Number 152: Watson joins PSL roster

Head of PCB’s executive committee, Najam Sethi said that he wants to invite Indian cricketers to play Pakistan Super League (PSL) in the UAE. Australia allrounder Watson, who has retired from Test cricket after being dropped during the Ashes series, has signed the PSL consent form to become a part of the draft process.

The league excludes India, but Sethi said in a recent interview that he would try to talk to the Indian officials, to allow at least a few Indian players to appear in the inaugural edition of the PSL, to boost the prestige and reputation of the league. “There are a lot of world class players involved so I can’t wait to be a part of it”, Watson said.

It was one of the highlights of this year’s ICC World Cup – a feisty display of fast bowling and theatrics from Wahab Riaz with Australian star Shane Watson being his target in a high-voltage quarter-final in Adelaide. Or perhaps the draft may see them play together as teammates.

“We are delighted to have Shane on board and with his record in T20 cricket, he will definitely be a hot pick in the PSL draft”, Sethi stated. The PSL tournament will be played in Dubai, Sharjah from February 4 to 24 2016.

A few of the top players who have signed the consent forms which do not include any financial agreements include Kevin Pietersen, Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, Kieron Pollard, Grant Elliot, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russel, Darren Sammy, Ravi Bopara, Shakib ul Hasan, James Anderson, Luke Wright, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Ian Bell, Samuel Badree, Sunil Narine, Angelo Matthews, Tim Bresnan, Lasith Malinga, Samit Patel, Fidel Edwards, Michael Carberry, Brendon Taylor, Chris Jordan, Kemar Roach, Jesse Ryder, Adil Rashid, Thessera Perara. The BCCI told the PCB chief that it would discuss the matter with him in Dubai on the sidelines of an worldwide Cricket Council (ICC) meeting.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may play a tri-series involving Pakistan and Bangladesh if the scheduled cricket series in December fails to be materialized, citing sources ARY News reported.