The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 is expected to begin in the first week of June, with all clubs preparing for the major tournament. The T20 competition, which had been set for February and March, was called off in the middle because numerous players got the COVID-19 virus despite being within the bio-bubble. While the exact cause for the breach is unknown, some sources claim that Wahab Riaz and Daren Sammy broke the regulations.
Peshawar Zalmi’s head coach is Sammy, while Riaz is the team’s captain. The duo was accused of breaking bio-secure standards to see team owner Javed Afridi during their practise session at the commencement of PSL 2021. They were supposed to stay in isolation for three days and had to return two negative COVID-19 tests before being permitted back into the bubble, according to the protocols. However, Sammy and Riaz joined the team ahead of schedule, and Riaz even participated in all of the games.
Fans then took to social media to criticise the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for relaxing the rules for the duo. When the tournament was postponed, Sammy and Riaz were put under even more scrutiny. In the same vein, Sammy said he had nothing to do with the PSL’s prolonged hiatus.
“I wouldn’t call it a breach of the bio-security bubble. For everyone, this is uncharted ground. It sounded like Wahab and I had left the hotel and went out when I read the news. We had just finished training and greeted our boss (Javed Afridi). We each got two COVID tests by the time we recognised what had happened,” Sammy stated in an interview with The Current.
The former West Indies captain stated that no one from the Peshawar Zalmi squad had been infected, and that the entire team was very tight about the regulations. To sum up, it would be incorrect to assert that Wahab’s conduct caused the suspension of PSL 2021.
“We were negative, and I can assure you that Peshawar Zalmi was incredibly tough on the books from that day onwards, and if you observed, none of our players tested positive during or after that, and the tournament was absolutely not called off because of me and Wahab shaking hands with our boss at the cricket ground,” he continued.
PSL will now resume in Abu Dhabi, with Sammy expected to join his team shortly. With three wins in five games, Wahab Riaz’s club is presently second in the team standings.