Daily Times

Sri Lanka came, played and conquered the hearts of Pakistanis. The decision of the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to send their team to Lahore, the same venue where the terrorists attacked their team in 2009, to play the third and final Twenty20 International of a three-match series, no doubt, was brave, historic and inspiring. Only Sri Lanka had the guts to agree to visit Lahore once again after what they had faced eight years ago. Had it been any other major cricket playing nation, it would have been impossible for the Pakistan Cricket Board to convince them to visit Pakistan. Having faced terrorism and war at home for a long time, Sri Lanka knows how it feels to be an outcast. For this very reason, the SLC has been very sympathetic to Pakistan’s plight and decided that Pakistan cricket needs to be strengthened to fortify Asian cricket. With the visit, Sri Lanka gave a loud and clear message to all and sundry that if Pakistan is weak in cricket, Asian cricket will be weaker and that will make world cricket weaker and weaker. Pakistan’s strength is Sri Lanka’s strength and it is responsibility of the Asian block to look after each other. In this one-match visit, there has been a big element of compassion and respect. It was also a milestone for Pakistan cricket as the PCB attempts to end the country’s sporting isolation.

The 2009 horrific incident forced Pakistan to play their home matches in the United Arab Emirates and the country has since remained starved of international cricket at home, apart from Zimbabwe’s limited-overs tour in 2015. Several Sri Lankan players and officials, including their head coach, had opted out of the Twenty20 fixture, after voicing concern over security. But Asanka Gurusinha and Hashan Tillakaratne, who came under gunfire in 2009 and are now Sri Lanka’s team manager and batting coach, were with the squad. Regular skipper Upul Tharanga, Lasith Malinga, Niroshan Dickwella, Dushmantha Chamera, and Akila Dananjaya all had pulled out, as did their South African head coach Nic Pothas and physiotherapist Nirmalan Thanabalasingham. Suranga Lakmal, who still carries the splinter from a bullet wound in his leg, and fellow 2009 survivor Chamara Kapugedara had also stayed away. There were doubts that the visit won’t materialise. But the SLC stood with the PCB. What an unprecedented support!

Things changed in March this year when Pakistan hosted the final of Pakistan Super League featuring high-profile international players. The PSL final proved pivotal in changing the global cricket community’s opinion of Pakistan’s ability to host international matches and garnered support from cricket’s governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC). After the PSL final, the PCB went to work on bringing an international World XI to Pakistan with the support of the ICC. And that too was a huge success. Pakistan welcomed the star-studded World XI team led by South Africa captain Faf du Plessis.

Pakistan outplayed Sri Lanka by 36 runs in the last game at Gaddafi Stadium to whitewash the visitors 3-0 before a full house. The first two matches, which Pakistan won by seven and two wickets respectively, were played in Abu Dhabi before Sri Lanka flew to Lahore in a 24-hour fly in, fly out arrangement. Plenty of Sri Lankan flags were on display at the Gaddafi Stadium, as Pakistan fans showing their gratitude to the touring team. Thousands of fans filled Gaddafi Stadium under intense security, as the countries’ respective national anthems were played before a capacity 23,000 crowd. The city was adorned with pictures of the Sri Lankan cricketers as fans converged on the stadium hours before the start of the match. Fans applauded both the teams and beat drums in an exhilarating atmosphere.

Tens of thousands of security personnel were deployed in the city. Before and after the match, police personnel were seen distributing flowers among the spectators at the entry and exit points of the stadium. In addition to deploying security personnel and installing hundreds of surveillance cameras along the route to the stadium, the authorities had posted armed military men inside the venue to meet any eventuality. The arrangements were similar to the security protocol followed for a presidential visit. The spectators had to go through a four-tier security arrangement before being allowed to enter the stadium. Many of the fans carried banners inscribed with slogans praising the Sri Lankan team for “bringing cricket back home”.

On the other hand, a section of the citizens did complain about the traffic congestion due to tightened security in the city. The cricket match proved to be a nuisance for commuters as a large number of them remained stuck in massive traffic jams on different roads on Friday, Saturday and even on Sunday (the match day). They said it was good to organise cricket matches but why make public’s life difficult? It is regrettable that political instability and possible security threats had kept cricket suspended for a long period. Even before the 2009 attack, tours to the country had become infrequent with many teams refusing to visit due to security concerns. It was a long and tough journey as the PCB, Pakistan players and fans had been starved of the opportunity to stage, play and watch international cricket in their own country. For Pakistani fans, the significance of Sri Lanka’s visit extended beyond the realms of winning or losing. It was a significant visit in support of a nation that has contributed mountains to the game. Cricket is a binding force and adds to national unity, it is the identity of Pakistan globally. With the highly successful hosting of four international events since 2015, it seems that Pakistan cricket has made a substantial stride. Thank you, PCB, and thank you, Sri Lanka.

Published in Daily Times, October 31^st 2017.