Muhammad Asif

After six years of no international cricket in Pakistan, finally Zimbabwe Cricket Team came to Pakistan in May 2015. Though the tour was short, though the games were only played in Lahore, though the visitors could not go for shopping. But at least cricket came back to my country. A deserted ground transformed into a full house during all the games. 

It was an immense pleasure to see when Pakistani fans were cheering for Zimbabwe. Spectators appreciated the performance of the opponent team. Many Pakistani brought Zimbabwe’s flag in the stadium. People showed there gratitude by thanking the Zimbabwe. Fans thought beyond race, culture and most importantly religion. 

People in Pakistan are crazy for cricket. Every Sunday many children, boys and even married men(Who successfully get permission from their wives) use to go outside to play cricket. They don’t miss any chance of playing cricket on free time. On Sunday, at some certain spots in the country it would be difficult for you to figure out that whether a concert of the most famous band going on or some crazy people are playing cricket. Those fans were anxiously waiting for that moment. 

But should we conclude that “Pakistan is a safe place for international cricket.”

All the security arrangements proved that we should believe in that. But one should not forget that there was always a fear in the mind of fans, the commentators and the staff that something bad could happen. And there was one incident of suicide bombing too, near the stadium. Though cricketers were safe and they must had been with that kind of security arrangement. But providing this level of security for each match is too costly and difficult too. Moreover, what about the lives of innocent people who were killed during an incident due to the match. Some of the evils in the country always look for an opportunity to spoil things. Security arrangement might keep players and other officials safe but we must think about the lives of common men. 

I am excited to see cricket in my own country. But we must wait for the security condition to be better in the country.