Shaharyar makes U-turn on PSL

KARACHI: Pakistan’s cricket chiefs are known for their U-turns and it seems Shaharyar Khan is no exception.
Soon after rejecting the so-called Pakistan Super League (PSL) as a dicey project, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman on Tuesday expressed his excitement about the proposed Twenty20 league.
In a statement issued by the PCB, Shaharyar also extended warm welcome to PSL’s project director Salman Sarwar Butt and external consultants Repucom.
Shaharyar, who is currently holidaying in London, was also quoted as saying in a PCB media release that his views on PSL were misinterpreted in a recent interview.
“I have just had an update from the PSL secretariat and am very happy with the progress they are making. I have full confidence in the PSL being successfully organised outside Pakistan. I am sure that all issues will be successfully dealt by our PSL secretariat,” Shaharyar was quoted as saying.
In the media release, Shaharyar pointed out the need to keep in mind Pakistan’s security situation in terms of inviting so many foreign players and then guaranteeing security for five different teams all at one point in time.
“The UAE has been an excellent host but just because they are not making their grounds available, we cannot sit back and delay the PSL”, he said.
“PCB has created an FTP window for the PSL and we can’t afford to keep letting the window slip by. We have a dedicated team in place, and we have engaged world renowned consultants to get this rolling. I am excited by the prospect of PSL and I wish our team led by the PCB Executive Committee all the best for this endeavour.”
Shaharyar’s comments were in stark contrast with his previous remarks in which he raised a series of question marks on the idea of launching Pakistan’s professional Twenty20 league on foreign soil.
Sources in the PCB told ‘The News’ that Shaharyar was forced to make a U-turn on PSL by Najam Sethi, who is the other power centre in the Board.
“The idea of reviving the previously shelved PSL came from Sethi and he believes that PCB is capable of launching a Twenty20 league,” a source said.
“Shaharyar doesn’t agree with Sethi but he has been persuaded to support the project,” he added.
Sethi, an eminent journalist who headed the Board before Shaharyar took over, is still a powerful man in the PCB as chairman of its executive committee. Currently, he is at the helm of the Board because Shaharyar is on vacation.