PCB, however, gave choice to the overseas players to withdraw from Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 amid fears of Coronavirus.
LAHORE: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-March 13th, 2020) Amid fears of spreading Coronavirus, Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 will go as per planned, Pakistan cricket board(PCB) said here on Friday.
In a statement, PCB said that conference call was held with owners of franchises and reached the conclusion that HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 would go as it was planned including tonight’s Multan Sultans versus Peshawar Zalmi match which would start at the National Stadium at 8pm.
The matches would be played behind closed doors and only event accredited personnel would be allowed to enter the venue.
All players and players support personnel had been given the option to withdraw from the HBL PSL 2020 should they wish to do so. Alex Hales of Karachi Kings, Rilee Rossouw and James Vince of Multan Sultans, Tom Banton, Carlos Brathwaite, Liam Dawson, James Foster (coach), Lewis Gregory and Liam Livingstone of Peshawar Zalmi of Peshawar Zalmi, Jason Roya and Tymal Mills of Quetta Gladiators had confirmed that they would not take part in rest of the match of the PSL.
The teams would be allowed player replacement which would have to be approved by the Event Technical Committee. The PCB would continue to assess and monitor the situation and make decisions as appropriate in consultation with the team owners.
However, no player was tested positive for Coronavirus till date and no discussion took place as yet with regards to the upcoming Pakistan Cup One-Day Tournament and home international matches against Bangladesh.
PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said: “This remains an evolving and unprecedented situation with a number of moving parts that require constant and regular monitoring.
“Today, the PCB and the team owners, as part of their duty of care, have decided to give all the players the option to decide if they wish to return home. Ensuring that the players feel comfortable remains paramount to the PCB.
“As of now, it is important to emphasise and clarify that the main concern of many of the 10 players and a coach, who have chosen to return home, revolves around avoiding a potential situation where they might become stranded either due to flight cancellations or border closures in their own countries.
“The PCB will facilitate their safe return and will ensure the same for all of the players and support staff personnel who decide to withdraw from HBL PSL 2020.
“As stated previously, we will continue to assess and review the situation and will not hesitate to make what we believe are the right decisions for everyone involved.”
