The upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is set to commence on March 26, and a strong overseas contingent has been signed by the league to feature in the tournament. Star players from Australia are the major attraction this time around with the likes of Steve Smith, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell, among others, taking part in the competition.
Despite Pakistan’s tensions with Afghanistan, Cricket Australia has permitted the players to travel to Pakistan for the PSL but according to a report in CODE Sports, the board has advised the cricketers to stay away from Peshawar. The city is currently listed under the Australian government’s ‘Do Not Travel’ย advisory due to security threats.
It is located roughly 40-50 kms from the Afghanistan border and after Pakistan’s airstrikes in Kabul that killed 400 people recently, tensions are at its peak between them and Afghanistan. Notably, Peshawar’s Abab Niaz Stadium, now renamed as Imran Khan Stadium, is scheduled to host two PSL matches on March 28 (Saturday).ย
Steve Smith, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle, Aaron Hardie, Marnus Labuschagne, Ashton Turner, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Philippe, Riley Meredith and Ben McDermott among others are some of the Australian players who are set to feature in the PSL this year.
PCB brushes aside any security concerns
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has brushed aside any concerns over players’ travel plans for PSL amid reports of Australian players being hesitant about travelling to Pakistan. “All travel arrangements and plans are in place, and we will have all the Australian players who have signed for the PSL 11 start arriving from next week,” a PCB source said as per India Today.
The 11th edition of the T20 League will see eight teams competing for the first time in history and will also clash direclty with the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the second straight year. For the unversed, the 19th edition of IPL is scheduled to get underway on March 28.
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