Road Safety World Series (RSWS), a T20 league that promotes road safety and features retired cricketers, is going to have a team from Pakistan. Started in 2020, the last two editions of the tournament were held in India but this year, the league will be played in England with one more team, from Pakistan, getting added.
According to ESPN Cricinfo, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has given its approval to conduct the league in the United Kingdom, scheduled to be played in September. Though the dates are not finalised, the league is expected to last three weeks with nine teams, from across the world, participating.
The RSWS kickstarted in 2020 with India, Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies and Australia participating in the competition. The league was halted midway due to the Covid-19 outburst and when it resumed a year later in Raipur, Australia pulled off citing travelling restrictions amid the pandemic. The Aussies were then replaced by Bangladesh and England too was added.
The second season held in Dehradun in 2022 which saw an eighth team – New Zealand –joining the league while Australia returned as well. The Indian team, comprising the legends like Sachin Tendulkar, and Irfan Pathan to name a few, won both seasons as they defeated Sri Lanka in the finals of both editions in Raipur.
The tournament has refreshed the old cricketing memories as it has seen the greats of the game such as Sachin Tendulkar, Kevin Pietersen, Sanath Jayasuriya, Shane Watson, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Yuvraj Singh, along with Brian Lara, Jonty Rhodes, Shane Bond and many others. However, Pakistan so far has been a major absentee in the league.
The diplomatic terms between India and Pakistan have barred the two teams from playing a bilateral series for over a decade now. Hence, there was no team from Pakistan in the RSWS as well as the past two editions of the tournament held in India. But as the league shifts to the UK, it will be spiced up with the presence of some legendary cricketers from Pakistan.
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