Pollard was expected to join Peshawar after West Indies tour of Sri Lanka but the West Indies allrounder's injury means he won't play this year's tournament.
Brathwaite was originally called-up as cover for Pollard till March 6, with that arrangement now being extended for the duration of the tournament.
“I’m sorry I can’t be there in person this year, but the team has some inspirational characters leading the charge and I’m sure can give Daren (Sammy) his first trophy as a head coach,” Pollard said in a statement.
Peshawar, with nine points, is joint leader with Multan Sultans in the six-team event and will play its remaining two league matches against Lahore Qalandars and against Multan next week.
Just over 24 hours after bowling the West Indies to a pulsating eight-run victory over World number-one Test team Australia, 24-year-old Guyanese fast bowler Shamar Joseph is already banking buck, having been signed by Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) set to begin next month.
Joseph, Player of the Series in the just-concluded two-Test series against Australia, famously took 7-68 as the West Indies bowled out Australia for 207 to hand the West Indies a narrow but hard-fought victory inside four days. It was the West Indies' first Test victory in Australia since 1997.
His performance in the series where he took 13 wickets, caught the eye of Peshawar Zalmi’s owners who have signed Joseph for the entirety of the tournament. Zalmi has initially announced Joseph’s signing as a partial replacement for England fast bowler Gus Atkinson.
Meanwhile, Johnson Charles was among the other players brought in by PSL sides in the supplementary and replacement draft.
Karachi Kings have replaced Kieron Pollard, who is partially unavailable, with left-arm spinner Zahid Mahmood.
The foundation for Peshawar Zalmi's imposing total of 211-4 was laid by the explosive opening pair of Sayim Ayub and Captain Babar Azam. The duo forged a formidable partnership of 136 runs before the experienced Shahid Afridi made a breakthrough in the 15th over, dismissing Azam for a well-compiled 48.
Ayub, undeterred by the fall of his partner, continued his aggressive onslaught on the opposition bowlers. The batsman hammered eight fours and four sixes on his way to a brilliant 88 before also falling victim to Afridi. With Ayub's departure, it was Rovman Powell's time to shine.
Powell entered the crease with a bang, unleashing a flurry of boundaries and sixes to propel Peshawar Zalmi past the 200-run mark. The Jamaican's exhilarating knock, which included five fours and two sixes, provided the crucial late flourish. Contributions from Mohammed Haris (12 from 5 balls) and Paul Walker (2 from 1 ball) took Zalmi to a formidable total.
In pursuit of the challenging target, Lahore Qalandars relied heavily on Rassie van der Dussen's breathtaking century. The South African batsman displayed remarkable stroke play, amassing an unbeaten 104 from just 52 balls, featuring seven fours and six sixes. However, despite van der Dussen's heroics, Lahore Qalandars fell short by eight runs, finishing at 203-6.
Shai Hope chipped in with 29, and Ahsan Hafeez contributed 20, but they couldn't provide the partnership needed to secure victory. Naveen-ul-Haq, despite being expensive with figures of 2-50 from his four overs, played a crucial role in containing the Qalandars' batting onslaught.
Ultimately, it was Rovman Powell's blistering innings and Peshawar Zalmi's collective effort that secured the thrilling win, marking a memorable encounter in the Pakistan Super League.
Pakistan have recorded 454 cases of COVID-19. There have been two deaths.
The country doesn’t have any critically ill patients from the Coronavirus with 13 already recovered, but they did record 147 new cases in a day.
Despite that, Walton, who is returning to Jamaica, doesn’t believe there is much to worry about.
“From the start of the tournament due to the security protocol we had limited contact with the wider society so as a result of that we had limited contact with the virus,” said Walton.
While he doesn’t think he has had any contact with COVID-19, Walton is completely aware of the pro-active stance of the Jamaican government in keeping the virus in check.
Jamaica has had 15 cases of the Covid-19, recorded one death, and seen two recoveries.
“Heading home is always a great feeling for me but this time there are some mixed feelings because I think I will have to be in isolation for 14 days,” said Walton.
Walton believes that while there must be an impact on athletes around the world, the level of that impact has much to do with how well governments manage the situation.
“As it relates to the livelihood of athletes across all disciplines, there has been an impact. How big of an impact will depend on how quickly the relevant authorities can get this under control,” he said.
