PSL 2021: Quetta Gladiators owner says PCB to mostly blame for bio-secure bubble failure

Quetta Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar on Wednesday said that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is to mostly blame for the failure of the PSL 2021 bio-secure bubble.

"PCB chief Ehsan Mani admitted there is a lack of communication between the franchises and the cricket board," said  Omar, while speaking on Geo News show "Score" with Yahya Hussaini.

The tournament was postponed earlier this month, leading to disappointment and anger among millions of sports fans across Pakistan.

Omar said the PCB was "90% to blame for the failure of the bio-secure bubble".

During the show, he also called for the revival of club cricket in Pakistan.

"The pillar for cricket in Pakistan is grassroots cricket and [the pillar for grassroots cricket] is club cricket," he said, adding: "Both school cricket and club cricket."

Shedding light on the dismal situation of the infrastructure for cricket in Pakistan, Omar said former national team captain Sarfaraz Ahmed is forced to travel from his house to Karachi's Do Talwar area to work out in the gym.

"He then goes from Do Talwar to the KCCA to practice," lamented Omar. "So [this is why] such a big city, that has in the past given you such excellent players, is not producing them any more," he added.

The Quetta Gladiators owner said the same was the case for Lahore, where practice facilities for cricketers were scarce.

"I would encourage the new PCB setup to revive club cricket in Pakistan," he reiterated.

Acknowledging that Quetta Gladiators was unable to form a formidable team for PSL 6, Omar said the franchise will "soon hunt for players" for the Gladiators.

The Gladiators have failed to impress in the PSL edition so far, winning only a single match out of the five fixtures they played.

Quetta Gladiators are placed at the bottom of the table with only two points, and a net run rate of -0.936.