Kevin Pietersen refused to play the PSL finals because of Imran Khan’s comments

As per reports, Imran Khan’s latest comments on the final of the PSL having been scheduled at Lahore, scared batsman Kevin Pietersen, who thereafter confirmed his absence from the finals. In case you didn’t know, Imran told a news channel that ‘the idea of having the PSL final in Lahore is madness to me’. He was unsure of how the world would react to playing in a stadium outside which roads are blocked and security is heavy.

Shortly after this statement by the PTI chairman, Pietersen, a key player of the Gladiators, left the United Arab Emirates after his team beat Peshawar Zalmi to qualify for the final. Also, Luke Wright and Tymal Mills excused themselves from playing in Pakistan for the final of the tournament which is scheduled to be held on March 5.

Fans in Pakistan have been deprived of live cricketing action in their country ever since the Sri Lankan team bus was attacked outside the stadium in Lahore in 2009. Since then, Pakistan has been playing all its home matches in UAE, because most cricketers fear safety in the country.

In 2016, West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell had compared Pakistan to Iraq in terms of safety and said he was too scared to play cricket in the cricket-crazy country.

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“It is like me going to Iraq based on what I have heard about Iraq. You are going to have nice places in Iraq. You are going to have nice places in Pakistan. I’ve seen pictures, beautiful places, beautiful people. But it is about what is surrounding them,” said the all-rounder.

It is clear that no cricketer wants to risk his safety by playing in Pakistan. And no matter how tight the security arrangements in Lahore are, the memories from 2009 are still fresh in not just Sri Lankan cricket fraternity, but among other countries too.