Now that the PSL T20 cricket tournament is being held entirely in Pakistan, it would do a world of good if more home-based venues were developed for local crowds to enjoy the game.
ByTaha Kehar | March 2020
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) has entered its much-awaited fifth season. Unlike previous editions of the cricket extravaganza, all 34 matches of the T20 league, which began on February 20 and will conclude on March 22, are being played in Pakistan.
By relocating the matches of the tournament to Multan, Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reinforced the belief that international Test cricket is witnessing a revival in the country. In December 2019, Pakistan’s Test cricket drought ended after a long hiatus of 10 years when Sri Lanka played Test matches in Karachi and Rawalpindi during a 16-day tour. This was a major turning point since Pakistan hadn’t hosted a Test series on home soil since 2009 when the Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked in Lahore. What’s more, the resumption of Test matches served as welcome proof that Pakistan’s security concerns were a thing of the past.
Cricket has always remained the cynosure of controversy in Pakistan following the spot-fixing scandal of 2010 that culminated in copious professional bans and court battles. In addition, the Pakistan cricket team’s arbitrary performance on the pitch and the complacency of the cricket bureaucracy did little to save the game.
Under these circumstances, the PSL emerged as a much-needed morale-booster that was geared to helping the country’s cricketing sphere rise from the morass of mediocrity it found itself in. The first season of the tournament inspired skeptical reactions from cricket fans and former players. At the time, analysts believed that the cricket carnival was a little more than a hastily arranged T20 project – a thinly-veiled gimmick that would expose the alleged incompetence and machinations of the PCB. A series of questions were raised over the PCB’s ability to host a cricket tournament in the UAE. Furthermore, the fact that the initiative was shelved twice before for “logistical and security concerns” led many cricket aficionados to cast doubt on the league’s viability. Despite this tepid response, the organizers repeatedly assured their detractors that the PSL would reap dividends for Pakistan cricket by enabling players to strengthen their performance on an international footing.
Now in its fifth edition, the PSL has burgeoned into a global event and the league has drawn international players from South Africa, New Zealand, England, Zimbabwe, Australia and the West Indies. It now boasts six teams as opposed to its original five franchises, attracts leading sponsors and international broadcasters, and offers cricket-starved fans with an opportunity to fulfill their passion for the game.
This year, the organizers have succeeded in hosting the entire cricket extravaganza on home turf – an impressive yet difficult achievement. During the previous seasons of the tournament, a few matches were held in stadiums across Pakistan and drew much larger crowds than the PSL matches held in the UAE. As a result, sports analysts vociferously declared that the long-term survival of the T20 league was contingent on its homecoming.
The PCB has measured up to these expectations and persuaded Western players to visit Pakistan for the tournament. This shows that the Board is committed to ensuring the commercial viability of the league. According to some estimates, the PCB had to fork out $50,000 every day to rent stadiums in the UAE for the tournament and pay an exorbitant amount of money for the teams to stay at hotels in the UAE. More often than not, these matches didn’t generate much revenue as only a few dozen people attended them. By entirely relocating the tournament to Pakistan, the Board will possibly earn more through ticket sales.
In the past, the T20 league has acted as the great leveler and encouraged teams from purportedly ‘underdog cities’ like Quetta and Multan. However, when the PSL gradually shifted the venue of some of its matches to Pakistan, its focus remained on the major cities of the country. In its second season, the T20 league organized the final between the Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. In a similar vein, Lahore hosted two PSL matches in 2018 while the final was held in Karachi. During the previous season, Karachi’s National Stadium was the venue for all the eight PSL matches held on home soil.
While the country’s fraught security dynamics may have dictated the choice of venue in previous editions, matches must also be held in other cities of the country if the T20 League is to emerge as a brand that truly represents Pakistan. The decision to host PSL matches in Multan and Rawalpindi in 2020 may be construed as an attempt to tread uncharted territory. But an arbitrary selection of venues cannot help the league improve its reputation as a Pakistan-specific brand. At its core, the PSL needs to develop a stronger brand identity and accordingly determine ways in which it can be honed. The organizers should also consider building on its existing franchises and drawing on talent from those rural backwaters that have so far been overlooked.
Months before the fifth edition of the T20 league commenced, observers predicted that this year’s viewership was likely to exceed 70 million. Although this is a promising statistic, a concerted effort needs to be made to ensure local fans are exposed to a viewing experience that is beyond par. During previous editions, PSL matches were primarily broadcast on local sport channels that don’t always offer a high-definition format. Pakistan also needs more trained sports commentators to enhance the viewing experience through their insights and knowledgable feedback.
PSL matches have shied away from controversies. The 2017 ‘fixing’ scam that involved four T20 players significantly besmirched its reputation. Given Pakistan’s checkered history of match-fixing allegations and malpractices, this incident cannot be easily forgotten. We must remember that the PSL doesn’t just bear the onus of reviving cricket in the country, but also has a responsibility to ensure that ethical standards are upheld. At this stage, the PCB needs to guarantee that any mishaps and scandals will attract a severe penalty.
Over time, the league has been criticized for the erratic performance of players. Though the teams boast a varied range of bowlers and competent batsmen, their performance needs to be improved through consistent training. Among other reasons, the performance deficit can also be attributed to the PCB’s inability to address the need for clear and consistent policy initiatives that can save cricket from the clutches of mediocrity. Now that the PCB has relocated the PSL matches to the major cities of the country, it should concentrate its energies on setting up more cricket academies to foster talent. Without cohesive institutions that can train prospective players, the T20 league can never facilitate the revival of cricket in a holistic sense.
Leave a Reply