Sarfaraz Ahmed denied permission to travel to Abu Dhabi for playing in PSL 2021, read why

Former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed was among 11 players and officials who on Sunday were denied clearance to board commercial flights to Abu Dhabi, which will host the remaining games of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) next month.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)  has been facing logistical issues, including getting visas and permissions to land charter flights from Mumbai and Johannesburg, ahead of the PSL which will resume in Abu Dhabi following a postponement in March this year.

“As many as 11 players and officials on their way to the PSL, including the Quetta Gladiators captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, were not allowed to board commercial flights going from Lahore and Karachi to Abu Dhabi via Doha early morning on Sunday,” ESPNcricinfo reported.

“Five persons from this PSL contingent were cleared to fly, while the others had to return to their hotels where they have been in quarantine since May 24.”

According to the report, “…a batch of more than 25 individuals from both cities was supposed to travel to the UAE on a chartered plane.

“But the PCB, in a late decision, instead opted to put them on commercial flights, which nullified the quarantine protocols already in place.”

When will PSL 2021 resume?

The sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL 2021) was postponed indefinitely with immediate effect on March 4 after six players featuring in the competition tested positive for COVID-19. It was announced last month that the Pakistan Cricket Board would organise the remainder of PSL matches in UAE.

In April, the Pakistan Cricket Board had announced that the remaining matches were rescheduled to start on June 1, 2021. However, on 4 May 2021, all of the teams asked the PCB to move the remaining matches to the UAE due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Pakistan as a result of which the neighbouring country's cricket board had proposed to hold the entire tournament in Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, as per reports, the PSL  is tentatively scheduled from June 5 but the PCB is yet to come up with fixtures. The window of hosting the event is small as Pakistan will have to leave for England on June 22 for a limited-overs series.

(With PTI Inputs)