Should the remaining games of PSL 6 be played in the UAE?

[Ertugrul_Bey]

At the start of PSL 6, I saw some franchise owner making arrogant statements saying we are holding our league in our own country, while the neighbors had to go to UAE.

I think BCCI played it really smart by not holding IPL in India. They have all the money in the world to create Bio secure bubble in multiple states but they took the easy route and organized it in UAE. This way they limited the human interaction that we witnessed during PSL. Players interacting with their families and franchise owners. Fans walking around in the players hotels and taking pictures with them. It’s like the breach of protocol and embarrassment in NZ didn’t teach them any lesson.

If PCB wants to complete the PSL 6th season, the remaining match must be move to UAE. PCB should only allow players and staff to travel with the team. Owners should be given enclosures within the stadium that are far away from players. I don’t see PSL being held in Pakistan once again without being another breach in SOP protocol. If that were to happen then that will close the door of all future visits to Pakistan from any credible team.

 

[Rana]

Just get everyone vaccinated and make sure to only sign those overseas players who have been vaccinated in their countries.

It’s the only way out of this

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

This mentality of taking a dig at others when your own house can also crumble, has to stop.
PCB and Pakistan fans need to stop talking about BCCI and IPL and stop taking digs, focus inwards on their own improvement.
I am confident that BCCI host's IPL in India, they will spend good amount of effort and money to secure the bubble. Also, BCCI always has Plan A and B ready, Like in 2009/10 they had South Africa as Plan B.
BCCI is a well run corporate entity with efficiency, PCB looks like incompetent Ghar Ki Company looking clueless.

 

[Ertugrul_Bey]

Just get everyone vaccinated and make sure to only sign those overseas players who have been vaccinated in their countries.

It’s the only way out of this

Vaccination doesn’t prevent a person from getting COVID-19. The vaccine only help your body fight it better and ensures a person doesn’t get severely sick. Knowing how irresponsible our players are, it won’t work.

 

[zacattakk]

The only way to stay safe is to ensure a biosecure bubble is strictly adhered to. If they didnt do it here (PCB and the franchises), why would it work in the UAE. If the franchises are recklessly breaching the bubble here in Pakistan and the PCB did nothing about it, then changing the country wont make any difference.

We have finally resumed cricket in Pakistan after years of effort. Running back to the UAE at the first big issue will do a tremendous amount of harm in the long run.

 

[nextover666666]

This mentality of taking a dig at others when your own house can also crumble, has to stop.
PCB and Pakistan fans need to stop talking about BCCI and IPL and stop taking digs, focus inwards on their own improvement.
I am confident that BCCI host's IPL in India, they will spend good amount of effort and money to secure the bubble. Also, BCCI always has Plan A and B ready, Like in 2009/10 they had South Africa as Plan B.
BCCI is a well run corporate entity with efficiency, PCB looks like incompetent Ghar Ki Company looking clueless.

Bcci is the most corrupt and money greedy board out their

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Bcci is the most corrupt and money greedy board out their

You can say what you want. BCCI is the most well run and efficient board and it shows with results on and off the ground.

Take a stock of how PCB is run and fix issues inward.

 

[moghul]

Just get everyone vaccinated and make sure to only sign those overseas players who have been vaccinated in their countries.

It’s the only way out of this

Yes, vaccine is the only way forward.

 

[moghul]

.Vaccination doesn’t prevent a person from getting COVID-19 The vaccine only help your body fight it better and ensures a person doesn’t get severely sick. Knowing how irresponsible our players are, it won’t work.

Thats incorrect, vaccine prevents a person from getting sick from the covid 19 and prevents him from spreading the virus.

 

[JattMaula]

Thats incorrect, vaccine prevents a person from getting sick from the covid 19 and prevents him from spreading the virus.

Do those low efficacy vaccines like 'oxford' really prevent all injected from becoming virus vectors if they catch infection? Do you have any definitive source for this?

 

[NoBallZombie]

You can say what you want. BCCI is the most well run and efficient board and it shows with results on and off the ground.

Take a stock of how PCB is run and fix issues inward.

I agree. Even if we claim its the most money-hungry board, at least they are putting some of their money to protect their assets (and tournaments) whereas PCB has managed to (almost) kill the goose that lays the golden eggs!

 

[moghul]

Do those low efficacy vaccines like 'oxford' really prevent all injected from becoming virus vectors if they catch infection? Do you have any definitive source for this?

There is no such thing as low efficacy vaccine .

 

[Hasan]

No.

 

[Varun]

This is not a terrorist attack.

