PSL 2021: Babar Azam, Imam and others beat quarantine boredom with video calls

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 06 Jan 2023

Pakistani players, in quarantine at the moment, have found a perfect answer to boredom: video calls.

With the remaining matches of the PSL 2021 a heartbeat away, fans can't contain their excitement to see the various franchises of the super league lock horns for the glory.

However, there are only a couple of days left for the action to begin and if you're an international cricketer in times of the pandemic, it is necessary to quarantine.

Bi-secure bubbles can be quite boring. As Imam ul Haq pointed out in an Instagram post, players residing on the same floors of a hotel can't meet each other for several days on end.

Yet, Pakistani players have found a way to beat the boredom and that is, connecting with each other virtually.

Taking to Instagram, Haq posted the screenshot of a video call in which the cricketer can be seen interacting with Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik.

It seems as if the screenshot has been taken while the players were having a hearty laugh as everyone, from Azam to Malik, can be seen smiling in the picture.

"So close, yet so far. Bio-secure bubble at its full flow. We're all in close proximity. Some even on same floors but still not meeting.

"Keeping ourselves entertained with video calls, so that we can all entertain you from the ground in a few days," he wrote.

A few days ago, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had confirmed receiving all the necessary permissions to hold 20 remaining matches the PSL 6 in UAE under strict precautionary measures.

Here's all you need to know about the updated squads of the six teams:

Karachi Kings:

Imad Wasim (c), Abbas Afridi, Amir Yamin, Arshad Iqbal, Babar Azam, Chadwick Walton, Danish Aziz, Martin Guptill, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Haris, Thisara Perera, Najeebullah Zadran, Noor Ahmed, Qasim Akram, Sharjeel Khan, Waqas Maqsood and Zeeshan Malik

Lahore Qalandars:

Sohail Akhtar (c), Ahmed Danyal, Ben Dunk, Callum Ferguson, Dilbar Hussain, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, James Faulkner, Maaz Khan, Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Hafeez, Rashid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Seekuge Prasanna, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sultan Ahmed (replaces Joe Burns), Tim David, Zaid Alam, and Zeeshan Ashraf

Islamabad United:

Shadab Khan (c), Ahmed Saifi Abdullah, Ali Khan, Akif Javed, Asif Ali, Colin Munro, Fawad Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Akhlaq, Musa Khan, Rohail Nazir, Usman Khawaja, Zafar Gohar and Zeeshan Zameer

Multan Sultans:

Mohammad Rizwan (c), Hammad Azam, Imran Tahir, Imran Khan Snr, Johnson Charles, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Umar, Obed McCoy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rilee Rossouw, Shahid Afridi, Shahnawaz Dhani, Shan Masood, Shimron Hetmyer (partially available), Sohaib Maqsood, Sohaibullah, Sohail Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Usman Qadir and Muhammad Waseem

Quetta Gladiators:

Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Abdul Nasir, Andre Russell (partially available), Anwar Ali, Arish Ali Khan, Azam Khan, Cameron Delport, Faf du Plessis, Hassan Khan, Jack Wildermuth, Jake Weatherald, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Usman Shinwari, Zahid Mahmood and Zahir Khan

Peshawar Zalmi:

Wahab Riaz (c), Abrar Ahmed, Amad Butt, Bismillah Khan, David Miller (partially available), Fabian Allen (partially available), Fidel Edwards (partially available), Haider Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Irfan Snr, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Rovman Powell, Waqar Salamkheil, Sherfane Rutherford, Shoaib Malik, and Umaid Asif.