Cricket fans in Lahore were jubilant a couple of days ago that finally, a big cricketing event was coming back to Pakistan. And the organizing of PSL 2’s final in Pakistan would have possibly meant return of international cricket. However, all the hopes of the cricket fans were dampened by the tragic bomb blast in Lahore that killed 15 people, several of them police officials.
Response of Foreign Players to Lahore Blast
As per Mr. Najam Sethi, after the yesterday’s blast, foreign players refused to come to Lahore to play the PSL 2 final. Mr. Sethi said that if the fans of cricket in Pakistan still wanted the final to take place in Lahore, foreign players would not participate in the event. He also said that security agencies had offered full support to ensure the safety of the Pakistan Super League 2 final in Lahore.
Rana Sanaullah on Holding PSL 2 Final in Lahore
The Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that Punjab Government was ready to provide security to host the PSL final in Lahore. He insisted that Lahore was safe even after the bombing incident that took lives of many and injured dozens of other people.
Pakistan Cricket Board had a meeting with the foreign players before the start of the tournament to provide them assurance of fool-proof security.
Not an Ideal Start to PSL 2
The second season of PSL 2 took off with an unusual start. PCB temporarily suspended two of the Islamabad United players Sharjeel Khan, and Khalid Lateef from the tournament due to allegations of involvement corruption. PSL management has already sent these two players back to Pakistan.
PSL Final and International Cricket in Pakistan
The PSL final means a lot to cricket fans in Pakistan. Ever since the tragic attack on the Sri Lankan team, no international cricket tournaments have held in Pakistan. Pakistani cricket players also want to perform in front of their home crowd. The deadly bomb blast has once again shaken the notion that Pakistan is a safe country for international sporting events to take place. Had this terrible incident not taken place, foreign players would have participated in the much anticipated PSL 2 Final.
