Int'l cricketers "are being strongly advised to reject lucrative offers from Pakistan's new Twenty20 league because of security concerns," according to Sam Sheringham of the BBC. Organizers of the $100M Pakistan Super League said that they "have had interest from England, South Africa and Australia." However, the global players' union (FICA) has "significant concerns" over safety. FICA CEO Tim May said: "I think you'll find the majority of current international cricketers will heed our advice" (BBC, 1/22). The PTI reported Pakistani players "can expect to earn" between $5,000-$100,000 in the much hyped PSL T20 tournament due to begin from March 26. The members of the national squad that departed Sunday for South Africa "were told about the money they could expect to earn from the league." This was after some of them "expressed apprehensions that since they would only return home one day before the start of the PSL they would not be able to be involved in the franchise selection and bidding process." One source close to a player said, "The board arranged a meeting on Saturday in which the managing director of the PSL, Sarwar Salma Butt, spoke to the players on video link and assured them their interests would be well taken care off in the process leading up to the league" (PTI, 1/20).
CONSIDERING ITS OPTIONS: The PTI also reported the Pakistan Cricket Board "is considering the option of hiring foreign security experts to set up the security plan" for the forthcoming PSL T20 tournament. A top official in the PSL secretariat confirmed that there "was a proposal to hire foreign security experts to not only coordinate the security plan for the league" but also ensure that Int'l Cricket Council anti-corruption measures "were put in place for the event" (PTI, 1/22).
