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Fans stayed awake to watch late PSL matches

Islamabad - Misbah said foreign players got a mild taste of what it would be like to play in a Pakistan competition during their three-week stay in the UAE, and hoped it will help bring international cricket back to Pakistan.

The Pakistan Cricket Board received an overwhelming response from millions of cricket-starved fans, even if it didn't succeed in spotting a new fast bowler or unearth a new batting star in its inaugural professional Twenty20 league in the UAE.
Islamabad United, led by Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, defeated Quetta Gladiators by six wickets at a packed Dubai International Cricket Stadium late on Tuesday to conclude a three-week Pakistan Super League. Millions of fans stayed tuned in across Pakistan until after midnight throughout the tournament, which also featured teams including Pakistan Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi's Peshawar Zalmi, Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik-led Karachi Kings and Pakistan ODI captain Azhar Ali's Lahore Qalandars.
"It's our own league, I haven't missed a single ball of it," said Yousuf Mustafa, a 19-year-old college student in Islamabad. "PSL is more than a World Cup to me, I wished it could have been played in Pakistan."
An attack on the Sri Lankan team's bus in 2009 at Lahore shut the doors on Test nations touring Pakistan before Zimbabwe broke the deadlock by playing a limited-overs series - also in Lahore - last year. Islamabad United were rewarded when three of their unheralded players - Mohammad Sami, Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif - were drafted into Pakistan's squad for next month's World Twenty20 in India. Gladiators' uncapped left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz has also been labelled as one of the players to watch out for on spin-friendly wickets in India.
"You can see lots of youngsters coming up ... they are getting more chances to harness their skills and handle the pressure. That's what IPL did for India, that's what BPL did for Bangladesh," Misbah said.
Misbah said foreign players got a mild taste of what it would be like to play in a Pakistan competition during their three-week stay in the UAE, and hoped it will help bring international cricket back to Pakistan. "This is one way you can build confidence of players coming from Australia, England, West Indies and Bangladesh," he said. "When you get confidence and know from other players that Pakistan is a safer country, it will be possible for the Pakistan Cricket Board to bring back international cricket to Pakistan." - AP