Our Mistakes Have Cost Us In Such A Massive Manner - Inzamam-ul-Haq On The PSL Postponement

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has blasted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as the postponement of the 6th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) mid-way through the tournament after 7 cases of covid-19 emerged.

14 matches were completed out of the 34 total scheduled before the tournament came to a halt on Thursday.

Inzamam-ul-Haq questioned the authorities on how the bio-bubble was breached by players – reportedly Wahab Riaz, Darren Sammy, Chris Lynn were found breaching the bio-bubble protocols; there was also a marriage being held in the same hotels where the players were staying!

“Some players freely went outside of the bubble, whilst some people from outside came in and out of the bubble. What exactly was this bubble about? This is a point to ponder. Just because we needed to hold this tournament to satisfy the sponsors, our mistakes have cost us in such a massive manner. If we don’t take this matter seriously and try to sweep it under the rug then in the future this will happen again,” Inzamam-ul-Haq said.

“They should pinpoint the culprits and distance them from the entire thing. They need to show that they can take action in order to show people outside of the country. Another thing is that this will set a precedent. People will be afraid to make mistakes in the future. This could create problems for our country in the future,” he added.

Now, will other countries send their players to our country?: Inzamam-ul-Haq

The 51-year-old also believes that such a fiasco has damaged the reputation of the PCB and will make other boards wary of sending their teams to Pakistan for cricket matches. Karachi Kings all-rounder Daniel Christian is reported to have withdrawn from the remainder of the season and will fly back to Australia soon.

Inzamam expresses his concern saying that how will now foreign cricket boards trust the PCB in sending their players next time with cricket slowly returning to Pakistan. Recently, South Africa travelled to Pakistan after more than a dozen years, and Eoin Morgan’s England are expected to visit the country for a limited-overs series before the T20 World Cup – such mismanagement and carelessness have put that tour surely in jeopardy.

“Players can say that the arrangements in Pakistan are not adequate. This happened last time as well. This can create future problems. Other teams might have issues now. We are already hearing that some players have returned their tickets, citing either their board or country as the source that is warning them. The doors of cricket had opened in Pakistan. Now, will other countries send their players to our country?” the former skipper further added.

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