Lahore blast raises doubts over PSL final in the city
Pakistan Super League chairman Najam Sethi has admitted that it would be very difficult to convince foreign players to play the PSL final in Lahore on March 5, after a bomb blast in the city on Monday claimed 13 lives. A star-studded final in Dubai is an option, Sethi said.
"Obviously people will be more wary and scared. So right now to say whether we can convince them easily is very difficult. Now I will have to start all over again. I cannot say that we will be successful or not because they have families, they will have their associations which will guide them," Sethi told Geo News.
Last week, Sethi had briefed all the players about the security arrangements and said that the final will go ahead in Lahore, with or without foreign players. However, following the bomb blast, it appears that none of the overseas players may play in the final. On his political show, Sethi left it to the hands of the public to decide whether they want to see a final in Lahore with, most likely, only Pakistan players or a star-studded final in Dubai.
“ were calling me up as well [and saying] that whatever the situation this is Pakistan's resolve that the PSL final has to happen [in Lahore]. That we have to show terrorists that we are not scared and we have to show we can do it because it is very important for us," Sethi said..
"I agree with this and this is my thought. I also think that these terrorists cannot think they can threaten us like this, that they can stop our businesses, stop our lives. No. We will stand firm, we will fight, we will do this. In that matter, this is my resolve and I can see it is the resolve of every Pakistani, and their desire of having the final in Lahore. This is our stance. I think the Punjab government will be the same.
"But the situation is this that the question Pakistanis have to answer is if the foreign players do not agree to come to Lahore, or a lot of them don't, should we still have a final with just Pakistan players in Lahore, or should we have it with foreign players and do it in Dubai? This is the question the Pakistani public has to answer and whatever their wish we will see to it.
"My heart says we have to show the world. If foreign players come to Lahore then good and if they don't, then with our Pakistani players we should have a PSL final in Lahore. But I want public opinion on this, I want cricket-lovers to tell me, cricket fans - what do they want? Whatever they want, we will do."
Only last month, the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) had warned the cricketers to not visit Pakistan due to unacceptable level of participant security and said that safety cannot be expected or guaranteed in Pakistan. PCB, in response, had accused FICA of doing "great disservice to the cause of Pakistan cricket in particular" and called their approach "careless and cavalier".
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