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Shoaib Akhtar
Retired Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar opines that IPL and PSL should not take place amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 season of the IPL got underway on April 9, and 20 games have already taken place in the tournament. In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Pakistan Cricket Board had determined to postpone the tournament. A total of 14 matches had taken place in the league, which started on February 20. PSL was delayed last year as well, just before the playoffs in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. The remaining games were later held in November.
The T20 league was being organized in a bio-secure bubble, but many players still detected COVID-19 positive. PCB Director of Media had confirmed that two foreign players and one member of the support staff had tested positive. The first case declared by the PCB was on March 1, when Australian leg spinner Fawad Ahmed tested positive for the virus. English batsman Tom Banton had also revealed that he was one of the two foreign players who had tested positive.
Pakistan Premier League is set to resume again on June 1
Players like Daren Sammy and Wahab Riaz broke the bio-bubble protocols as they went to meet their franchise’s owner. Multiple cricketers were seen mingling with the guests and fans who had attended the weddings and other functions at the hotel, which was booked for the players. The remaining games of PSL 6 will be played between the 43-day window, which Pakistan has from mid-May to the final week of June. The tournament is likely to start only in June. Last year as well, PSB had to stage the league in two parts. The second-round games of PSL 5 were conducted after the completion of IPL 2020, played in UAE.
On April 25, 2021, India’s COVID-19 cases hurdled by 349691 new infections and 2,767 deaths. The hospitals across the nation are shunning the patients away due to a lack of beds and oxygen. In India, 192311 people have already lost their lives, with the number of confirmed cases at 795627. In Pakistan, the count has also reached 795627, with the death numbers going up to 17117. Thus, it remains to be seen how these two countries take action in the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.