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Karachi had waited nine years for this series to take place and they clearly made Pakistan proud and showed the world of cricket what it had been missing with the manner in which they applauded and appreciated good cricket being played at the National Stadium, writes Saj in his latest article for FirstPost Cricket.
Life as a cricket fan in Pakistan in the past few weeks has been one of great fun and wondrous delights. The excitement of watching some exciting Pakistan Super League (PSL) games in Lahore was amazing in itself but then, the icing on the cake, the final of Pakistan’s premier Twenty20 tournament being played in Karachi must have the cricketing equivalent of paradise for many thousands in the stadium and for millions who watched it on television.
For the residents of Karachi, however, the PSL final was not the end of their period of fun and celebration as the much-awaited tour of the West Indies, consisting of three Twenty20 International (T20I) games commenced on 1 April, as promised earlier by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The return of international cricket to the 'City of Lights' was a long time coming.
Fans at the National Stadium in Karachi hold up banners in support of the visiting West Indies team. Image credit: Twitter/@westindies
Fans at the National Stadium in Karachi hold up banners in support of West Indies. Image credit: Twitter/@westindies
It was more than nine years ago in February 2009 when Sri Lanka became the last international team to play a game at the iconic National Stadium in Karachi. What followed next in Lahore turned Pakistan into a no-go destination for cricket teams around the world. A dark shadow of despair descended upon this cricket-mad and cricket-loving land as the Pakistan team became nomads, forced to play all of their games away from home.
Thus, 1 April 2018 marked an important day which will sit forever in the memory of Pakistani cricket-lovers when smiles returned to the faces of Pakistan and Karachi fans once again. But this time around, the happiness was to acknowledge the fact that an international team was here to entertain them for the first time in many years. Whilst not many could begrudge the joy felt by Karachiites as they turned up in large numbers to watch the three T20I games against the visitors, it would also be disingenuous to overlook the fact that the Windies squad was hardly one that could have challenged a top-class opposition, especially one that is ranked Number 1 in T20Is.
A whirlwind tour which was to last about 96 hours was going to be tough in itself for the visiting team where jet-lag could have easily played a role in the final analysis, but a team devoid of some top stars playing against a team which really is at the top of its game could only mean one end-result.
With the might of an already strong and in-form Pakistan T20I team now buoyed by the power of confidence which accompanies sides playing on their home soil, it would have taken a near-miracle for a weakened West Indian squad to make any impression.
Babar Azam, Hussain Talat and Shoaib Malik along with the ebullient Fakhar Zaman were a force to be reckoned with at home when it came to the batting side of things for Pakistan. Mohammad Amir, playing international cricket for the first time in Karachi, was clearly intent on showing his worth to his home fans, but the success of Mohammad Nawaz as an attacking option in the opening overs was a revelation in itself and something that the Windies batsmen had trouble dealing with.
Apart from the obvious weakness of the Windies team, what really did help the Pakistan side perform well was the momentum that the players brought along with them from the recently-concluded PSL. Whilst the senior players would be expected to win games for Pakistan regardless of whether they played league cricket or not, the Pakistan Super League’s phenomenal success in providing quality and young players to the national side is one that would also be pleasing to the Pakistan management.
The likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hussain Talat and Asif Ali are all excellent examples of the effect of this year's PSL and amongst the big positives of the series against the Windies could be the fact that such young talent was able to get chances to play at the international level, with all three players making their debuts during this series. After three seasons, the PSL has already served Pakistan well, with Shadab Khan and Hasan Ali amongst the young stars which have been revealed in earlier editions.
There can be absolutely no doubt that regardless of the length of the tour, or the quality of the opposition at hand, the PCB’s efforts to restore international cricket on Pakistan’s home soil are having positive effects. The National Stadium in Karachi, which had in earlier times been the scene of many memorable victories for the home team, once again looked to regain its former glory with further repairs scheduled in the near term.
With some more future international tours of Pakistan being hinted at and close to half of next year’s PSL games to be played in Pakistan, it would appear that cricket is getting a new lease of life for the country which has given cricket greats like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Javed Miandad and Younis Khan.
And one final thought for the patient and enthusiastic citizens of Karachi. They had waited nine years for this series to take place and they clearly made the nation proud and showed the world of cricket what it had been missing with the manner in which they applauded and appreciated good cricket being played at the NSK. The lap of honour from the Pakistan team at the end of the final T20I of the series, which they convincingly won by a 3-0 margin, was not only to celebrate their first victory in Karachi in many years, but was indeed a heartfelt tribute to the people of Karachi and a salute to a grateful nation with the hope and dream of many more such moments to come in the future.
https://www.firstpost.com/firstcric...onal-cricket-back-with-open-arms-4418333.html
Life as a cricket fan in Pakistan in the past few weeks has been one of great fun and wondrous delights. The excitement of watching some exciting Pakistan Super League (PSL) games in Lahore was amazing in itself but then, the icing on the cake, the final of Pakistan’s premier Twenty20 tournament being played in Karachi must have the cricketing equivalent of paradise for many thousands in the stadium and for millions who watched it on television.