Location has nothing to do with the PSL being postponed.

 

[UzmanBeast]

This mentality of taking a dig at others when your own house can also crumble, has to stop.
PCB and Pakistan fans need to stop talking about BCCI and IPL and stop taking digs, focus inwards on their own improvement.
I am confident that BCCI host's IPL in India, they will spend good amount of effort and money to secure the bubble. Also, BCCI always has Plan A and B ready, Like in 2009/10 they had South Africa as Plan B.
BCCI is a well run corporate entity with efficiency, PCB looks like incompetent Ghar Ki Company looking clueless.

Agreed, BCCI demonstrates a very high level of professionalism because they understand how important the IPL is as a brand, but also how important it is for the country.

PCB is run by clowns who don't have any clues about deploying the correct infrastructure and creating a secure bio-bubble.

If PCB wants to fix this issue, they need to minimize all contact. Book out the entire hotel, have 1 floor per team and more if needed. Reserve a floor for people who may have tested positive. The players should be vaccinated, but those who refuse the vaccination should be asked to give frequent COVID-19 tests to make sure that they are not carrying the virus.

The hotels should be cordoned off, the staff should not have any interaction with the players, the provided food must be made with extreme care and the cooks/chefs must be tested frequently as well. Fan capacity must be minimum near the areas where the teams exit from, and they should not be allowed near the team buses.

Players must be fined for any breaches, and should not be allowed to play for 2 weeks even if they test negative as it jeapordizes the tournament.

Lastly, the franchises who tried resisting the COVID-19 Protocols (Peshawar Zalmi who think they are such a big franchise that can boycott the league) need to be severely punished. I would not care at all if it means that PZ have to sit out of the tournament, their owner can try to sell his cars and interact with fans all he likes. This PSL Hamare Heroes needs to be well looked into, it's not a bad initiative, but maybe it could be a virtual innings break event shown to the viewers, or it could be during the Tapal Strategic Timeout.

A lot more professionalism is required, and this PSL was supposed to be extremely important in terms of identifying players for their roles in the T20 WC. Without this PSL, we would not have seen that Haider truly fits in at the #5 and #6 position quite well. Shahnawaz Dahani did well, and he could have finished up as the leading wicket taker if he continued at the same rate. Similarly, none of our touted power hitters did well, so that's an area of concern. There isn't enough data to be able to make a good decision about how the team will look, and we are now dangerously under prepared for the WC.

 

[Savak]

Agreed, BCCI demonstrates a very high level of professionalism because they understand how important the IPL is as a brand, but also how important it is for the country.

PCB is run by clowns who don't have any clues about deploying the correct infrastructure and creating a secure bio-bubble.

If PCB wants to fix this issue, they need to minimize all contact. Book out the entire hotel, have 1 floor per team and more if needed. Reserve a floor for people who may have tested positive. The players should be vaccinated, but those who refuse the vaccination should be asked to give frequent COVID-19 tests to make sure that they are not carrying the virus.

The hotels should be cordoned off, the staff should not have any interaction with the players, the provided food must be made with extreme care and the cooks/chefs must be tested frequently as well. Fan capacity must be minimum near the areas where the teams exit from, and they should not be allowed near the team buses.

Players must be fined for any breaches, and should not be allowed to play for 2 weeks even if they test negative as it jeapordizes the tournament.

Lastly, the franchises who tried resisting the COVID-19 Protocols (Peshawar Zalmi who think they are such a big franchise that can boycott the league) need to be severely punished. I would not care at all if it means that PZ have to sit out of the tournament, their owner can try to sell his cars and interact with fans all he likes. This PSL Hamare Heroes needs to be well looked into, it's not a bad initiative, but maybe it could be a virtual innings break event shown to the viewers, or it could be during the Tapal Strategic Timeout.

A lot more professionalism is required, and this PSL was supposed to be extremely important in terms of identifying players for their roles in the T20 WC. Without this PSL, we would not have seen that Haider truly fits in at the #5 and #6 position quite well. Shahnawaz Dahani did well, and he could have finished up as the leading wicket taker if he continued at the same rate. Similarly, none of our touted power hitters did well, so that's an area of concern. There isn't enough data to be able to make a good decision about how the team will look, and we are now dangerously under prepared for the WC.

It is not easy to cordon off an entire hotel, do you think the Hotel will risk losses just for the sake of handful of players and officials. Or the PCB agrees to reimburse the hotel for the loss of clients which will be a big fat bill.

 

[Hasan]

It is not easy to cordon off an entire hotel, do you think the Hotel will risk losses just for the sake of handful of players and officials. Or the PCB agrees to reimburse the hotel for the loss of clients which will be a big fat bill.

