Last week, the glittering player draft ceremony for the third edition of the 2018 Pakistan Super League (PSL) was held at the National Cricket Academy. Several former and current cricketers were present to select the players for their teams. It was a good show and with the passage of time, the popularity of the PSL is going up in the international cricket circles. Around 501 players, of them foreigners too, were on the list of probables. This time, with the inclusion of Multan Sultan, six teams will participate in the PSL. Five others teams are: Lahore Qalandars, Karachi Kings, Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United and these five teams have appeared in the first two editions.

Another good news that followed the ceremony was that the six franchises have decided to increase the number of players from 20 to 21, besides putting their pay cap to $25,000 per player. No team, however, went for tainted players Salman Butt and Muhammad Asif. Though both Salman and Asif have been in good form in the ongoing domestic cricket season while playing for Wapda, their conviction in a spot-fixing case in 2010 in England is haunting them. There is no bar on selectors to pick up both Salman and Asif in the Pakistan team, because both have completed their five years ban and the rehabilitation process by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Still the selectors are not considering them for the selection. It is a fact that Asif is one of the best medium-pacers and a match-winner but he is paying the price for his crime.

Similarly, Salman Butt is also in a good form and under his leadership Wapda has won the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy title, the premier domestic event of Pakistan, last year.

Coming back to the Players’ Draft Ceremony, former Australian batsman Dean Jones, Wasim Akram, Moeen Khan and Inzamamul Haq were also present. Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur was also present as coach of the Karachi King team.

This time the PCB has decided to host three matches in Pakistan; this is an improvement as in the last PSL, only the final was played at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Of the three matches, the final of the PSL will be held in Karachi and two play-off in Lahore; the remaining matches will be held in the UAE.

Many foreigner players have given their consent to play three matches in Pakistan, setting aside any security concern, which is a good news for the country. Some cricketers are still reluctant to sign the agreement, to ensure they will be available to play in Lahore and Karachi.

The last week, rains made the Lahore weather pleasant but the weather affected the matches of All Pakistan Tennis Championships being played on the Punjab Lawn Tennis Association courts in Bagh-i-Jinnah.

The organisers were forced to shift matches to hard courts under the floodlights to complete the matches and in some cases, the matches continued till late night.

The Lahore Polo Club also rescheduled the Pink Polo tournament matches. All-Pakistan Tennis Championships was won by Aqeel Khan of Karachi. In the ladies’ event, upcoming international player Ushna Sohail, of Lahore, lifted the ladies’ title. Players from across the country were in Lahore to participate in this championship.

Former hockey Olympian Muhammad Afzal, alias Manna, died in Lahore last week. He was 75. Afzal was an old hockey player, who was the part of the Pakistan team which won silver medal at the Olympics-1964 and gold medals at the Asian Games held in 1958 and 1962.

Afzal was known in the hockey circle for his blunt attitude. That was the reason Afzal could not work with the hockey establishment for any longer time. On a couple of occasion, he was appointed as coach of the Pakistan team for short terms. Even in his old age, Afzal was a regular visitor to the National Hockey Stadium to see hockey matches and to keep himself in contact with the hockey family. But he was seldom seen in the offices of the Pakistan Hockey Federation.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2017