adminZIMBABWE’S landmark decision to go against the trend and become the first Test cricket nation to tour Pakistan might have opened the doors for a host of international players to go and play in the Asian nation.
The Chevrons became the first Test-playing team to tour Pakistan in half-a-dozen years when they played a number of limited overs matches in the Asian country this year.
Until Zimbabwe’s tour, the world’s top cricket nations had stayed away from Pakistan because of security concerns following the attack by militants on the Sri Lanka team bus that left a number of people dead. Now, after Zimbabwe went to play in Pakistan and returned home safely, it appears a number of high-profile cricketers are now having a change of mind about playing in that country.
Swashbuckling West Indian batsman Chris Gayle is the latest high-profile cricketer to have agreed to be part of the Pakistan Super League, joining a host of international stars who are in talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board.
PCB executive committee chairman Najam Sethi confirmed this yesterday.
The 35-year-old Gayle, who is a major attraction in Twenty20 leagues in India, Australia and England, is the sixth player from West Indies to have joined the ranks of potential signings after teammates Keiron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo, Dwyane Smith, Samuel Badree were revealed as the first big-name players to come aboard the PSL.
“I can confirm that Chris Gayle is now in touch with us. We had to put in a lot of hard work in trying to trace him and are pleased that he has consented to be part of the Pakistan Super League,” Sethi told DawnNews.
The left-handed dasher, who has played 222 T20s scoring, 8 224 runs, was being touted as PSL’s biggest target along with England’s Kevin Pietersen and it now seems things are heading in the right direction as far the deals with the two players are concerned.
The PSL finally seems ready for take off after being postponed twice in 2014 and 2015. The league has also taken on board former Pakistan captains Wasim Akram and Ramiz Raja as its ambassadors as the PCB aims to boost the profile of the T20 tournament. The big name players who have expressed an interest so far include Sri Lankans, Thisara Perera, Tilakaratene Dilshan, Ajantha Mendis, Angelo Mathews, New Zealand stars Grant Elliott and James Franklin, South Africans Richard Levi and Robin Peterson, Brad Hodge of Australia and English players Tim Bresnan and Michael Carberry. — Sports Reporter/Dawn.
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