PSL 2020, Standout player, biggest moment, best team – Multan Sultans, Islamabad United and cricket in times of covid-19

PSL 2020 eventually didn’t come to a conclusion. It might yet, later in the year, if PCB decides to reschedule it. However, despite not reaching its completion, there were plenty of talking points to emerge from the fifth edition of the tournament.

Standout team: Multan Sultans

Multan Sultans were easily the best team in the tournament. They finished the league stages at the top of the table, three points ahead of their closest rivals Karachi Kings, and tasted victory six out of 10 times. They only lost two matches, early in the campaign against Islamabad United, and in their final league match, once qualification had already been secured, against Lahore Qalandars. They had a fine mix of foreign and local players, a enigmatic legend in Shahid Afridi, and in all, they were the neutrals favourite. It’s a shame that they couldn’t, as things stand, play in their maiden semi-final, having done everything asked of them to reach this stage.

Biggest disappointment: Islamabad United

This was a shocking campaign from PSL’s most successful team. The two-time winners got Pakistan national coach Misbah-ul-Haq to replace Dean Jones ahead of the campaign, but the team just didn’t click. Even as Jones joined Karachi Kings and took them through to the knockouts, Islamabad struggled at the bottom of the table, and were eliminated at the first hurdle. They ended with just three wins in 10 matches, managing all of seven points. To add insult to injury, the irony of the knockout blow being landed by the side coached by someone you’d forced out wasn’t missed by many.

Room for improvement: Pandemic protocols

PSL was the last mainstream cricket tournament to be called off amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus Covid-19. While international series and the IPL all served to either cancel or postpone their events, the PSL decided a tweak to the structure of the tournament would be enough to carry on with it all. Unfortunately for them, many of the overseas players decided they’d rather be home with their families, and cut short their tour. That, however, wasn’t enough. Alex Hales, the Karachi Kings opener, was among those players to leave the tournament early, but he has since developed Covid-19 symptoms and is awaiting to undergo testing. In such times, the priority should always be the welfare of the players, and the onus was on the PCB to follow suit after other bodies decided to postpone their respective tournaments. By the time the PSL did follow suit, it was too late.

Standout quote

“Perhaps the decision could have been taken earlier”

• Shahid Afridi on Twitter after the cancellation news broke. He deleted the tweet not long after posting it.