LAHORE: Out of a total of 370 visas applied for Abu Dhabi for the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL 6), seven are yet to come which include three players and four officials. It appears that now the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will be in a better position to announce the schedule of the remaining T20 matches of the league.

Currently 13 players and officials are in Pakistan out of which six have already received their visas and travelling plans. According to a fresh update, these six people who will be in Abu Dhabi latest by Tuesday include three cricketers namely Sarfaraz Ahmed, Zeeshan Ashraf and Zaid Alam while the remaining three are officials.

However, the other seven people including three players namely Umar Amin, Asif Khan and M Imran are still awaiting their visas.

Earlier, the PCB had its plan to send the 25 remaining players and officials via chartered flights but since the visas were issued in batches, the Board started to send them through commercial flights.

The PCB is likely to announce the schedule of the remaining 20 matches late on Monday night. Earlier, the PCB were to start the matches from June 1 in Karachi but that date could now be extended by a week or so due to delays in visas etc.PCB Director Commercial and HBL PSL 6 head Babar Hamid said in a press release: “We regret the inconvenience that has been caused to some players and officials, but these have been due to unforeseen circumstances and unexpected challenges.

“The PCB is working closely with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the Emirates Cricket Board and trying its best to get all participants in Abu Dhabi in time so that we can hold the remaining tournament.”

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2021