Pakistan gambles on T20 league to boost coffers

Karachi - The first edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be held next month at two venues - Dubai and Sharjah - in the UAE, the team's home away from home.

Pakistan is rolling the dice on global superstars such as Chris Gayle and Kevin Pietersen to boost the country's cash-strapped cricket board when its new high-octane, short-form Twenty20 league begins in the UAE next month.
But insiders warn Pakistan's first franchise-based league may not be enough to overcome revenue and time lost during the country's long exile from hosting international cricket. Pakistan has been forced to play nearly all its home series at neutral venues since terrorists attacked the Sri Lanka team's bus in 2009, killing eight people and injuring nine others, including six touring cricketers.
After two aborted attempts, the first edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be held next month at two venues - Dubai and Sharjah - in the UAE, the team's home away from home.
"This was long overdue," former PCB CEO Ramiz Raja told AFP. "I think the spread and the pie will be larger and the PSL will give hope and scope to Pakistan cricket besides helping emerging and middle-tier players."
But insiders agree there is little hope for the tournament to continue if it can't eventually return home for greater gate and TV revenues.
With lower salary caps than leagues elsewhere, it will also need to steer clear of the ever-present threat of fixing that has hit its predecessor leagues in India and Bangladesh, resulting in bans for the likes of international stars Shanthakumaran Sreesanth of India and Mohammad Ashraful of Bangladesh.
With Pakistan's young pace star Mohammed Amir making his international comeback after five years in the wilderness for spot-fixing, the country can ill afford a repeat of the sort of controversy that has blighted it more than any other team since the phenomenon emerged in the late 1990s.
The board estimates it has lost nearly $200 million in TV and ticketing revenue from 2009 to date, a period which has also coincided with a boycott by India - cricket's wealthiest nation, which guarantees massive paydays for opponents.