Aqib Javed thinks a PSL anthem is unnecessary

• Lahore Qalandars' coach Aqib Javed says fans come to watch Babar, Shaheen in action, not singers at PSL.
• Lahore Qalandars' head coach terms PSL anthem "a waste of money".
• Lauds PCB chairman Ramiz Raja, says he has done a decent job since appointment.

LAHORE: The anthem for the Pakistan Super League is "unnecessary", Lahore Qalandars head coach Aqib Javed said Thursday ahead of the tournament's seventh edition, which will kick off on January 27, with the theme song expected days before it.

"There is no need for an advertising campaign; it is just a plain waste of money [...] nobody wants to see singers," the head coach said while speaking to Geo News.

The former cricketer said that in the tournament's initial phase, there was a need to advertise it and the anthem was crucial at that time.

"But now, fans come to watch Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and other cricketers in action. There's no bigger star than the cricketers. People don't come before the matches to see the singers," he said.

The head coach questioned the sort of public that the tournament attracted due to the last theme song — "Groove Mera" — that the Pakistan Cricket Board had launched.

Speaking about his team's anthems, he said the franchise had released several songs, but none of the songs were as famous as the first one.

Javed, on PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja's proposal for a quadrangular T20 series, involving Pakistan, India, Australia, and England, said it was a good suggestion.

But Javed said that instead of all the four nations playing together, the cricket board showed focus on staging India and Pakistan's bilateral series. He said due to tensions between the states, the matches should be played in the United States or Europe.

The head coach also lauded Raja, saying that he has done a decent job since his appointment. He said the team was performing better, and now, it was time for the board as well to move forward.