Fast bowler Naseem Shah has been expelled from next month’s Pakistan Super League in Abu Dhabi after breaching the tournament’s Covid-19 protocols.
Shah, 18, arrived at a team hotel in Lahore on Monday with an outdated negative test for Covid-19 and the Pakistan Cricket Board said the right-arm fast bowler “is now out of the competition.”
The PCB’s protocols require all the players traveling to Abu Dhabi on Wednesday to present a negative test taken not more than 48 hours prior to arrival at the team hotel. Shah presented a report on Monday from a test that was conducted on May 18.
The PCB said it immediately placed Shah into isolation on a separate floor before being released from the hotel following a decision made by a three-member committee on the recommendation of the independent medical advisory panel of the PSL.
“The PCB doesn’t take any pride in releasing a young fast bowler from its marquee event, but if we will ignore this breach, then we will potentially put at risk the entire event,” said PCB’s director commercial Babar Hamid in a statement.
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PSL 2020 team of the tournament
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1. Babar Azam (Karachi Kings, 473 runs, strike rate 124.14) - Man of the match in the first qualifier and the final, and the leading run-scorer in the competition by 148, he just about scrapes into our team of the tournament. AFP -
2. Chris Lynn (Lahore Qalandars, 284 runs, strike rate 179.74) - How crucial was his unavailability for the playoffs? The Australian’s brutal hitting brought Lahore to life – while his replacement Tamim Iqbal struggled in the final. AFP -
3. Shan Masood (Multan Sultans, 283 runs, strike rate 128.05) - What a pity that Multan ended this season with nothing. They were the outstanding side in the group, and lost the first qualifier via a super over. They were brilliantly led by Masood. AFP -
4. Mohammed Hafeez (Lahore Qalandars, 312 runs, strike rate 125.30) - The 40-year-old batsman is getting better with age, and his excellence powered Lahore’s run to the final. His 74 not out in the eliminator match was sparkling. AFP -
5. Ben Dunk (Lahore Qalandars, 300 runs, strike rate 167.59) - Few players coloured the 2020 PSL quite so brightly as the Australian wicketkeeper, whether it be by his big hitting, his bubble gum blowing, or his happiness to stay on amid the Covid uncertainty. AFP -
6. Shadab Khan (Islamabad United, 263 runs, strike rate 159.39, 8 wickets, 8.24 economy rate) - Two-time champions Islamabad might have had a rare off year, as they finished last, but their young captain could scarcely have done more. Few players in the competition had a greater impact than he did. AFP -
7. Imad Wasim (Karachi Kings, 7 wickets, 7.06 economy rate) - The captain of the winning team in the final, and he hit the winning runs, too. The left-armer’s thriftiest with the ball was crucial to Karachi's maiden PSL title win. AFP -
8. Sohail Tanvir (Multan Sultans, 14 wickets, 7.54 economy rate) - It is 12 years now since Tanvir announced himself as hot T20 property by lighting up the first IPL, but he is still churning out excellence consistently. This time, it was in the colours of Multan. AFP -
9. Shaheen Afridi (Lahore Qalandars, 17 wickets, 7.11 economy rate) - The outstanding bowler in the competition, and surely its most impressive figure after Babar Azam. Their confrontation in the final felt like the immovable object vs the irresistible force. AFP -
10. Imran Tahir (Multan Sultans, 14 wickets, 7.54 economy rate) - Between helping Multan top the table and playing the playoffs, he had played at the CPL, and a bit part role in the IPL. It might have contributed to his form cooling at just the wrong time. AFP -
11. Waqas Maqsood (Karachi Kings, 6 wickets, 5.25 economy rate) - It may seem like an indulgence selecting a player who featured in just three matches in the tournament. But the left-armer went at less than a run a ball in that time, and played a key role in the final. AFP
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Hamid, who also heads the PSL, said that Shah’s expulsion from the event “will also send out a loud and clear message to all involved in the remaining matches that the PCB will not compromise on any violations and will expel the player or player support personnel irrespective of his stature and standing in the game if they are found to be flouting the prescribed protocols or regulations.”
Shah was supposed to be the key player for Quetta Gladiators in the PSL.
While players from six franchises are scheduled to fly out to Abu Dhabi this week, the PCB has not yet released the schedule of the remaining 20 games.
Pakistan’s premier domestic T20 league was postponed in March with 20 games to go when several players and support staff among the six franchises tested positive for coronavirus.
