Watching International players playing in our country is probably the greatest feeling for a cricket lover. International cricket not only brings more entertainment for the fans but is also the source of revenue for the cricket board of that country, which helps to upgrade the level of cricket in the country. Unfortunately, there was no international cricket in Pakistan for a long time after the attack on Sri Lankan team in 2009. It was the toughest time on all the cricket fans in Pakistan and for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as well. After few years international cricket came back to Pakistan by the efforts of PCB. Let’s look at the journey of the revival of cricket in Pakistan and how it happened!
Terror Attacks in Lahore (2008)
Lahore suffered at the hands of terrorists on multiple occasions which led to the cancellation of Australia tour. The Indian team also stopped visiting Pakistan after the Mumbai attacks in November 2008. Pakistan Cricket Board had to face a loss of Rs. 336 million in 2008-09.
Attack on Sri Lankan Cricket Team (2009)
On a day ideal for test match cricket, everything happened except cricket – the gloomiest days for cricket in Pakistan saw the Sri Lankan team attacked by terrorists on their way to Gaddafi Stadium.
On March 03, 2009, five Sri Lankan players were harmed in a terror attack when they were going towards Gaddafi Stadium on the third day of an ongoing test match.
The tour was dropped and Pakistan’s status as a host country went under serious questions, which ultimately prompted the shortfall of cricket for quite a while. PCB once more endured a gigantic loss of Rs. 208 million.
No Cricket in Pakistan (2010-13)
There was no cricket in Pakistan for a long time. Pakistani players were forced to face exile and play cricket away from home after the attacks in March 2009. Stadiums in Pakistan stayed empty for a long time. It was a tough time for Pakistani players and for the fans as well.
Zimbabwe Tour to Pakistan (2015)
Afghanistan and Kenya had visited Pakistan in February 2013 and December 2014 separately, yet none of that was international cricket. However, when Zimbabwe consented to come for a series of two T20Is and three one-day internationals in Lahore, it was the greatest cricket occasion in the country in more than six years. The host team won both series, yet that was beside the point. What was more significant was simply the event.
Zimbabwe finally said yes to a limited over cricket series in Lahore in 2015, which brought hope among the cricket fans. It was the first international series after 2009 that a test-playing country had decided to visit Pakistan for a T20I and ODI series.
Though, the Zimbabwe visit was an exception, since it didn’t prompt more countries visiting Pakistan. There had to be a purposeful effort to welcome teams and players, and that began incredibly in 2017.
In spite of the way that every one of the matches were played, there was a blast outside the ground in the second ODI, which put an end to the hopes of more international cricket in Pakistan in the near future.
Pakistan Super league final (2017)
First, the successful hosting of Pakistan Super League 2 Final in 2017 and then the combined efforts of PCB, Giles Clark and Andy Flower made sure that Pakistan got what it deserved.
World 11 September (2017)
The long dry spell was put to an end when ICC announced the World XI visit to Pakistan in September 2017. Every player in world 11 team was probably one of the best players of their team. This event played key role in bringing the international cricket back to Pakistan.
What’s more, this was only the beginning, more teams including Sri Lanka (October 2017), West Indies (April 2018), Bangladesh (2020) and South Africa(2021) have likewise decided to visit Pakistan and support international cricket in Pakistan.
This has been a tough journey for the cricket lovers in Pakistan and for fans all over the world. Let’s hope that Pakistan will make progress by leaps and bounds and its stadiums will never remain empty.
Written By:
Hammad Idrees
