PCB suspends domestic tournaments amid security concerns

Islamabad [Pakistan], May 11 (ANI): The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the immediate postponement of the ongoing President's Trophy Grade II, the Regional Intra-District Challenge Cup, and the Inter-District U19 One-Day tournament due to the current "security conditions in the country".

In a statement issued on Saturday, the PCB confirmed that all three tournaments would resume from the point they were paused, with a revised schedule to be announced, according to ESPNcricinfo.

This development comes just a day after the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 was suspended indefinitely, with only eight matches remaining in the season. The PCB cited the "worsening situation" at the Pakistan-India border as the reason behind the suspension, following recommendations from Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Interestingly, the decision came less than 24 hours after the PCB had announced plans to relocate the remaining PSL matches to the UAE. However, those plans were swiftly abandoned, and teams began to disband, with overseas players returning to their home countries.

There is still no update on when the PSL might resume.

Meanwhile, uncertainty also looms over Bangladesh's scheduled T20I series in Pakistan. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) stated that it is in "active and ongoing discussions" with the PCB regarding the tour, which is set to begin on May 21 with matches in Lahore and Faisalabad. However, the escalating political tension in the region has cast doubt over the tour's feasibility.

The three-day President's Trophy Grade II began in mid-April and was set to conclude in the fourth week of May, with the final slated to start on May 22. The other two tournaments were also expected to run through the month of May. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)