For the residents of Karachi, however, the PSL final was not the end of their period of fun and celebration as the much-awaited tour of the West Indies, consisting of three Twenty20 International (T20I) games commenced on 1 April, as promised earlier by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The return of international cricket to the 'City of Lights' was a long time coming.
Fans at the National Stadium in Karachi hold up banners in support of the visiting West Indies team. Image credit: Twitter/@westindies
Fans at the National Stadium in Karachi hold up banners in support of West Indies. Image credit: Twitter/@westindies
It was more than nine years ago in February 2009 when Sri Lanka became the last international team to play a game at the iconic National Stadium in Karachi. What followed next in Lahore turned Pakistan into a no-go destination for cricket teams around the world. A dark shadow of despair descended upon this cricket-mad and cricket-loving land as the Pakistan team became nomads, forced to play all of their games away from home.
Thus, 1 April 2018 marked an important day which will sit forever in the memory of Pakistani cricket-lovers when smiles returned to the faces of Pakistan and Karachi fans once again. But this time around, the happiness was to acknowledge the fact that an international team was here to entertain them for the first time in many years. Whilst not many could begrudge the joy felt by Karachiites as they turned up in large numbers to watch the three T20I games against the visitors, it would also be disingenuous to overlook the fact that the Windies squad was hardly one that could have challenged a top-class opposition, especially one that is ranked Number 1 in T20Is.
A whirlwind tour which was to last about 96 hours was going to be tough in itself for the visiting team where jet-lag could have easily played a role in the final analysis, but a team devoid of some top stars playing against a team which really is at the top of its game could only mean one end-result.
With the might of an already strong and in-form Pakistan T20I team now buoyed by the power of confidence which accompanies sides playing on their home soil, it would have taken a near-miracle for a weakened West Indian squad to make any impression.
Babar Azam, Hussain Talat and Shoaib Malik along with the ebullient Fakhar Zaman were a force to be reckoned with at home when it came to the batting side of things for Pakistan. Mohammad Amir, playing international cricket for the first time in Karachi, was clearly intent on showing his worth to his home fans, but the success of Mohammad Nawaz as an attacking option in the opening overs was a revelation in itself and something that the Windies batsmen had trouble dealing with.
Apart from the obvious weakness of the Windies team, what really did help the Pakistan side perform well was the momentum that the players brought along with them from the recently-concluded PSL. Whilst the senior players would be expected to win games for Pakistan regardless of whether they played league cricket or not, the Pakistan Super League’s phenomenal success in providing quality and young players to the national side is one that would also be pleasing to the Pakistan management.
The likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hussain Talat and Asif Ali are all excellent examples of the effect of this year's PSL and amongst the big positives of the series against the Windies could be the fact that such young talent was able to get chances to play at the international level, with all three players making their debuts during this series. After three seasons, the PSL has already served Pakistan well, with Shadab Khan and Hasan Ali amongst the young stars which have been revealed in earlier editions.
There can be absolutely no doubt that regardless of the length of the tour, or the quality of the opposition at hand, the PCB’s efforts to restore international cricket on Pakistan’s home soil are having positive effects. The National Stadium in Karachi, which had in earlier times been the scene of many memorable victories for the home team, once again looked to regain its former glory with further repairs scheduled in the near term.
With some more future international tours of Pakistan being hinted at and close to half of next year’s PSL games to be played in Pakistan, it would appear that cricket is getting a new lease of life for the country which has given cricket greats like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Javed Miandad and Younis Khan.
And one final thought for the patient and enthusiastic citizens of Karachi. They had waited nine years for this series to take place and they clearly made the nation proud and showed the world of cricket what it had been missing with the manner in which they applauded and appreciated good cricket being played at the NSK. The lap of honour from the Pakistan team at the end of the final T20I of the series, which they convincingly won by a 3-0 margin, was not only to celebrate their first victory in Karachi in many years, but was indeed a heartfelt tribute to the people of Karachi and a salute to a grateful nation with the hope and dream of many more such moments to come in the future.
https://www.firstpost.com/firstcric...onal-cricket-back-with-open-arms-4418333.html
