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New Delhi [India], August 10 : Akash Deep’s bat spoke volumes in the final Test at The Oval. Walking in at a tricky position as nightwatchman at number four, the pacer showcased remarkable grit and composure, scoring a career-best 66 off 94 balls with 12 boundaries. His 107-run partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal proved to be a decisive turning point, helping India level the five-match series 2-2.

Reflecting on the innings, Akash said to Boria Majumdar on Revsportz, “If we look at the matches we played, with the exception of one or two matches, the lower order was not making much runs overall. It’s very crucial that the lower order – No. 9, 10, and 11 – add at least 25-30 runs for the team to do well. When I was sent as a nightwatchman, I wanted to use that opportunity and stay there for as long as possible. That was the only plan for the good of my team. In the morning, when I found them frustrated, I realised I can make some runs here too.”

One of the highlights of his innings was the stylish boundary that brought up his maiden Test fifty.

When asked whether it was planned or just instinct, Akash revealed, “I saw a chance that if the ball was down the legside, and it went up in the air, there was no fielder, so we could get a boundary there. The plan was that if the ball was in the leg-stump area, I would hit it in the air. The shot got mistimed a bit.”

With his maiden Test fifty, Akash Deep joins an elite list along with Hugh Trumble, Shane Warne, Imran Khan, Keith Miller and Richard Hadlee to become the 12th player with a ten-fer during a match and a fifty on an England tour.

Deep, with a first-class average of 11.48 before the Oval Test, is just the fourth Indian to score a men’s Test fifty at No 4 in England this century, joining Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill.

Deep mesmerised one and all with a ten-wicket haul in a critic-silencing, era-defining win over England at Edgbaston by 336 runs, their first-ever Test win at the venue last month. During the Test match, Akash set a massive record, delivering India’s best spell ever in England.

The pacer etched his name in the record books by registering the best bowling figures in a match for India in England, surpassing the long-standing record held by Chetan Sharma. Deep’s match figures of 10/187 edged past Sharma’s 10/188.

Deep is also the first Indian nightwatchman to score 50-plus runs since Amit Mishra (84 runs) against the same opponent at the same venue back in 2011.

The duo of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Akash Deep added 107 runs for the third wicket on Day 3 in the series decider. This partnership was the 18th 100-run stand in this ongoing England tour, the most in a Test series in this century (since 2000), surpassing 17 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2003-04.

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33-year-old Mohamed Salah, a Liverpool soccer star, posted on X demanding clarity from The Union of European Football Associations’ (UEFA) post paying tribute to 41-year-old Suleiman Al-Obeid, known as the “Palestinian Pele,” a late member of The Palestine Football Association (PFA).

The tribute was shared after The Palestine Football Association published that Al-Obeid was allegedly killed in an Israeli strike targeting civilians waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

UEFA called the former national team member “A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times.”

Salah took to his own account in response and posted, “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?”

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The PFA later posted a statement on its Facebook page attributed to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, calling Al-Obeid “proof of the joy that can flourish in the hearts of people despite hardship.”

“He gave his talent and dedication to the children of Gaza and gave their dreams a hope to blossom despite the suffering,” the statement wrote. “His death is a great loss to the world of football and to everyone who recognises the power of sport to unite people.”

On a breezy Dubai February evening in 2016, in the sixth over of the first innings of a match between the Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi, a young kid from Gujranwala ran in, gave it all and got his first-ever wicket in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Over that inaugural PSL season, Hasan Ali — now a household name — was the new kid on the block that barely anyone knew. However, that all changed once millions of eyeballs watched him give it his best in those opening encounters of the newly set-up premier T20 tournament.

Fast bowler Hasan Ali’s cricketing career coincides with the journey of the PSL as a league. He made his domestic debut in 2015, but it was the PSL which helped him hone his craft and, at the time of his international debut, he was more than ready for it.

Becoming the fastest to take 50 wickets for the Green Shirts in the ODI format — just a year into his international career — he was already the bowler of the tournament for an ICC event and had helped Pakistan win their first trophy in nearly eight years in the form of the Champions Trophy 2017.

From Hasan Ali in the first season to newcomer Fawad Ali this year, the Pakistan Super League continues to provide a much-needed springboard and safety net for young cricketers. Will it continue to do so going into its second decade?

Hasan credits a lot of those performances to the springboard that the PSL provided for him at the very start of his career.

“PSL was like a turning point for my career. If this league weren’t there, there is a possibility that I might have been limited to domestic cricket and would have made my international debut much later,” he tells Eos.

Throughout the years, as the fast bowler’s career went through ups and downs with injuries, PSL was a platform he used to return to the national fold.

