the divisional commissioner regarding the stadium. “The PCB chairman has asked me to visit the ground personally before the board takes any decision. I will soon be visiting Hyderabad,” he says. He, however, hasn’t visited the stadium since then.

Niaz Stadium was the ground where the current Prime Minister and former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan played several matches in front of a packed-to-capacity crowd. He seemed to have a somewhat personal attachment to it too. When he started his political career, he had walked up to the stadium from the hotel he was staying at across the road from it. The ground at the time was being used for a wedding ceremony of an influential family. He inspected the outfield and regretted how a quality stadium had being destroyed.

Still, everything is not lost. It is apparent that the Sindh government realises it need to hand over the stadium to the PCB. Cricket lovers here also expect PM Khan to put his foot down to save the historic Niaz Stadium and make sure that the PCB undertakes serious efforts in not only agreeing to get back control of the ground from the municipal administration but also upgrade it in line with its past commitments.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1531944/cricket-hyderabad-not-in-their-league

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Forget about it, not when the PPP is in charge.

 

[KyoOne]

CRICKET: HYDERABAD, NOT IN THEIR LEAGUE

It’s that time of year: the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is around the corner. Cricket lovers are happy because, for the first time, all fixtures of the fifth edition of the league will be staged in Pakistan.

Things have been looking up for international cricket here as well. Sri Lanka arrived in Pakistan in December 2019 to play a two-Test series to end the 10-year-old drought of international cricket on our soil. Then Bangladesh agreed to play a series.

However, Hyderabad’s cricket fans’ agonising wait to see international cricket returning to the only international Test stadium in Sindh after Karachi –– Niaz Stadium –– remains unrealised for want of the required infrastructural development at this ground.

Established by a former commissioner Niaz Ahmed in 1959, Niaz Stadium will not be hosting a single PSL fixture, despite an earlier announcement by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah that it would also host matches. The CM had met with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani last year before announcing that PSL 2020 matches would also be staged at Niaz Stadium Hyderabad in addition to the National Stadium Karachi (NSK).

The CM had even ordered Divisional Commissioner Hyderabad Mohammad Abbas Baloch on March 26, 2019 to initiate necessary measures for the repair and maintenance of Niaz Stadium in order to develop it into a national-level arena where PSL cricket events could be played in 2020.

Spoiler

Sindh is Pakistan’s second largest province and it has only two international cricket stadiums –- NSK and Niaz Stadium –- where the Pakistan cricket team has set historic records. Given its importance, the PCB secured the ground’s administrative control in July 2007 under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the local municipal committee, which is its custodian. The ground remained with it for 11 years until the municipal committee revoked the MoU arbitrarily on April 2, 2018 and seized control of it.

The MoU revocation was understandable only to some extent. The local municipal leadership had the grievance that, while the ground remained with the PCB for 11 long years, the board didn’t honour its commitments made in the MoU, leading to its revocation. The PCB, meanwhile, had its own axe to grind as it explained that the board is not in a position to make heavy investment at any centre due to its own weak financial position.

Pakistan had to pay a heavy price for the deadly terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009. The country was stripped of the 2011 World Cup hosting rights. Pakistan played Tests and ODI series at neutral venues for the next decade and, during this period, the PCB avoided investing in cricket infrastructure at home.

The PCB’s flagship project of PSL then rekindled hopes of reopening the doors of international cricket in Pakistan. International cricket celebrities agreed to play matches in Lahore and Karachi. Now all PSL contests are to be staged in Pakistan, causing greater excitement among cricket lovers. It was after NSK hosted the PSL 2018 final that the Sindh CM hinted at holding more PSL matches in Karachi and Hyderabad. Then came 2019 when another encouraging announcement from the Sindh government was made about the holding of PSL matches in 2020. And yet, Hyderabad’s cricket isolation hasn’t ended.

