The PSL season six had to be postponed after just 14 matches due to a rise in covid-19 cases
17 March, 2021
PHOTO COURTESY: PCB
The failure of the bio-security bubble, which caused the postponement of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season six, remains unaddressed as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) continues its silence regarding the ongoing investigations into the matter.
The PSL season six had to be postponed after just 14 matches due to a rise in covid-19 cases. The head of the medical panel Dr. Sohail Saleem received substantial criticism from all quarters for the breaches. Dr. Saleem had submitted his resignation to the PCB after the event’s postponement and is currently serving his notice period.
The PCB had appointed an independent fact-finding panel comprising of Dr. Syed Faisal Mehmood and Dr. Salma Mohammad Abbas for the investigation. It was claimed that the two experts on infectious diseases will investigate the shortcomings of the coronavirus SOPs and notify the management of the changes that would be needed.
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Individual neglect along with other factors are also supposed to be determined that led to the eventual breach of the bio-secure bubble during the event. The panel is required to establish contact with the hotel management, medical and compliance officers, players and all stakeholders of the event to create an in-depth report which is expected to be presented to the chairman of the PCB on March 31.
On one hand, the PCB has decided to complete the PSL season six in June. On the other hand, however, there appears to be no progress on the investigation regarding the breaches that led to the eventual postponement of the event itself. The medical panel was created on March 7 and there has been total silence on the matter since then.
Now the focus is more on completing the event rather than an investigation into what went wrong. If the previous mistakes are not highlighted and more strictness is not applied then the second part of the event could potentially face another breach.
Another question making rounds is if the PCB has given the clean chit to officials such as Project Director Babar Hamid. Chairman Ehsan Mani and CEO Wasim Khan have also maintained a low public profile in recent days.
