11 Jan 2013

Pakistan launches Twenty20 league

1:57 pm on 11 January 2013

Pakistan will host a multinational Twenty20 competition in March in the hope of reviving international cricket in the troubled country.

There has been no top-class international cricket in Pakistan since Islamist militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in March 2009, killing eight Pakistanis and wounding seven visiting players.

Foreign teams have shunned the country over security fears, leaving Pakistan to play home series in England and the United Arab Emirates.

The Pakistan Cricket Board plans to host a Twenty20 league on the lines of the glitzy, cash-rich Indian Premier League, which has featured more than 100 foreign players since its inception in 2008.

The former International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat, who is acting as adviser to the new Pakistan Super League says he hopes the participation of foreign players will help Pakistan in a big way.