LAHORE: Foreign players have started arriving in Pakistan ahead of the 11th season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) scheduled to be held from March 26 to May 3.
South African spinner Tabriz Shamsi, former Australian captain Steve Smith, Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Phillip, young middle-order batsman Lachlan Shaw and former fast bowler Peter Siddle have landed in Lahore and joined the Multan Sultans camp.
Sultans head coach and former Australian captain Tim Paine arrived in Lahore along with coaching staff Brendan Wilson and Mike Smith.
Meanwhile, a group of Bangladeshi players is expected to travel and reach Pakistan later today. Fast bowlers Mustafizur Rahman, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam and batsman Pervez Hossain Emon left Dhaka for Lahore.
Mustafizur and Pervez Hossain will join Lahore Qalandars while Rana and Shoriful will travel to Peshawar Zalmi for the upcoming match.
Former South African cricketer and current Rawalpindi head coach Justin Kemp has arrived in Pakistan, while New Zealand coaches Luke Ronchi, Jacob Oram and players Mark Chapman and Devon Conway have joined the United squad.
Also, Hyderabad Kingsmen captain Marnus Labuschagne, Sri Lankan Kusal Perera and Riley Meredith have also landed in Lahore and are all set to make their mark in the tournament.
American stars Shayan Jahangir, Asif Mehmood, Syed Rizwan Mehmood, Hasan Khan and Saad Ali have also come to Lahore.
The historic 11th edition of the PSL will see 8 teams including new entrants Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen and Rawalpindi play 44 matches over a 39-day period.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has significantly scaled back its plans for the tournament, confirming that the matches will be held at two stadiums and will be played without spectators.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced the revised arrangements during a media conference, saying the decisions were taken following a joint meeting with franchise owners and consultation with host Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Six cities, Multan, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore, were initially named as potential hosts. However, the tournaments have now been consolidated, with all the matches to be held in Karachi and Lahore.
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