Miandad wants PCB to invite Indian players to PSL

Former captain advises cricket board to make best arrangements for the league as the country's 'prestige was at...

ISLAMABAD: Former captain Javed Miandad called upon the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to invite Indian players to the inaugural Pakistan Super League (PSL) and avoid retaliating to the Indian Premier League's (IPL) decision to ignore Pakistani players from its lucrative league.

The PSL, a franchise-based T20 tournament on the same lines as the IPL, is scheduled to be staged early next year with Qatar or UAE the proposed venues.

Read: Grant Elliot all set to join Pakistan Super League

Talking to APP, Miandad advised the PCB to make the best arrangement for the league as the country's 'prestige was at stake'.

“Nothing should go off beam,” said Miandad, in an interview to APP.

“PCB should categorize the players according to their standards,” he said, adding that all international players who desire to participate in the tournament should be asked to sign a contract first rather than confirming verbally or through any other medium.

“It is a matter of our country's reputation and nothing should go wrong. Each interested player should first sign a contract as backing out at the last moment would bring a bad name,” said the 58-year-old.

The much-blighted PSL is finally ready for take off in February 2016 and this time its organisers say they are leaving nothing to chance.

Read: PCB unveils PSL’s logo and anthem in star-studded ceremony

A Twenty20 league, following a model similar to the IPL and Big Bash, has been in the works since 2013 but the PCB has had to postpone it twice -- in 2014 and 2015 -- over what it said was lack of response from sponsors and logistics issues.

But a team dedicated solely to the PSL project and headed by PCB Executive Committee chief, Najam Sethi, says there is now a strong commercial interest in the tournament and foreign players are lining up to sign up for it.

Miandad said PCB should have invited business tycoons at the PSL logo unveiling ceremony as advertisement was the 'need of the hour for PSL'.

“PCB should have also called in different bank presidents and multinationals who are interested in the event,” he said.

“One of these people may have bought some teams of the PSL and this way the number of teams would have increased and the tournament would have acquired a bigger profile.”

Read: Kevin Pietersen confirms participation in video message

When asked about the fate of the Pakistan-India series, Miandad said he 'did not entertain too many expectations.'

“As far as the series is concerned everyone knows who dumped who.”

Miandad said he preferred to offer condolences to the family and friends of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president late Jagmohan Dalmiya rather than talk about the series between the two teams.

“I want to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president late Jagmohan Dalmiya.

“He was a true gentleman and had respect for Pakistani cricketers,” he said adding a big void will be left in cricket after his death.”