Should The PSL Final Be Held In Lahore?

Feb 24, 2017 at 2:55 PM

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Should The PSL Final Be Held In Lahore?

In a couple of weeks, the Gaddafi Stadium in the city of Lahore is expected to play a giant role in reviving international cricket in Pakistan. The ambitious Pakistan Super League (PSL), which has already grabbed international limelight for its success in the inaugural edition, was supposed to act as the catalyst with the chairman Najam Sethi finally succeeded in convincing the franchises to play in the city.

However, Pakistan’s efforts to bring international cricket back home has suffered a huge blow after the deadly blast rocked the upscale market in Lahore. The explosion at a shopping area in Lahore has killed at least eight and wounded dozens in the country’s latest surge of violence. What’s alarming is that the blast took place a day after the military announced the start of an anti-terror operation and just a few days after another terror attack in the city.

Now it seems the fate of cricket in Pakistan lays in the hands of the terrorists who have tarnished the image of the country.

Pakistan hasn’t hosted any major Test playing nation for the last seven years since terrorists attacked the Sri Lanka team bus – also in Lahore – in 2009. They took a tiny step towards hosting an international team and it became a reality in 2015 when Zimbabwe toured the country. But that did little to help Pakistan’s cause.

The question around the participation of foreign players in the final remains unanswered. The Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) issued a report warning that an “acceptable level of participant security and safety cannot be expected or guaranteed” in Pakistan.

Players have already shown their insecurities. Three star players – Chris Gayle, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene – already have rejected the idea of playing at Lahore. This has happened despite PCB reportedly offering 10,000 to 50, 000 USD to support Sethi’s initiative.

Soon, after the recent attack, Ben Duckett, the Englishman who plays for Islamabad United, voiced his concern through a tweet which urged the PCB to shift the March 5 final to Dubai.

Effforts are in full swing to ensure security. The Punjab government has set up a committee, comprising of comprises members from the interior ministry, police and law enforcement agencies and provincial ministers, who will advise the chief minister in order to ensure security for the PSL final. It is understood that Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa has already declared that the PSL final will take place in Lahore as per the original plan.

But will it be possible for PCB to convince a country’s cricketing board and their security analyst in the future? Would the players like playing at venues heavily guarded by Army men with possibilities of dangerous skirmishes? No, it won’t be possible.

PSL chairman Najam Sethi seems to be defiant about the volatile situation in Pakistan. He has been quite adamant about the Lahore final. He was upbeat and did what he could in order to convince the franchises and its players to agree and play the final in Pakistan’s second largest city of Lahore.

But, the only logical method to ensure the revival of International cricket in Pakistan at the moment seems to loosen up the snaffle a bit and wait for the tensions to mellow down in the country.

As most would agree, even the smallest of incidents with any of the foreign cricketer in the centre would definitely put Pakistan in a very unfortunate and terrible position. This sort of limelight would only snatch away confidence of cricketers have in the PCB. And, If there is an overreaction, its might affect the PSL directly next year.

While Sethi’s recent moves clearly shows his strong motivation to re-open the gates of international cricket in Pakistan, it would be rather sensible to shift the grand event to the next best possible venue – Dubai – and ensure a smooth end to the country’s most recognisable tournament.

To conclude, Sethi, for all his quiet confidence, must safeguard PCB’s most prized asset – The Pakistan Super League – and should avoid risking it with some hasty decision making.

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