As I heard the news of the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team at Lahore in 2009, I mourned the imminent death of international cricket in Pakistan. This deadly attack simply meant no international team would be willing to come and play any sports in Pakistan. What was most embarrassing was the fact that the attack was targeted at a team that toured Pakistan to help its cricket and fans at a time when terrorism was at its peak in the country.
That was the end of real international cricket in Pakistan. Even, our domestic cricket was in doldrums due to lack of international cricket at home. Due to this reason, Pakistan Cricket Board decided to start PSL (Pakistan Super League) for the betterment of cricket in Pakistan.
In September 2015, PCB officially announced the launch of the PSL. After several years of planning and two previous failed attempts, the league officially began on 4 February 2016 in the United Arab Emirates, after the suspension of the Hair T20 Cup, the previous T20 league in Pakistan. Although first season was not that much impressive but even then it was a good show. We went through dark era of terrorism so this league was only source of entertainment.
This league played a key role in emerging the new talents all over the world especially in Pakistan. Sharing the dressing room will help provide a source of skills development to our upcoming talent. This league will encourage the new talent that the doors of international cricket are always open for them.
Sponsor of different national and multinational companies will have a great impact on our economic development. In Pakistan, a high class business man also took interest to invest his money on the league and support PCB for organizing such a great event.
As our Test team captain Misbah rightly put it that a PSL like event “is one way you can build confidence of players coming from Australia, England, West Indies and Bangladesh”. “When you get confidence and know from other players that Pakistan is a safer country, it will be possible for the Pakistan Cricket Board to bring back international cricket to Pakistan”, Misbah explained. One can only hope and pray that PSL can build this bridge of trust and help bring international cricket back to Pakistan.