It was indeed a historic day for the revival of cricket in Pakistan. The exuberating final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) was held at the iconic Gaddafi Stadium – the home of Pakistani cricket – as fans were enthralled by high quality T20 cricket.
On the same day, the mighty Australian cricket team touched down in Islamabad for the first series in a quarter century. The Aussies last toured in 1998 and many Pakistani are not even old enough to remember the series. Australia pulled of a tour five years earlier after a suicide blast at a church in Lahore. This tour was also shrouded in uncertainty until the team finally arrived.
This time around, the team will be under strict security during their six-week long stay. Nearly 4,000 police and military personnel will be guarding the team hotel and the stadium. The squad will be given head of state level security and roads will be cordoned off and nearby shops closed during commute. These arrangements are necessary given the concerns teams have while touring Pakistan.
Pakistani cricket faced a setback with New Zealand walking out of tour at the eleventh hour citing security concerns. The team had the highest security but some unfounded security jeopardized the entire series. This was followed by England subsequently calling off their scheduled tour. Both have agreed to hold longer tours in coming years and Pakistan also received support for its efforts.
The successful hosting of the PSL was a moment of joy for the nation, cricket officials and the players. This was the first PSL held without any interruption and completely on home soil. The teams were issued a strict bio-secure bubble after learning lessons for the lapses last time and managed to pull it off without any untoward incident.
Pakistan is still making efforts to revive cricket after the doors were shut by the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team. Cricket has been one of the biggest victims of the law and order situation. If the Australian tour goes by successfully, it will be a pivotal moment for the revival of cricket in the country.