Agreed. These people who are asking for PCB officials to slash their own wrists or be thrown from the highest building are being stupid. People need to keep calm and relaxed and let’s the situation play itself out. PSL will be fine.

 

[Rana]

There is no such thing as low efficacy vaccine .

Lol exactly, not sure why the NHS who are ones that have been crying lockdown since day 1 would be working tirelessly to ensure that the vaccine rollout is carried out swiftly and effectively. The bulk of the vaccines available to the public are Oxford AstraZeneca, and the vast majority of the public who have taken this virus seriously are the ones flocking to the vaccine centres to get their Jab.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

It is not easy to cordon off an entire hotel, do you think the Hotel will risk losses just for the sake of handful of players and officials. Or the PCB agrees to reimburse the hotel for the loss of clients which will be a big fat bill.

They should have booked the entire hotel. Complete PSL happening in Pakistan, is a very big deal and no stone should have been left unturned.

PCB has the support of federal govt, Sindh Govt, Pakistan Army and Rangers.

Everything was at their disposal because this was the FIRST FULL PSL AT HOME for Pakistan. Sorry for going bold but this was a big deal, completely screwed up.

Even hotel owners could have included in to give some discount because ultimately It would be marketed as doing something great for the nation.
You can create a very good narrative.

Very big opportunity missed, and for what, some few million rupees extra.

I am sorry but someone needs to take responsibility and heads need to roll.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Agreed, BCCI demonstrates a very high level of professionalism because they understand how important the IPL is as a brand, but also how important it is for the country.

PCB is run by clowns who don't have any clues about deploying the correct infrastructure and creating a secure bio-bubble.

If PCB wants to fix this issue, they need to minimize all contact. Book out the entire hotel, have 1 floor per team and more if needed. Reserve a floor for people who may have tested positive. The players should be vaccinated, but those who refuse the vaccination should be asked to give frequent COVID-19 tests to make sure that they are not carrying the virus.

The hotels should be cordoned off, the staff should not have any interaction with the players, the provided food must be made with extreme care and the cooks/chefs must be tested frequently as well. Fan capacity must be minimum near the areas where the teams exit from, and they should not be allowed near the team buses.

Players must be fined for any breaches, and should not be allowed to play for 2 weeks even if they test negative as it jeapordizes the tournament.

Lastly, the franchises who tried resisting the COVID-19 Protocols (Peshawar Zalmi who think they are such a big franchise that can boycott the league) need to be severely punished. I would not care at all if it means that PZ have to sit out of the tournament, their owner can try to sell his cars and interact with fans all he likes. This PSL Hamare Heroes needs to be well looked into, it's not a bad initiative, but maybe it could be a virtual innings break event shown to the viewers, or it could be during the Tapal Strategic Timeout.

A lot more professionalism is required, and this PSL was supposed to be extremely important in terms of identifying players for their roles in the T20 WC. Without this PSL, we would not have seen that Haider truly fits in at the #5 and #6 position quite well. Shahnawaz Dahani did well, and he could have finished up as the leading wicket taker if he continued at the same rate. Similarly, none of our touted power hitters did well, so that's an area of concern. There isn't enough data to be able to make a good decision about how the team will look, and we are now dangerously under prepared for the WC.

I am just surprised at PCB. It is a money making goose, so you do everything to protect it.
They have screwed it big time losing money now.

 

[ex-q-zit]

If they dont have robust SOPs and dont follow them strictly it doesn't matter in which country you play, the infections are bound to happen. If only they had better protocols and strict adherence this could have been avoided. The number of celebrity cheerleaders in close proximity to the players was a joke and to top it off ad shoots in hotels which where clearly public.

Even if they hold PSL in UAE and do the same things the end result would be the same.

 

[MenInG]

After the 2021 Pakistan Super League (PSL) was suspended due to a Covid-19 outbreak in the teams, Salman Iqbal, the Karachi Kings owner, hinted at bringing the remaining matches of the high-profile T20 league to the UAE later this year.

The PSL was suspended indefinitely by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday after the league, which started on February 20, was hit by three new Covid-19 positive cases, taking the tally to seven.

The PCB announcement came after 14 of the 20 preliminary games were hosted in Karachi.

And the Karachi Kings owner Iqbal revealed that he had, during the owners’ meeting with the cricket board on Thursday, asked the PCB to take the remaining matches to the UAE.

But moving the whole tournament immediately from Pakistan to the UAE amid a pandemic has its challenges.

