“I couldn’t wait to come back,” veteran Barmy Army fan Andy Thompson said. Thompson attended a staggering 77 Tests and 22 ODIs on tour before “retiring” from his post in the Barmy Army three years ago. “When they asked ‘would you go back to Pakistan?’ I said I will come out of retirement because I love this country,” said Thompson, who last visited during the 2005 Tests. “I am very comfortable here. It’s pretty much the same to 2005, the same welcoming smiles from the people and everybody wants to help you.”
On the march: The Barmy Army was founded by three backpackers touring Australia in 1994, and have been a raucous presence at all of England’s matches ever since. They were given their name by the Australian press – “barmy” because of their cultish devotion to the team, and “army” because of their huge numbers. The fan organisation has since branched into a commercial venture, organising trips abroad to follow the England team wherever they play. Beforehand “everybody was concerned and hesitant” about the return to Pakistan, said the firm’s managing director Chris Millard. But “it’s completely changed to what we thought”, he added. “It’s probably the most welcoming community of people we have ever come across on a tour.”
Among the heaving crowd of supporters now bound for the second Test in Multan starting Friday was Matt Root – the father of batsman Joe Root. “He is loving it here and so am I,” declared Matt. In non-Muslim nations, the Barmy Army are often buoyed by pints of lager, but in dry Pakistan fans bonded with opposing spectators over a shared love of tea. The local food, spicy by European standards and avoided by the England team – who hired a specialist chef – was the subject of good-natured jokes.
One banner trailing from the stands in Rawalpindi read: “Imodium currently in high demand amongst the Barmy Army”. Matching the zeal of the Barmy Army is the group “Not Out” – “a bit quieter, a bit older” but “on the same side”, according to Ross Midgley, visiting Pakistan with his wife Alison. “It is a wonderful country and we will spread the word when we get home,” he said.
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