The fifth season of HBL PSL has been indefinitely postponed after a meeting was held between the participant franchises and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday.
PSL postponed amid the Coronavirus outbreak!
The PCB had initially announced on Friday that they had rescheduled PSL 2020 after a reported increase in cases of Coronavirus in Pakistan. The final battle was to take place on March 18. The revised schedule had two back-to-back semi-final matches in Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on March 17.
Source: Dawn
Lahore was to host the PSL knockout matches today. However, the remaining matches including Wednesday’s final has been called off by the PCB.
One of the semi-finals’ was between table-toppers Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi. The second fixture between Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings.
The news of postponing the tournament was confirmed on PSL’s official Twitter page and added that the matches will be rescheduled for a later date.
Here’s the official tweet!
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT#HBLPSLV postponed, to be rescheduled. More details to follow in due course.
— PakistanSuperLeague (@thePSLt20) March 17, 2020
However, the latest statement from PCB got different responses.
Well, maybe?
Ab hum kya dekhen? Jeeto Pakistan? ?
— zalmi? (@Marwayyy_y) March 17, 2020
Such a disappointment!
Corona Virus Will Lift The Trophy Of Psl5??☹️
— ?αнᴱᴱ?_Iq͞͞ᴮ?ᴸ (??????????????) (@waheediqbal882) March 17, 2020
Here comes the appreciation!
heart breaking ? decision but health should always be the first priority !
health comes first! ?
— Abbas Syed عباس سَید (@smollboy_abby) March 17, 2020
Thoughtful use of a meme!
No No No pic.twitter.com/WSFCRaqkY1
— Hamza Kaleem (@hamzabutt61) March 17, 2020
Among the supportive comments, Pakistan’s former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar also agreed with PCB’s decision to call off the tournament. He expressed, “At this time of hour we should do what the world is doing”.
Further, he added, “PCB should have called off PSL a week ago as there was no fun without the crowd”.
Former Pakistani cricketer and commentator Sikander Bakht also assert that PSL could be concluded by the end of 2020. Bakht added that even though a winner had not been found, PSL 2020 had achieved its target of showing the world that Pakistan is safe for hosting major tournaments.
Increase in coronavirus cases in Pakistan!
The number of confirmed Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Pakistan has now reached a staggering 188.
In particular, the total number of confirmed cases of coronavirus has toppled to 155 in Sindh, only. This was after five more cases got confirmation in the province on Tuesday.
Murtaza Wahab, Spokesperson of the Sindh Government, in a tweet had revealed that 36 cases have been tested positive in the province for the virus. Moreover, 119 pilgrims from Iran have been quarantined in Sukkur and tested positive for the disease.
Source: Geo
At a global level, nearly 158 countries are now hit by Coronavirus. More than 170,000 people have been infected and nearly 6,500 have died from the disease.
Also read: PSL Foreign Players Set To Return Home After PCB Grants Permission
Europe has now become the epicenter of COVID-19. The continent is recording a significant increase in new cases on a regular basis.
What are your views on the PCB’s decision? Let us know in the comments section below!
