New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell promised never to visit Pakistan again to play cricket, while England fast bowler Tom Curran was left “crying like a baby” when he heard about the airport shutdown, Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain disclosed while describing the fate of the foreign players participating in the Pakistan Super League. The PSL was indefinitely postponed because of military tensions between India and Pakistan, which began building up from May 7, after India’s strategic reaction to the horrific terror attack in Palalgam that claimed the lives of 26 civilians.
Relocation Plans Fall Through
First, the PCB had considered moving the rest of the league’s matches to the UAE but then had no choice after the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) turned down the proposal. The decision was officially made only a few hours after BCCI postponed the IPL for a week over the same issue.
Overseas players of the PSL were evacuated from the UAE to their ultimate destinations aboard connecting flights after being flown out overseas.
Rishad Recalls Frightening Airport Escape
Rishad, a member of the Lahore Qalandars team, said it was frightening to realize that the airport where their charter plane departed on Saturday was hit by a missile attack 20 minutes later.
“After landing in Dubai when we heard that a missile struck the airport 20 minutes after we took off from the airport. The news was scary as well as sorrowful and now after reaching Dubai we are feeling relieved,” Rishad told Cricbuzz.
“Whenever I go out to play, my family worries for me whether the situation is good or not and now when they heard the news about Pakistan – the bomb-blasts and the missile-strikes here and there naturally they were in tension.
“I personally tried to console them and tell them not to worry about me and they were quite normal,” he added.
‘Tom Curran Cried Like a Child’: Rishad
Rishad said his Lahore Qalandars teammate, Daryl Mitchell, told him he would never go to Pakistan again.
“Foreign players like Sam Billings, Daryl Mitchell, Kushal Perera, David Wiese, Tom Curran… all of them were so frightened… Landing in Dubai, Mitchell told me that he would never go to Pakistan again, especially in this kind of scenario. Overall, they all were horrified,” said Rishad.
Recounting Tom Curran’s plight, Rishad added: “He (Tom Curran) went to the airport, but heard that the airport was closed. Then he started crying like a little child, that it took two or three people to handle him,” he added.
Karachi Option Rejected After Drone Strikes
Rishad also revealed that an attempt was made by the PCB chief to hold the remaining matches of the PSL in Karachi but it was stalled soon after government intervention.
“The meeting was basically called to know our concerns, what we think about the current scenario. Almost all the foreign players said that the only safe place available for the later part of the tournament is Dubai.
“Yes, the PCB Chairman tried to convince us to conduct the remaining matches in Karachi. At that time he tried to hide from us that there were two drone attacks just the day before which we came to know later. Later all of us took the decision (to shift to Dubai) and the PCB Chairman helped us a lot to reach Dubai safely by the grace of Almighty Allah. Thanks to him and the Pakistan Cricket Board,” he concluded.
