Difficulties arising from the decision to host the Pakistan Super League in Lahore are piling up as the UK based production house, Sunset and Vine, which handles the broadcasting of the franchise cricket league has withdrawn its contract for the final.
Sunset and Vine informed the PCB through an email last week regarding their reluctance to travel to Lahore for the final. The PCB has brought in the Dubai based ‘Innovative production group’ which will now handle the broadcast of the final. The backup company had been part of the PCB’s contingency plan for some time.
The PCB will also be looking to replace their foreign commentators as Danny Morrison, Alan Wilkins, and Mel Jones are reluctant to travel to Lahore while Ian Bishop’s contract had only been until the play offs after which he was due to travel England’s tour of the West Indies.
The providers of the HawkEye and Spider-cam technologies have also withdrawn from the final and drone technology introduced earlier in the tournanet will probably stand in as a replacement.
Despite the challenges, the PCB is determined to host the final in Lahore and extensive renovations of the Gadaffi stadium have already begun. And while no foreign players have really stepped up and expressed their willingness to play the final in Lahore, the league chairman Najam Sethi is confident that the final will feature foreign players.