This time last year, the lead up to the second HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) season was dominated by one issue. Would the overseas players who were involved agree to go to the final in Lahore?
Would it take place at all, given a suicide blast happened in the city while the early phases of the PSL were taking place in the UAE?
Players baulked at the question, offering little more than, “Let’s wait and see”. That was the line they had been asked to toe by the tournament’s administrators.
When it was asked at the captains’ media briefing on the eve of the tournament, Najam Sethi, the PSL chairman, interjected and shut it down, saying sufficient security measures were in place.
When it came to it, the game went ahead as planned at the Gaddafi Stadium, with 10,000 security personnel reportedly on duty, for a match with a capacity of less than 30,000.
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Darren Sammy, the Peshawar Zalmi captain, had his doubts. Finally, he decided it was worth it. He assuaged the concerns of his colleagues, they all went, and won against a Quetta Gladiators side whose regular overseas players all opted out.
“Darren is a superstar in Pakistan, the one player who is a household name,” Sethi said at Tuesday’s trophy launch ahead of the start of PSL 3, casting an eye along the dais to the smiling St Lucian.
“Darren, we are indebted to you for the courage with which you came to Lahore and won the hearts of everyone.”
Eleven months on, the salient questions ahead of the 2018 PSL seem to relate to cricket. Can Multan Sultans challenge after their introduction to the tournament? Is Imad Wasim up to the captaincy of Karachi Kings? What is Jofra Archer going to be like? How good can Shaheen Afridi become?
Thanks to Sammy, who subsequently travelled back to Lahore as part of a World XI that played a series against Pakistan’s national team, the security issue feels less relevant.
“I’ll go,” Tymal Mills, the English fast-bowler who was one of the Quetta contingent who opted out of last year’s final, said of potentially playing in Karachi in the showpiece match this time around.
“Teams wouldn’t sign you now if you wouldn’t agree to. Unless something happens between now and then, we have agreed to go.
“There has been a decent amount of cricket there between now and then, whereas last year it was the first proper game, which is why I was quite sceptical.
“I know the levels of security will be really high. Hopefully we get there, because the final is in Karachi, whereas the semi-finals are in Lahore. It would be a really special occasion to be a part of.”
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1. Jofra Archer (Quetta Gladiators): The Barbados-born fast bowler has already risen to international prominence, even though he is still years away from qualifying to play for England. Picked up by Quetta as a replacement for Carlos Brathwaite when he was named in the West Indies World Cup Qualifier squad, after catching the eye at the Australian Big Bash. Paul Kane / Getty Images -
2. Shadab Khan (Islamabad United): The leg-spinner, who bats well down the order and is arguably the best fielder in Pakistan, already feels like an established figure. And yet he is still only 19. It is a year since Dean Jones, his franchise coach, deemed him ready for international cricket on the back of his debut PSL. He has played for Pakistan, and in a variety of T20 leagues since. Marty Melville / AFP -
3. Eoin Morgan (Karachi Kings): It was recently speculated that Morgan was becoming a modern-day Mike Brearley for England. Meaning that he merits inclusion in the side on captaincy alone, and anything extra from his batting is a bonus. Faint praise on two counts. Morgan will be happy if his leadership is still being spoken about in 37 years’ time. Plus, his batting remains vicious. Stu Forster / Getty Images -
4. Andre Russell (Islamabad United): The Jamaican all-rounder has slipped straight back into the old routine, having returned to playing a month ago after a year out suspended for dope-test whereabouts negligence. He has scored two half-centuries and a ton for Jamaica in 50-overs cricket over the past six weeks, and has also been among the wickets. Was a key figure when Islamabad won PSL 1. Dibyangshu Sarkar / AFP -
5. Wahab Riaz (Peshawar Zalmi): The leading wicket-taker in the PSL’s short history to date with 30 across the two seasons, and a key figure in Peshawar’s title win last year. So motivated was he by the prospect of helping his team to the title in 2017, as well as taking them back to Pakistan for the final, he was in tears on the field after the qualifying final at Dubai International Stadium. Francois Nel / Getty Images -
6. Chris Lynn (Lahore Qalandars): It is four years now since Lynn first came to prominence in UAE, when he took a remarkable boundary catch to win an Indian Premier League match for Kolkata Knight Riders in Sharjah. One of the game’s strongest power-hitters, he will be playing PSL for the first time, alongside his Brisbane Heat opening colleague Brendon McCullum. Michael Bradley / AFP -
7. Fakhar Zaman (Lahore Qalandars): This time last year, Fakhar was a little-known former Navy serviceman finding room in the batting-order of the worst-performing PSL franchise. He earned a place opening the batting for Pakistan on the basis of some eye-catching innings for the Qalandars – then four matches later scored a century to beat India in the Champions Trophy final. Karim Sahib / AFP -
8. Alex Hales (Islamabad United): A new addition to the PSL, Hales is the only England batsman to have scored a T20 international hundred. He also has the second-highest one-day international score by an England player, and the highest score in a domestic cup final in the UK. He has already caught the imagination in UAE this winter, having starred in the T10 League in Sharjah in December. Stu Forster / Getty Images -
9. Kieron Pollard (Multan Sultans): The broad-shouldered Trinidadian has not stormed the PSL in the same way that he has some other leagues around the world, but some of his cameos have been sparkling. Last year, he muscled Karachi Kings through the final throes of the group by setting up a win off the last ball against Lahore Qalandars with 45 not out from 20 balls. Manjunath Kiran / AFP
Mills saw the way Sammy, and his own England colleague Dawid Malan, were feted for agreeing to play in last year’s final, but said he has no regrets over missing out.
The left-arm fast-bowler, who has joined Karachi Kings for his second season of PSL, is hopeful to be part of such an occasion this time around.
“I don’t regret my decision,” Mills said, after training with his new Karachi teammates at the ICC Academy in Dubai.
“I feel, at the time, it was the right one to make. It was first game, and there had been a few incidences in the month leading up to it.
“I had my first IPL coming up as well, so it wasn’t a financial thing or anything like that. I’m glad it went well, and I watched on TV to support Quetta.
“You could see Sammy and the guys were really well received, and that it meant a lot to the people of Pakistan that the guys were going to Pakistan for that game.
“I’m sure the semi-finals and the final this time will be equally well received.”
