Islamabad: Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was not returning to cricket in any capacity, his party said. The former Pakistan captain, the PTI said, will not be mentoring Pakistan Super League (PSL) side Peshawar Zalmi.
A party spokesman said the World Cup winning captain will not take part in the inaugural edition of the PSL in any capacity.
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“We issued a statement the very next day that the PTI chairman will not be going to mentor Peshawar Zalmi, or for that matter any other team in the PSL,” Sibghatullah Virk, member of PTI’s media cell, said.
Earlier, there were reports that the Peshawar-based franchise had appointed Imran Khan as a mentor, signalling his return to cricket for the first time since his retirement more than two decades ago in 1992.
For their part, Peshawar Zalmi refused to confirm or deny Imran Khan’s return to cricket, instead just promising ‘further surprises’ in the coming few days.
Peshawar Zalmi had picked Pakistan’s T20I skipper Shahid Afridi as their icon player, for whom they had to pay $ 75,000 to Islamabad United for having the first pick in the icon player category selection.
The Shahid Afridi-led team will also have the services of Pakistan pacers Umar Gul and Imran Khan Jr, West Indian big hitting all-rounder Darren Sammy, left-arm fast bowlers Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan, former T20I captain Muhammad Hafeez and explosive Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal.
