The announcement came hours before the first semi-final of the Pakistan Super League 2020 between Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi.
(Photo: Twitter/@TheRealPCBMedia)
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday postponed the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) amid the deadly outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus with no announcement of whether the competition will be rescheduled.
The announcement came hours before the first semi-final of the tournament between Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi. “PSL 2020 postponed, to be rescheduled. More details to follow in due course,” PCB tweeted on their official handle.
HBL PSL 2020 postponed, to be rescheduled. More details to follow in due course#HBLPSLV
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— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) March 17, 2020
Both the semifinals were scheduled to be played on Tuesday at the iconic Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The second semi-final would have given the fans the opportunity to witness Lahore Qalandars and Karachi Kings taking on each other.
Like other sporting events around the world, the PSL was also severely affected by the COVID-19. Many foreign players decided to leave the tournament midway to return home even before the virus had taken a fatal turn in Pakistan.
In a statement, the PCB had said that it gave the option to all foreign players and support staff to withdraw from the tournament if they wanted to leave and franchises can replace them with local players and officials.
England players Alex Hales, Jason Roy, Tymal Mills, Liam Dawson, Liam Livingstone, Lewis Gregory, James Vince, West Indian Carlos Braithwaite, South African Rilee Roussouw and James Foster (Coach) returned home. Australia batsman Chris Lynn, who was playing for Lahore Qalandars, was the latest cricketer to withdraw midway.
The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Pakistan has increased to 183, after Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) confirmed 115 and 15 new infections, respectively.
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