The PCB, eventually, decided to suspend the tournament.

But the UAE, according to Iqbal, remains an option when the cricket board decides to host the remaining matches later this year.

During an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times, Iqbal acknowledged that the resounding success of the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) and other world-class sporting events amid the pandemic bears testimony to the UAE’s status as one of the safest countries in the world.

“I made a suggestion before the PSL started to shift the tournament to the UAE. But they wanted to do it in Pakistan because the SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) were very strong,” Iqbal told Khaleej Times on Thursday.

“And even now, we suggested that instead of cancelling the event, move it to Dubai. But the problem is everyone involved in the tournament will need to go into isolation again for seven days or 10 days as per the rules in the UAE.

“The players would not have been able to sustain such isolation again immediately. So that’s why we have suspended it. But I think for the next plan, yes, the UAE could be an option.”

The team owners and the PCB’s next plan of action will be to look at a new window to stage the rest of the matches.

“We were talking about that in the meeting. First we figured out that the season had to be suspended. The second step was to manage all the foreign and national players’ travel, so they reach home safe. And after all that, we have to figure out the best time or the window to have the remaining matches of the season,” said Iqbal.

The 2020 edition of the PSL was also suspended in March last year due to the Covid-19 outbreak. When the tournament resumed last November, it was Karachi Kings that won the title.

But Iqbal believes the PCB could have easily avoided the situation this time.

“I think the SOPs were not followed, the (Pakistan Super League) management was poor. They could have done a much better job,” Iqbal said.

“Yes, it’s disappointing, not only for the owners, but for the crowds and the cricket lovers all around the world. It’s a big disappointment. But, of course, safety comes first.”

Iqbal also revealed that big names like Dale Steyn (Quetta Gladiators) and Andy Flower (Multan Sultans head coach) were worried about the Covid-19 situation during the tournament.

“They were worried. But we made sure that the SOPs were tightened. The first Covid incident happened three days ago. But I think the best solution that we decided on today in the PSL meeting at 11am (PST) was to suspend the tournament,” Iqbal said.

“We wanted to keep the players safe. Now the PSL management is working on the travel plan to safely send the foreign players to their respective countries after doing the fresh Covid-19 tests.”

https://www.khaleejtimes.com/sport/...stage-remaining-psl-matches-says-salman-iqbal

 

[hashimafzal]

It is not easy to cordon off an entire hotel, do you think the Hotel will risk losses just for the sake of handful of players and officials. Or the PCB agrees to reimburse the hotel for the loss of clients which will be a big fat bill.

The NBA invested $160 million to cordon off the entire Disney Resort in Florida (which is made up of multiple hotels) to finish off their season in 2020.

No one is asking the PCB to invest $160 million or cordon off disney. You just need to cordon off 1-2 local hotels.

If you want it to be done, it can be done.

 

[JattMaula]

There is no such thing as low efficacy vaccine .

Then how is a vaccine trial result counted?

 

[UzmanBeast]

I am just surprised at PCB. It is a money making goose, so you do everything to protect it.
They have screwed it big time losing money now.

PSL earns a lot of revenue for PCB, and it is a huge loss considering the broadcast deals that the PCB had with Sky Sports, Sony Ten, and others.

They need to think of something very, very quickly.

If it's possible, they could move all the games to the Gaddafi, and start fresh, by booking an entire hotel, even two if needed.

They need to seriously try and minimize the damage, and one thing which shows the lack of planning is how they didn't identify any window where they could play if the tournament got postponed. If PCB had any sort of planning, they would have delayed the Zimbabwe tour which frankly is of no importance.

 

[UzmanBeast]

The NBA invested $160 million to cordon off the entire Disney Resort in Florida (which is made up of multiple hotels) to finish off their season in 2020.

No one is asking the PCB to invest $160 million or cordon off disney. You just need to cordon off 1-2 local hotels.

If you want it to be done, it can be done.

Agreed, if I'm not mistaken, PCB booked out the entire hotel when the Zimbabwe team came.

Man-to-man management was poor, to say the least.

PCB should book at least 2-3 local hotels, there are 6 franchises, only two should stay in the same hotel to minimize contact and make contact tracing more effective. Similarly, all team owners need to leave. Javed Afridi started this whole fiasco, and he should be fined extensively, or he should be banned from future PSL games, both would work fine by me.

Players who breach protocols should be subject to fines, and this rule should have been made clear. No selfies with fans, no contact with people outside the bubble, nothing of that sort.

It could have all been done if there was some more thinking, and some akal involved in the planning.

Braindead board.

