Coronavirus: Pakistan Super League postpones competition on day of the semi-finals

Pakistan Super League postpones competition on day of the semi-finals due to coronavirus pandemic… while likes of Alex Hales and James Vince had already headed back to the UK

The Pakistan Super League has announced the competition has been postponed, on the day the semi-finals were due to take place.

The matches between Multan Sultans and Peshawar Zalmi, and Karachi Kings against Lahore Qalandars, will be rescheduled.

A number of English players, including Alex Hales, Tom Banton and James Vince, would likely have been involved in the semi-finals but they had already left the country due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A member of the broadcast media packs up equipment after the competition was postponed

Moeen Ali, Ravi Bopara and Chris Jordan were among those expected to feature in Lahore on Tuesday, while the final was scheduled to be played on Wednesday.

There were 15 English players participating in the Pakistan Super League, but those last few remaining stars are all now expected to head straight back to the UK.

Matches were being played behind closed doors before the decision was made to completely suspend the competition on Tuesday. 

Meanwhile, Somerset have culled their tour of Abu Dhabi after Worcestershire’s pull-out left them with just a two-day match versus Essex on their schedule.

Had they oped to proceed they would have flown back early but, explaining the decision, the club’s director of cricket Andy Hurry said: ‘We have been monitoring the situation on a daily basis over the last couple of weeks, ensuring that we didn’t lose sight of the value and benefit that preparing for the season on grass overseas would give us.

‘We have endeavoured to give ourselves as much time as possible to make this best-informed decision, allowing us to consider our position as more information has become available on a daily basis.

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