This past 10th season, he made a comeback after an injury and went on to become the overall leading wicket-taker of the league.

FROM HASAN TO FAWAD

If Hasan was the fast bowler who made the most of the opportunity as an emerging player in the inaugural season of the PSL, Karachi’s Fawad Ali is the pacer who made waves in the recently concluded 10th season.

Hailing from the serene valleys of Swat, the right-arm pacer grew up playing tape ball cricket, like most young children do in the country. Like many blue-collar workers from that region do, he also went to Saudi Arabia and played cricket during his stay there.

Speaking about his journey to the PSL, Fawad relates how his mentors helped him bring him into the foray at the Kings. “Annu Bhai [Anwar Ali] has been pivotal to my journey, even guiding me on my diet plans and the latest fashion trends for haircuts!” Fawad says.

Those hard yards on the part of Fawad and his coaches culminated with him bowling the fastest ball of this season, clocked in at a brisk 150kph.

He also got to meet the cricketer he idolised growing up, Australian pacer Shaun Tait. “When I got to know that he would be coaching Karachi, I was really excited to get to learn first-hand from him. Now I’m on such friendly terms with him, that I pick his brains all the time for bowling tips.”

Fawad’s journey also brings to the fore one of the most important aspects of the PSL — the financial freedom that the league provides in a country where athletes struggle to make a living, having to rely on the benevolence of donors and sponsors in order to pursue their careers.

Being the eldest in his household, Fawad hopes to build a house for his family, adding, “I would feel really proud if I could provide some relief to my father and brother by contributing towards my household.”

The league is also a springboard for greater cricketing endeavours. “PSL has given me an opportunity to experience the pressures that are associated with international cricket,” says Fawad, “and I hope that I will be able to fulfil my dream of playing for Pakistan.”

THE FRANCHISE CONUNDRUM

The PSL turned 10 this year, and this year could bring about monumental changes in the league going into the second decade of its existence.

PSL X was nothing less than the extravaganza it was expected to be — although interrupted by a four-day conflict between Pakistan and India, before the season completed with its usual furore. However, in terms of significance, the year is essentially just starting to take shape.

When the PCB sold the franchises for a whopping $93 million back in 2015, the ownership was not in perpetuity but for a 10-year term. These contracts are up for renewal this year and, while it is entirely possible that the teams might not end up changing ownership, according to franchise officials, the renewal is dependent on the following conditions:

If the present market value is less than what the franchises are paying currently, there is an automatic 25 per cent increase in the annual fee of these franchises in order to renew their contracts. However, if the new value is more than the existing amount the franchises are paying, the new amount would be the difference in aggregate plus the already determined 25pc bump.

Karachi Kings Team Director Haider Azhar has been involved in the league in various capacities since its inception. He was with Multan Sultans in various capacities as well, winning the championship with Multan in 2021.

Speaking to Eos on the changes expected for this year, Haider says, “This year is a crucial year for the PSL and has to be handled by the board with the sensitivity it deserves.”

Haider explains that current terms create a conundrum. If a franchise is successful in creating a strong brand with a good market value, come the time of renewal, this actually requires franchises to pay more to continue with ownership of their team.

“The overall model of the league needs to be looked at, as it penalises you for developing the brand,” he says.

Speaking on the inclusion of new teams, Haider says: “I’m not at all against new teams coming in. But even in that, you’ll have to see what models are there, because when ownership changes hands multiple times, it damages your product as well as confidence.”

UNDERSTANDING PSL’S RAISON D’ETRE

An example of the type of innovation that the board could turn to, to help expand the league further was the extra fund in this year’s edition that helped with the inclusion of marquee players like David Warner.

As discussions continue between the stakeholders, what must not be lost sight of is how PSL continues to provide a springboard for young cricketers and the opportunity for a stable income in the sport to its participants.

From Hasan Ali in the first season to newcomer Fawad Ali this year, the league continues to be an oasis for cricketers in a country where social mobility is a pipe dream for most and athletes in other sports suffer due to an absolute dearth of monetary support systems.

In light of international developments too, PSL acts like a haven for Pakistani cricketers. As more and more leagues have increased participation from Indian Premier League franchise owners, the number of Pakistani players getting picked for these leagues has shrunk.

As the PSL steps into the second decade of its existence, one thing is for certain — all the decision-makers have to ponder over what route the league will take going forward. There are plenty of external and internal challenges going forward.

The writer is a member of staff

Published in Dawn, EOS, August 10th, 2025

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Header image: Lahore Qalandars Batter Sikandar Raza celebrates with his teammates after winning the PSL X final in Lahore on May 25. — X/PSL