Cape Town - The Pakistan Super League (PSL) T20 tournament currently underway in the United Arab Emirates was scheduled to have it's final take place in the city of Lahore.
If the final goes ahead at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday, March 5, it may now do so without many of the international stars taking part in the tournament.
This is after a bomb blast in the Pakistan city left at least 13 people dead and many others injured.
PSL chairperson Najam Sethi believes this has slashed the chances of those stars being willing to make the trip to Pakistan.
"Obviously people will be more wary and scared - they were already and now will be more," said Sethi, speaking on his TV show on Geo TV.
"So right now to say whether we can convince them easily is very difficult... Now I will have to start all over again.
"I cannot say that we will be successful or not because they have families, they will have their associations which will guide them."
Sethi is firmly of the belief that the final should go ahead in Lahore but may face financial pressure to move the match.
"(People) were calling me up as well (and saying) that whatever the situation this is Pakistan's resolve that the PSL final has to happen (in Lahore)," said Sethi.
"That we have to show terrorists that we are not scared and we have to show we can do it because it is very important for us.
"I agree with this and this is my thought. I also think that these terrorists cannot think they can threaten us like this, that they can stop our businesses, stop our lives.
"We will stand firm, we will fight, we will do this. In that matter this is my resolve and I can see it is the resolve of every Pakistani, and their desire of having the final in Lahore. This is our stance. I think the Punjab government will be the same.
"My heart says we have to show the world. If foreign players come to Lahore then good and if they don't, then with our Pakistani players we should have a PSL final in Lahore.
"But I want public opinion on this, I want cricket-lovers to tell me, cricket fans - what do they want? Whatever they want, we will do."
http://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/lahore-blast-rocks-pakistan-league-20170214
If the final goes ahead at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday, March 5, it may now do so without many of the international stars taking part in the tournament.
This is after a bomb blast in the Pakistan city left at least 13 people dead and many others injured.
PSL chairperson Najam Sethi believes this has slashed the chances of those stars being willing to make the trip to Pakistan.
"Obviously people will be more wary and scared - they were already and now will be more," said Sethi, speaking on his TV show on Geo TV.
"So right now to say whether we can convince them easily is very difficult... Now I will have to start all over again.
"I cannot say that we will be successful or not because they have families, they will have their associations which will guide them."
Sethi is firmly of the belief that the final should go ahead in Lahore but may face financial pressure to move the match.
"(People) were calling me up as well (and saying) that whatever the situation this is Pakistan's resolve that the PSL final has to happen (in Lahore)," said Sethi.
"That we have to show terrorists that we are not scared and we have to show we can do it because it is very important for us.
"I agree with this and this is my thought. I also think that these terrorists cannot think they can threaten us like this, that they can stop our businesses, stop our lives.
"We will stand firm, we will fight, we will do this. In that matter this is my resolve and I can see it is the resolve of every Pakistani, and their desire of having the final in Lahore. This is our stance. I think the Punjab government will be the same.
"My heart says we have to show the world. If foreign players come to Lahore then good and if they don't, then with our Pakistani players we should have a PSL final in Lahore.
"But I want public opinion on this, I want cricket-lovers to tell me, cricket fans - what do they want? Whatever they want, we will do."
http://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/lahore-blast-rocks-pakistan-league-20170214
