Everything seemed in place at the Dubai International Stadium on February 4. Around 26,000 shrieking fans – their wrists covered in LED bands of different colours – cheered as they caught sight of their favourite cricketers. The music was playing at full volume with Jamaican rapper Sean Paul belting out some of his greatest hits. It could have been the opening ceremony of any tournament, anywhere in the world.
The obvious elephant in the room which no one wanted to discuss was that the opening ceremony of the Pakistani Super League, involving five different teams representing different parts of the country, was being held not in Pakistan, but in Dubai.
It would be unfair though to carp on that, for it’s worth celebrating that the Pakistani Super League is actually happening. After the success of the Indian Premier League, it was expected that Pakistan would follow in its footsteps, given the cricketing devotion of its fervent fans. But that did not prove to be the case. Until now. After several years of being stuck at the planning stage and much confusion about the venue, the PSL finally came into life, much to the delight of the thousands of cricket fans in Pakistan.
Taking it home
Of course, those fans would have been happier had the event been held in Pakistan. But the sad reality of geopolitics means that Pakistan remains a no-go country for most cricketing nations. Hosting the tournament in Pakistan might have brought in the crowds, but would have meant depriving the tournament of the glamour that foreign imports provide.
But PSL chairman Najam Sethi remains hopeful. In an interview before the start of the tournament, Sethi hoped that progress could be made towards taking the tournament to its actual home. “If we are successful in holding a league here [UAE] which creates a degree of excitement, if our security situation continues to improve as it is improving by the day, I see no reason why we can’t persuade foreign players to play one match in Karachi and one match in Lahore next year,” he said.
The bowlers’ league
The PSL has been markedly different from some of the other Twenty20 leagues in the world. The first ever Indian Premier League in 2008 witnessed three 200-plus team scores and two individual centuries in its first two matches. In contrast, no team has managed to score 200 in the first eight matches of the PSL. In fact, only one team has crossed the 150-mark.
The cynic may point to the recent decline in Pakistan’s batting stocks, but the optimist will gladly take the quality of bowling on show. For all the excitement they provide to cricket, Pakistan’s cricketers have often been on the periphery of the glitz and glamour of the other international leagues. Finally and fittingly, in their very own league, their bowlers are coming to the party.
A 21-year-old left-arm spinner called Mohammad Nawaz lit up the opening night by taking 4/13 and propelling his team, the Quetta Gladiators, to victory. Disgraced Pakistani pacer Mohammad Amir, who has recently made a comeback to cricket after being banned for spot-fixing earlier, picked up a hat-trick on the second day for his team, the Karachi Kings.
In this regard, the second-placed Peshawar Zalmi have been the team to watch out for. Captained by fan favourite Shahid Afridi, the team have bucked conventional Twenty20 trends and built a team which emphasises on bowling. And it seems have worked as no team has managed to cross 140 against them in the three games they have played. Two of their main strike bowlers, Mohammad Asghar and Wahab Riaz, are the second and third highest wicket-takers (as of February 10). Clearly, Twenty20 can also be a format where the bowlers can dominate.
It may perhaps be too early to deliver a verdict on the PSL’s first season, but some credit must be in order for the organisers who had taken on, what seemed, at first an insurmountable task. If one of the reasons for creating the PSL was to showcase the best of Pakistani cricket, they have thoroughly succeeded on that count.