For many in the current Pakistan team,the Independence Cup was the first time playing in the country they represent and defending a title in front of a home crowd. For Babur Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Faheem Ashraf, Shahdab Khan, Hasan Ali and Rumman Raees, years of playing away from home and being watched by the Pakistani diaspora communities all over the world could not equal playing on home soil. Pakistani captain Sarfaraz Ahmad confirmed this when he said, “I can assure all Pakistan cricket fans that we have missed playing in front of them”.
In the stadium, the excitement and fervour of the atmosphere was hard to dismiss as mere fanfare. There was a real sense of novelty in the experience. Indeed, many people watching the match on September 12, 13 and 15 were watching live cricket for the first time in their lives. A drought of over 8 years of no international cricket in the country means that almost a whole generation of people have never seen a live international cricket match on home soil.
The atmosphere of celebratory return was rampant in every enclosure of the stadium. Day two saw a good beginning as the weather was much cooler than the first day when World XI lost by 20 runs. As the fans began to fill in the various enclosures, the on-ground presenter urged them to begin the Mexican wave. Fans from all around got up while bellowing before sitting back down to watch the wave circulate into the next stand. The stadium was filled with sounds and the excited expectation of fans watching as the next wave approached them.
As I was sitting close to the players pavilion, I could see the players from both teams come in and out during the match. Two men stood a few feet from the entrance dressed in distinctly Mughal clothes with a spear (tir) and shield (dhaal) in their hands. They stood still for the entire duration of the match, reminding spectators of the cities Mughal heritage.
The players rickshaws were a special Lahori feature of the match. Modified accordingly, the World XI team sat on the colourful rickshaws on the first day of play. On the final match, the rickshaw was used to take Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s former test captain around the stadium. His movement was applauded by the spectators in each enclosure and was a fitting welcome to the much-loved former captain who had also been awarded a ‘Life Time Achievement Award’ by the PCB.
Aside from formal invitations, Pakistan was in no strong position to host the series after an 8-year drought. Najam Sethi’s conviction, diplomatic acumen, determination and the innate ability to communicate in the idiom of a Western audience would have been necessary for liaising with the ICC to make the tour possible. Clearly, it would have required some personal convincing to collect the sundry mix of players for the series.
Other motivations aside, most of the World XI side spoke of the significant purpose behind choosing to play in Pakistan. The international players spoke of the ‘small part’ they believed they were playing to bring international cricket back to the country. Many tributes have poured in following the series, not least by Paul Collingwood who called it a “week I’ll never forget”. The players were cheered on by the crowd and they responded with equal warmth and remember the tour with fondness.
For those watching live cricket for the first time in their lives, the Independence Cup was well executed and although it had the city in lockdown, and the event compromised the mobility of many city dwellers, the guarantee of security of this series was paramount for bringing back cricket to the nation.
The fact that the provincial government could put in such a big effort for the event demonstrates the strong desire to host international cricket in the country once again. People coming to watch the match is vast numbers further demonstrated this.
The match was not just a cricket series but a reminder of the potential Pakistan has, and the Independence Cup was the ideal way to mark this. It sent a strong message to terrorists that Pakistan is united to safeguard its interests and that cricket is a game that unites Pakistanis from all social spheres.
Safe to say, for anyone present and for the players involved, matches played away from home will always be compared to the first official return of world class cricket to Pakistan, the ICC Independence Cup Pakistan Vs World XI.
With the success of the Cup, the ICC Task force for reviving international cricket in Pakistan has fulfilled its goals. The PCB now prepares to host Sri Lanka in October this year.
Humaira Saeed is Assistant Editor at Daily Times. She tweets @HumairaSaeed10