KARACHI — At the launch of Pakistan’s most significant cricket venture ever, the Pakistan Super League, it was notable that World Cup winning captains Imran Khan and Younis Khan both were missing from the historic occasion.
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Imran led Pakistan to a ODI World Cup triumph in 1992 while Younis led Pakistan to World T20 glory in England in 2009.
Imran’s snub was due to his involvement in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, the opposition which is now considered a threat to the ruling body Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N). However Younis’ absence caused a stir due to the lack of reasoning behind it.
“This snub has helped me in deciding where do I stand in terms of PSL and the decision is easy for me now,” Youins said. “I think I deserve better treatment after serving Pakistan for more than 15 years and I don’t know what the PSL organizers wanted to prove to me.”
“I’m not going to leave like this and I will keep fighting with my bat. I would also advise Wasim Akram that he is a legend and he should stop thinking about me because I’m a very small person as compared to him.”
PCB officials said that Younis was told about the event and Pakistan team assistant Shahid Aslam contacted him about it.
The logo of the PSL carries a left-arm pacer which remains a mystery. On closer inspection it appears to be the bowling action of Wasim Akram. So far nothing is clear about it and PCB officials provided no clarification on the matter.
In another surprising turn of events, PSL officials did not reveal whether the UAE or Qatar would be the official venue despite negotiations continuing with the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) regarding the hosting of the PSL and Masters Cricket League (MCL) simultaneously in February 2016.
PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan praised the launch stating that it would be the biggest event in Pakistan cricket history.
“We’re all delighted that the PSL logo has been officially launched and it will certainly be the biggest event in Pakistan history where the world’s best players will participate,” Shaharyar told reporters.
Pakistan T20 captain Shahid Afridi was seen mocking the hosts on the night stating that it was a launch of T20 league and not the Test league.
Had a great time at the #PSL logo launch ceremony, performance by Ali Zafar, great company with Umar, Nadia, & Cybil pic.twitter.com/wVV7jywD8J
— Shoaib Malik (@realshoaibmalik) September 20, 2015
“It is a huge occasion for Pakistan cricket that the league is about to start and it should have been in place years back. Our wish for the coming days is that we can host the tournament in Pakistan,” Afridi said.
The Pakistani legend later tweeted that he would form a team in the PSL alongwith Haeir Pakistan CEO Javed Afridi to promote true talent in the country.
England’s Kevin Pietersen shared his excitement of being part of the PSL in a video message which was displayed in the event.
“I just couldn’t wait to be part of this Pakistani idea and a big product which is in the making. It looks it is going to be a wonderful competition,” Pietersen announced.
A star-studded line-up is already in place for the inaugural PSL with names such as Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Brendon McCullum, Kevin Pietersen, Lasith Malinga and Johan Botha to name just a few.
The official venue will play a significant factor in the success of the inaugural event as UAE remains the best possible option if the cricket is not being played in Pakistan.
Due to the large amount of Pakistani fans in the UAE there is no doubt that the Emirates would host a more successful first event than Gulf neighbours Qatar.
The PSL Governing Council will soon be releasing the tender for buying rights of the five franchises and the rights for production while player recruitment is an ongoing process in order to ensure the player pool is as strong as possible.
The powers in charge have chosen not have an IPL-style auction, but instead it a draft system similar to that of the NFL.
