(Cricket News) Shamar Joseph, a fast bowler from the West Indies, was able to secure a contract with the PSL after his match-winning performance against Australia at the Gabba on Sunday. Joseph will likely sign a contract with Peshawar Zalmi at the beginning of the tournament and play for them all the way through.
Although Zalmi announced Joseph’s signing as a partial replacement for England fast bowler Gus Atkinson, many sources indicate that he will play for Zalmi throughout the entire tournament – even after Atkinson does.
Atkinson is currently with the England Test squad in India for the five-match series that ends on March 11th, meaning he will not be available for any games other than the playoffs. Zalmi announced earlier today that they had replaced Afghan legspinner Noor Ahmed, who was also unavailable, with Atkinson for the entire tournament.
However, Atkinson’s ongoing commitment to the national side in India would have made that impossible, so Zalmi later announced on social media that Joseph would take his place. The announcement to sign Joseph was delayed.
The PCB released a statement regarding the supplementary and replacement draft for the ninth season, which was held over a conference call.
The draft was organized to replace several players unavailable due to scheduling conflicts or injuries. Other players brought in by PSL sides included Haider Ali (Islamabad United), Johnson Charles (Multan Sultans), and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Lahore Qalandars).
In the same way that Islamabad did not replace Tom Curran, who was ruled out of the league due to a knee injury, Qalandars chose to reserve their pick in lieu of replacing Rashid Khan, who withdrew from this year’s PSL as he manages his return from a back injury.
This gives the franchise the option to potentially hold on to Rashid’s services, with Qalandars retaining him in the silver category on the understanding that he could be retained for 2025. Similarly, Dan Lawrence, who is only partially available to the franchise, has also not been replaced.
The PSL begins on February 17 at the Gaddafi Stadium and runs until March 18, with the final being held at the National Stadium in Karachi. Qalandars are the defending champions, having won the title each of the previous two editions.
Meanwhile, the Sultans have added seam-bowling allrounder Mohammad Shahzad as a supplementary pick, and Islamabad has signed West Indies left-arm fast bowler Obed McCoy. Kieron Pollard, who is a little unavailable, has been replaced by left-arm spinner Zahid Mahmood.
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