KARACHI: Javed Afridi, owner of one of the leading franchises of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL), has assuaged fears that the professional Twenty20 league will struggle to survive because of the prevailing coronavirus pandemic, writes Khalid Hussain.
Javed, who owns the popular Peshawar Zalmi – winners of the 2017 PSL season, told ‘The News’ in an interview that he was confident PSL will continue to grow despite all odds. “We have been part of the PSL since the very first day and we have seen it evolve from a baby to an adult. This tournament is here to stay and with it being staged in Pakistan this year and for years to come, we will be seeing more promising signs,” Javed said.
“All stakeholders, including the franchise owners, sponsors, crowds and PCB will benefit from it. We have seen difficult times in the past and Alhamdulillah, those are behind us now,” he added.
There have been speculations in recent times that due to financial losses, some PSL franchise owners were mulling the idea of selling their team. However, Javed rejected such rumours. “I am sure the PSL will survive and grow even more once we have cricket being played again in Pakistan after this pandemic,” he said.
“This Covid-19 situation is a very unfortunate situation and all the franchise owners around the globe and the sports bodies are in the same boat. We have to give due credit to the Pakistan Cricket Board for supporting its players in this tough time.”
About reports that franchise owners were bothered by financial losses, Javed said, “I cannot say about other franchise owners, but Alhamdulillah, we are in good spirit and I am sure other owners are also looking forward to this league in future. As I said before, this league is very close to us and we have seen it emerge. This is the time to enjoy the outcomes and stay together in making it an even more successful brand. We are here to stay.”
Javed is confident that the Zalmi brand will continue to grow. “Peshawar Zalmi is the most valued franchise of this league and we are one of the most successful teams as well. On the field and off it, we have excelled like no other and we are very positive about doing wonders in editions to come. This Zalmi brand is a household name now and I have no doubt that it will continue to prosper.”
The final leg of the 2020 edition of the PSL had to be called off in March because of covid-19 fears. So what does Javed think as to how the PCB should complete the remaining part of the tournament?
“PCB has been looking to find a slot to organise the remaining matches and I think that would be a fair call too. You cannot just pick a winner based on the initial standings when you know some teams pick momentum towards the end of the tournament, while others seem to lose it. The league had reached the knockout stages and that is lottery. The better team on the day wins it and you never know.”
Cricket like other sports is facing an uncertain future in the face of the covid-19 situation but Javed is of the view that things will return to normalcy soon. “Cricket, like all other sports and spheres of life, has suffered to a significant extent due to this pandemic. It is heartening to see some signs of cricket returning with West Indies playing in England and Pakistan’s proposed tour on track as well. Since it is an unfortunate and very rare situation, the consequences moving forward are hard to predict, but I hope things get back to normal soon.”
He also backed the idea of having matches closed doors in order to resume sporting activities. “We have had examples of sports being played behind closed doors and without fans. Bundesliga in Germany is going through it and the Premier League in England will commence with these in practice soon. As dull as it may be, it is need of the hour and we need to adapt to seeing sports in this fashion for some time to come before we could see the crowds back in the stadium in phases,” he signed off.
