PSL faces 'some more delays' after players stopped from boarding UAE flight

KARACHI: Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches may face continued delays, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Sunday, as 13 players and officials who were stopped from boarding a flight to Abu Dhabi, where the remaining games were scheduled to start on June 5, would move to their respective homes.
In mid-May, the Pakistan Cricket Board received the approval from the United Arab Emirates government to stage the remaining 20 matches of the PSL Twenty20 tournament in Abu Dhabi after it was suspended in Pakistan in March after several local and foreign players tested positive for COVID-19.
“The decision has been made to allow the players and officials to spend time with their families as there can potentially be some more delays in the issuance of the remaining visas. As soon as the visas are processed, the players will undergo the mandatory PCR tests before boarding the first available commercial flight,” a PCB statement said.
The Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ASC) had obtained special permission for 16 people to fly on commercial flights, PCB said in a statement, but eleven of them, including Quetta Gladiators captain Sarfraz Ahmed, failed to get clearance to board their airplane.
Others who could not fly include fast blowers Naseem Shah, Musa Khan, Muhammad Haris and Amir Khan, who were supposed to reach Abu Dhabi via Doha.
As once they reach the UAE, players have to complete a 10-day quarantine period, the resumption of the season may not be possible on June 5. The tentative date for the resumption of matches is now June 9 or June 10, according to local media reports.
Meanwhile, five players and officials arrived in Abu Dhabi from Karachi this afternoon via Doha, while 12 players and officials will leave Lahore on Sunday evening before arriving in Abu Dhabi via Bahrain on Monday morning.
PCB Director head Babar Hamid said in the statement the board regretted the inconvenience caused “due to unforeseen circumstances and unexpected challenges.”
“The PCB is working hand in glove with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the Emirates Cricket Board, and trying its best to get all participants in Abu Dhabi in time so that we can hold the remaining tournament,” he said.