For a long time, the idea of having cricket back in Pakistan seemed just that – an idea. Everyone wanted it to happen but also knew that it was a tough nut to crack as too many unpredictable factors are involved.
– Stokes-led England dominate Day Four of Lords Test
– #360cricket: An open letter from a weary supporter
– Twitter reacts to Mumbai’s IPL final win over CSK
International cricket had been suspended in Pakistan for six years but it felt longer. Fully-fledged terrorist attacks on visiting teams stay in the memory for a very long time and after that fateful day in March 2009, cricket wasn’t expected to return to the western-most subcontinent nation any time soon.
Afghanistan and Kenya toured the country but those visits were not high profile enough to raise any hopes of a cricketing revival. The tour by Zimbabwe was the one that mattered. A limited overs series against a Test playing nation was just what was needed to attract the attention of the rest of the world.
Imran Tahir “I pray & hope the Zimbabwe tour will be successful and will open the floodgates of international cricket in Pakistan” #Cricket
— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) May 21, 2015
All those statements made over the years regarding Pakistan being capable of hosting an international series safely didn’t look like lip service anymore. But there were bound to be a few issues. And they surfaced when 46 people lost their lives in a deadly attack in Karachi.
Zimbabwe Cricket first suspended the tour and retracted their decision within half an hour. After a lot of deliberations, the tour was given the green light. However, there were still some problematic areas.
Firstly, the fact that the Zimbabwe players had decided to go against the advice of the country’s Sports and Recreation Commission, who asked the players to abandon the tour. Zimbabwe’s cricketers were apparently made to sign indemnity forms, meaning they were on their own.
Secondly, the International Cricket Council refused to send their officials for the bilateral series and asked the Pakistan board to make arrangements for umpires and referees on their own.
So basically, it was just a bunch of brave Zimbabwe players visiting Lahore on their own with only faith in Pakistan’s security establishment to hold on to.
It’s with this backdrop that the first two Twenty20 internationals between the two teams attain even more significance.
Zimbabwe could have easily said no to the tour after the Karachi attack as they were told to do by their government. But the players went ahead, mainly because the African team doesn’t have a lot of international matches lined up this year.
Even so, they took a risk and their courage must be commended.
Whatever their motivation, Zimbabwe have given Pakistan a lifeline at a time when the absence of top level action at home is crippling its cricket.
When a sport doesn’t offer a decent opportunity to earn a livelihood, chances are the best talent won’t take it up. It has been happening in Pakistan, with the quality of its batsmen and bowlers not as refined as it once was.
But there is hope now. Hope that cricket can return to Pakistan, and more importantly, a teenager can dream of playing against the best in the world in front of his home crowd.
This is just a small start and many hurdles need to be crossed before we reach that stage but at least a beginning has been made. And just like Zimbabwe’s players, the cricketing world needs to show a little courage in these initial stages of reconnecting with Pakistan.
Undoubtedly, there is a lot of apprehension and security of players and officials can never be compromised. But small yet regular steps need to be taken to bring Pakistan the host closer to the cricketing community.
We can only hope the Zimbabwe tour goes off smoothly so that Pakistan can dream big i.e. visits by the top-five sides. India or Australia or England will take a very long time before even thinking of travelling to Pakistan but at least the Zimbabwe tour, if successful, will force them to do so.
Warm welcome to the Zimbabwe team into Pakistan. Hopefully this is the revival of cricket in Pakistan in shaa Allah.
— Azhar Mahmood (@AzharMahmood11) May 20, 2015
What’s clear is that world cricket needs Pakistan as much as the country needs it. When a player like Ahmed Shehzad takes part in 102 international matches before playing in his first home game, it’s ultimately the game’s loss.
Iconic venues like the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore deserve an opportunity to be a part of the cricketing carnival once again. The streets of Pakistan which produced some of the finest players the game has seen should be allowed to rekindle its love affair with the game.
It is not going to be an easy task and some teams and governments may have to put a lot of faith in the security measures in Pakistan.
But Zimbabwe have shown it can be done. And moreover, if an IPL game can go on merely an hour after two bomb blasts right outside the stadium (as happened in Bangalore in 2010), then the rest of the world can surely think of giving Pakistan a second chance.
