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Friday March 29, 2024

PCB hopes to convince govt to allow resumption of action

By Khalid Hussain
June 06, 2020

KARACHI: Pakistan’s cricket authorities are in the final stages of preparing a plan for the resumption of the sport in the country, a top PCB official said on Friday.

The official told ‘The News’ that the Board’s top management together with experts have been working on a comprehensive plan that would pave the path for the return of cricketing action in the country.

According to the official, the plan would be presented to the government for approval soon.

The Pakistani government imposed a blanket ban on all sporting activities in the country as part of a nation-wide lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic back in March this year. Though, in recent weeks, the authorities have eased many of the restrictions in a bid to provide a lifeline to the sagging economy, there has been no relaxation for organised sporting activities.

That is one of the reasons why the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been unable to line-up a proposed training camp for its elite cricketers ahead of this summer’s tour of England.

Pakistan have ‘in principle’ agreed to tour England to play three Tests and three Twenty20 Internationals during July-August despite the Covid-19 situation in the United Kingdom.

The PCB has been trying, in recent days, to hold a training camp for around 25-30 players, who would be part on extended squad for the tour of England.

“But we cannot start anything unless the government lifts restrictions on organised sports activities,” the PCB official told ‘The News’.

“We have to first take government clearance and for that a comprehensive plan is being prepared which would be presented to the relevant authorities for approval,” he said.

The official said that the plan would include all measures that would be taken to minimize the risk of spreading infection.

That would basically mean ensuring bio-secure conditions for the players. “The campaign for the resumption of cricket in the country is a work in progress,” said the official.

“I mean, we are facing an unprecedented situation. No one anywhere in the world was prepared for it. So like others, we are learning from experience and trying to come out with the best possible plan that could ensure health and safety of players and all others involved once cricketing activities resume in the country.”

The official said that PCB is not just looking for a one-off plan for the pre-England tour training camp.

“We are working on a broad-based plan as the training camp is just one of the many assignments in the coming weeks and months. We have to resume our first-class tournaments. Then there are other events like the last stage of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). So we have to cover all our bases and then go ahead with our proposal for the resumption of cricket in the country,” the official said.

Speaking about the plans for the training camp, the official said that PCB wants to hold the exercise at its High Performance Centre in Lahore.

“Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq wants 25-30 players to attend the camp as these players would form both the Test and T20I squads for the matches in England,” he said.

According to the plan, the players would practically live in isolation once they enter the NCA for the camp. Later, they would spend two months in England in similar conditions.

There have been reports some of the players are averse to the idea of living in near quarantine, away from their families, for almost three months.

The official, however, made it clear that the PCB has given the players the choice to pull out of the tour. “The Board will not force any player to be part of the squad. If any of the players has any apprehensions, he is free to withdraw from the assignment.”