National T20 Cup to be staged in two phases

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) plans to organise the National T20 Cup in a bio-secure environment.

The first leg of the tournament will be held in the second half of September with players and support staff to strictly follow the SOPs with regards to Covid-19.

A well-placed source in the PCB told ‘The News’ that the cricket board is giving final touches to the SOPs for domestic cricket.

“The biggest challenge we face is to kick-start the domestic season with SOPs, making conditions better for the safety of everyone concerned,” he said.

“In all probability, we will start with the National T20 Cup, which will be held in two phases. The first phase will be staged at the Pindi Stadium in the last 10 days of September and action will then move to Multan,” he added.

“The tournament will be staged in a bio-secure environment with all players asked to strictly adhere to the SOPs.

“Admitted that Covid-19 is on a rapid decline in Pakistan, we will follow all SOPs set by the government for the resumption of sports and other activities.

“After undergoing Covid-19 tests, the players will be asked to remain inside the bio-secure environment throughout the tournament. We will not take any chances. Everyone will have to strictly follow the policies.”

The PCB official said anyone not following the SOPs would face serious penalties. “Not only will they be taken out of the tournament, they might face other serious penalties.”

No spectators or outsiders will be allowed to enter the ground or the hotel floor where the teams will be housed.

“There will be no media interaction with players at the hotels. Rather arrangements will be made for online interaction with the media.”

Media centres will only be available for selected media.

He said the PCB was determined to make domestic cricket a success even amid fears of Covid-19. “Now when the government has allowed us to restart sports activities, we want to make it a real success by adopting all those measures necessary for a secure environment.”

‘The News’ has also learnt that most of the Pakistan team members currently touring England will be available for the National T20 Cup.

When asked as to why there has been a delay in announcing the provincial cricket associations’ set-up, he said the announcement could be made within the next two weeks.