“Had the ground been with PCB it would have been doing something for it in view of the successful PSL event,” the former Regional Cricket Association (RCA) Hyderabad president, Mir Haider Ali Talpur says. “Did the Qasimabad municipal committee make any noteworthy development at the ground? The answer is an emphatic ‘no’. While it was with the PCB the ground [at least] hosted first class matches regularly. Players such as Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal enjoyed high-scoring matches here,” he says.

He adds that everyone knew that since Pakistan was hosting its home series on neutral venues abroad, the board hadn’t maintained even NSK and Lahore’s Gaddafi stadiums due to the serious financial crunch, and that had only changed when the PSL came here. “It’s time the Sindh government should approach the PCB seriously and hand over the ground to it if it is to be developed as desired,” he says, regretting that Niaz Stadium’s MoU was revoked at a time when chances of holding matches here had improved.

Meanwhile, the CM’s directives issued last year for repair of Niaz Stadium seem not have reached anyone at the ground. The Hyderabad DC in Sept 2019 put up a note for the CM’s principal secretary mentioning that the sports department had not undertaken any major repair work at Niaz Stadium after the CM’s directives. “The ground is under the administrative control of the municipal committee Qasimabad, which is not in a position to maintain an international ground,” the commissioner’s note for CM read.

Since the local municipal council revoked its MoU with the PCB, the board is in no hurry either to do anything for Niaz Stadium, although the DC has almost regularly been pursuing the matter with the PCB. For its part, the PCB has its hands full with its home series and putting together the fifth PSL.

“We are told that the PCB will be sending its representative to visit the stadium,” says Commissioner Abbas Baloch while referring to his correspondence with the PCB. “The municipal council cannot organise international cricket matches as it is not in its mandate, therefore the PCB will have to come forward to handle the situation and we will help the PCB in this regard.”

The PCB was also approached by the Sindh sports department. But the way the sports department approached the PCB tells us a lot about the lack of professionalism involved. A deputy secretary of the department Mohammad Zia Abbas addressed a letter to the PCB chairman directly on March 21, 2019, stating the “CM Sindh has been pleased to desire that Niaz Stadium Hyderabad may be readied for international matches.” The language of the letter suggests that the PCB was under an obligation to do this. The bureaucrat who penned the letter didn’t even know if the PCB was headquartered in Lahore or Islamabad. He also didn’t know that, after the revocation of the MoU, Niaz Stadium is not the PCB’s liability and that the local municipal administration is squarely responsible to ensure its upkeep.

PCB official Lt Col (rtd) Ashfaq Ahmed, on April 3, 2019 simply responded to the March 21 communication by mentioning that the “stadium which was forcefully taken over by the municipal committee on April 2, 2018 is, therefore, no longer under PCB’s control. The Sindh government may undertake necessary renovation and upgradation of the stadium being under its administrative control.”

Col Ashfaq Ahmed tells Eos over the phone from Lahore that he had briefed the PCB chairman about his conversations and correspondence with the divisional commissioner regarding the stadium. “The PCB chairman has asked me to visit the ground personally before the board takes any decision. I will soon be visiting Hyderabad,” he says. He, however, hasn’t visited the stadium since then.

Niaz Stadium was the ground where the current Prime Minister and former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan played several matches in front of a packed-to-capacity crowd. He seemed to have a somewhat personal attachment to it too. When he started his political career, he had walked up to the stadium from the hotel he was staying at across the road from it. The ground at the time was being used for a wedding ceremony of an influential family. He inspected the outfield and regretted how a quality stadium had being destroyed.

Still, everything is not lost. It is apparent that the Sindh government realises it need to hand over the stadium to the PCB. Cricket lovers here also expect PM Khan to put his foot down to save the historic Niaz Stadium and make sure that the PCB undertakes serious efforts in not only agreeing to get back control of the ground from the municipal administration but also upgrade it in line with its past commitments.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1531944/cricket-hyderabad-not-in-their-league

Its strange to read that there is an organisation more inept than the PCB!