 

[Hasan123]

The PSL should only resume when PCB can promise the bio bubble will be maintained and no one who should not be in the bio bubble will come in and out of it. Moving the PSL to the UAE won’t do anything if the protocols won’t be followed.

 

[moghul]

Then how is a vaccine trial result counted?

There are already more than one thread on this topic with very useful information, in time pass forum.

 

[Savak]

Agreed, if I'm not mistaken, PCB booked out the entire hotel when the Zimbabwe team came.

Man-to-man management was poor, to say the least.

PCB should book at least 2-3 local hotels, there are 6 franchises, only two should stay in the same hotel to minimize contact and make contact tracing more effective. Similarly, all team owners need to leave. Javed Afridi started this whole fiasco, and he should be fined extensively, or he should be banned from future PSL games, both would work fine by me.

Players who breach protocols should be subject to fines, and this rule should have been made clear. No selfies with fans, no contact with people outside the bubble, nothing of that sort.

It could have all been done if there was some more thinking, and some akal involved in the planning.

Braindead board.

The PCB allowed family members of the players inside the Bio Secure bubble but that has its own risks because you can't expect wives and kids to be 100% disciplined when it comes to Bio-Secure bubbles. Maybe going forward the PCB need to disallow family members from staying in the bubble.

 

[Mahee]

I still don't understand why PSL was called off...all the players involved in PSL are under 40 years of age. except Afridi who is 46, nobody is at risk of dying from covid even if they are infected... coming back to afridi, he's already recovered from the disease few months ago and no way he could get reinfected in such a short span of time

 

[UzmanBeast]

The PCB allowed family members of the players inside the Bio Secure bubble but that has its own risks because you can't expect wives and kids to be 100% disciplined when it comes to Bio-Secure bubbles. Maybe going forward the PCB need to disallow family members from staying in the bubble.

Yes, our players are grown adults and need to understand the maturity of their roles. If they required time with their families, they should have submitted a request to the PCB like Imad did in the SAF T20 series.

 

[hashimafzal]

I still don't understand why PSL was called off...all the players involved in PSL are under 40 years of age. except Afridi who is 46, nobody is at risk of dying from covid even if they are infected... coming back to afridi, he's already recovered from the disease few months ago and no way he could get reinfected in such a short span of time

Because the foreign players felt unsafe and wanted to go home.

 

[MenInG]

PCB seem to have ignored this idea but to me the only safe way to get the PSL resumed is to be in a neutral environment.

Fact is that there are no crowds in Pakistan due to COVID - so UAE stadiums will be fine and most importantly will be policed independently when it comes to enforcement of SOPs etc.

 

[Last Monetarist]

PCB seem to have ignored this idea but to me the only safe way to get the PSL resumed is to be in a neutral environment.

Fact is that there are no crowds in Pakistan due to COVID - so UAE stadiums will be fine and most importantly will be policed independently when it comes to enforcement of SOPs etc.

I agree that in practice moving the tournament to the UAE is the most feasible way to complete it. However, the impression and message this will send will damage Pakistan cricket significantly in the long-run. It's taken years of hard work to get cricket to return to Pakistan, they can't undo all that by taking a short-term decision. I actually feel it would be better to cancel the tournament altogether if they can't host it at home.

 

[MenInG]

I agree that in practice moving the tournament to the UAE is the most feasible way to complete it. However, the impression and message this will send will damage Pakistan cricket significantly in the long-run. It's taken years of hard work to get cricket to return to Pakistan, they can't undo all that by taking a short-term decision. I actually feel it would be better to cancel the tournament altogether if they can't host it at home.

My concern is what if there is a second postponement? The damage would also be huge.

Guess both options have their own drawbacks.

 

[Shoaibbtt]

PCB seem to have ignored this idea but to me the only safe way to get the PSL resumed is to be in a neutral environment.

Fact is that there are no crowds in Pakistan due to COVID - so UAE stadiums will be fine and most importantly will be policed independently when it comes to enforcement of SOPs etc.

I am fully against doing it in the UAE on the basis of a new strain of Covid which suspended flights in the UK, if you want to do the PSL then we must do it in Lahore and ensure all games are now behind closed doors.

 

[Last Monetarist]

My concern is what if there is a second postponement? The damage would also be huge.

Guess both options have their own drawbacks.

I hope they are not so incompetent to take any additional risks with the biosecure bubble if they get a chance to restart the tournament this year.

 

[Savak]

The option of the UAE is unacceptable. He'll no, do it in Pakistan

 

[shamaan]

They should not play the rest of the psl in UAE