For a long time now, we have heard about the prospects of Pakistan Cricket Board launching it’s own T20 league. On many occasions, these efforts have faced hurdles that have been hard to overcome. This time, things are on track to redefine Pakistan’s cricket!
On February 4, 2016, Pakistan cricket will take another giant step towards adapting to the requirements of modern-day cricket. How so?
To begin with, PSL will allow emerging Pakistani players to rub shoulders with some of the best minds in cricket. Imagine a youngester from, say, Quetta sharing a dressing room with Gayle or Watson. Imagine a young fast bowler from Peshawar getting to learn the tricks of the trade from someone like Allan Donald.
In short, our younger lot will get in to a fast-track learning experience. As a result of this, we will see many new Pakistani products in the next three-four years.There is
hardly any international cricket being played in Pakistan and our boys are not getting enough exposure. Our young boys will be rubbing shoulders with the greats of the game is probably the biggest benefit that they will get. To be honest, this is not just limited to what they do on the field. There are so many things that one learns from senior professionals – training routine, mindset, handling pressure, socialising etc.
For some of the younger players who are struggling with their game – the likes of Ahmad Shehzad, Umar Akmal, and Junaid Khan – Pakistan Super League will be a great platform to focus on their game and bring out the best in them. These players are very talented and I will keep a keen eye on their performances in PSL. This will be a great platform for these boys since they will be some of the main players in their PSL teams. As a result, they will be given responsibility and they will be expected to deliver.
I am more than delighted to see that top international and local coaches are part of the coach roster. Naturally, this will translate into an immediate improvement in the quality of our cricket. The bigger effect, as you will notice, will be in our domestic cricket at home. Players will now be more eager to perform in other domestic tournaments in a bid to get noticed and that sense of competition will help Pakistan across all formats.
Last, but definitely not the least, is the healthy response that PSL has received from top local and foreign cricketers. Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, Shahid Afridi, Kevin Pietersen, Lasith Malinga, Shoaib Malik, Kieron Pollard – these guys are rockstars of cricket!
I have seen Mr. Najam Sethi and his team work day in and day out to make this possible and the commercial interest in the PSL is a direct result of their hard work. I have no doubt at all that Pakistan Super League will be the biggest sporting festival of Pakistan!
