LAHORE: Some top names of the international cricket have agreed to play the final of the second edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Pakistan, PSL chairman Najam Sethi disclosed on Wednesday.
Sethi said that the foreign cricketers had agreed to play the final of the second edition of the league in Lahore after being assured of fool-proof security.
However, he did not disclose the names of the players.
“I will not disclose the names of the foreign players who have agreed to play in Lahore but I can assure you that the final here will be bigger than the one held in the UAE,” Sethi told reporters at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) while visiting a training camp set up by Peshawar Zalmi team.
“We’re offering extra money, as much as US$20,000 each to foreign players to play the final in Lahore. We’re building 14 new rooms in the NCA to provide accommodation to the foreign players for the PSL matches,” he added.
Sethi said that the success of the PSL is a good sign for the international cricket in Pakistan.
“The PSL is the biggest gift to the nation from the PCB,” Sethi declared. “Its success has seen major changes in national tournaments. We now have to fill our stadiums again.
“It will help increase the fan following of the PSL teams, ultimately increasing their prices as they will attract more sponsors.”
Commenting on the impression that he wanted the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shahryar Khan to resign, Sethi said: “I have a great deal of respect for Shaharyar. He always consults me over the administrative matters and that is his best quality.”
Sethi, the chairman of the powerful PCB executive committee, also dispelled the impression that he had failed to deliver during his time as the country’s cricket chief.
“Let me know which Test series Pakistan lost during my tenure,” he said, “I knew that I would be held responsible for the team’s good or bad performance, that’s why, I tried my best to deliver what the cricket board and the team wanted,” Sethi said.
On the dismissal of Waqar Younis as head coach and Haroon Rasheed as chief selector, he said: “Their contracts were expiring and we decided not to renew them.”
