There have been numerous reports about Pakistan starting their own version of a major Twenty20 tournament. Pakistan, at large, is a cricket-loving country and has been deprived of seeing not only International stars but National too. Players like Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal are world-class performers. They would enlighten any tournament with their presence. 

The name that is doing the rounds is the 'Pakistan Premier League' (I will call it PPL as it has no name as of yet). The PPL has many pluses to it. Such a league comes with an enormous reputation and is followed worldwide. Here are some of the positives and negatives that the PPL would/might bring to Pakistan and its cricket in large. 

Finance: The financial implications of such a tournament are absolutely monumental. Players in the recent Faysal Bank T20 were paid the equivalent of £20-£25 per match. A top player in the PPL might come close to the £1million mark. The financial security is not just for the players and officials but for the general public too. Merchandise selling, food and drink, and hotels are some of the business opportunities that will arise from the PPL. 

Poor administration: If there are poorly made decisions then this can be detrimental to Pakistan. The financial implications are a massive incentive but Pakistan cricket’s big need at this moment is exposure to games getting played within Pakistan. 

“If isolation tempers the strong, it is the stumbling-block of the uncertain.”

Paul Cezanne was not thinking about Pakistani cricket when he said this but he has inadvertently summed up the realityfaced by the cricket loving nation. Following the decision by the Bangladeshi High Court to ‘block’ the tour to Pakistan later this month, the would-be hosts are facing up to further increased uncertainty as cricketing hosts in an isolation that is anything but splendid.

Whatever deal the Pakistan Cricket Board had thought they struck with their Bangladeshi counterparts has ultimately resulted in yet another side not touring the country. While the politics surrounding the deal itself warrant discussion as well as criticism, to overcome the new levels of uncertainty, they need to be put aside with a clear focus on the future.

The Pakistani public is right to feel let down; not only by the blocking of the tour but the way their own board went about trying to secure the tour and their handling of the subsequentfallout from this.

Certain truths must be confronted by Pakistan as a whole – the rulers, the PCB and the people. The country is deemed unsafe by many and understandably many seek great assurance before committing to visit. It is a perception perhaps more than a reality, but words are not enough reassurance; there needs to be a great drive at all levels to change this perception. There needs to be a focus in highlighting the positives of a culturally rich nation, proud of its heritage and the pockets of development in the big cities need to be popularised.

While acknowledging that there are valid concerns, the frustration held within the nation can be fully appreciated. The vast majority of the population goes about their everyday business without any fear and scores of visitors enter and exit the country safely. My own wife, a non-Pakistani, visited Karachi in 2011 and not only experienced the nation’s great hospitality, she had a wonderful time and crucially did not feel unsafe.

He was young, he was a bolt, and he was the light at the end of the tunnel. Pakistan prides itself for being home to the game’s greatest bowlers of all time; Mohammad Amir was not an exception.Though, exceptional he was when it came to outwitting his counterparts at the other end of the wicket.

On 7th June 2009 when a young man at a tender age of 17 made his T20 debut at The Oval, drought of fast bowlers in Pakistan came to an end as they began to unearth a lethal combination that had been their hallmark in the 80’s,90’s and the early 2000’s. Bowling has never been a worry for Pakistan but after the two W’s retired, in spite of abundant talent, the bowling was either inconsistent to sustain at the top level or lacked the killer instinct. More importantly it lacked the traditional principle of Pakistani attacks hunting in packs.

Nobody knew the glistening teenager would leave the world’s best batsmen perplexed in the days to come. His debut marked the initiation of filling of an enormous space left after Wasim Akram’s retirement. Aamer had all the ingredients of being Akram’s successor. His first tournament in Pakistani colors culminated to an amazing climax as Pakistan lifted the World Twenty20 trophy at Lord’s.