By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan
The significance of the Zimbabwe cricket team's arrival in Pakistan on Tuesday extends beyond sport; it marks the first international fixture to be played in six years, after militants brought Pakistani cricket to a shuddering halt.
Local stadiums have been left deserted since the tipping point in 2009, when seven of the Sri Lankan team were shot in an ambush by heavily armed militants in the northeastern city Lahore. In the same attack six Pakistani policemen and two civilians were killed.
Zimbabwe's government had earlier cancelled the trip after an attack on a bus in southern port city Karachi killed 45 from the Ismaili Shia minority but quickly reversed the decision, brushing aside warnings from cricket authorities about the threat of an attack.
The visiting team will play five games, all in Lahore, during their week-long stay which has seen them honored as state guests and given a security contingent of 3,000 policemen, backed by aerial surveillance.
Cricket's governing body, the International Cricket Council, has not been convinced however. Still concerned about the threat of an attack, the council refused to send officials and umpires to referee the games, forcing Pakistan to rely on local officials. Among them is Hassan Raza, an umpire who was injured in the 2009 attack.
Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board said he hopes the Zimbabwe visit will pave the way for the visit of other international sides.
“It’s a happy moment. Our players are going to play in front of their own people after a long period,” Khan said. "We are not going to take any chances. The security protocol devised for the visiting team will fully be implemented as this is a crucial moment for us.”
According to the cricket board, it has lost more than $100 million in TV rights and other expenses during the six-year domestic hiatus when it was forced to host home games abroad, in neutral countries like the United Arab Emirates.
"Thank you Zimbabwe"
In Lahore last Friday, crowds of thousands queued, in scorching heat, for tickets, as excitement built for the return of cricket to a country infatuated with the sport.
“It’s like dream come true. I just can’t believe that I am going to see my favorite players in action for the first time in my life,” Usman Ali, a 19-year old student at the Punjab University in Lahore, told Anadolu Agency. “For the new generation, this is the beginning of an era, though. This is a not a huge contest.”
Tahir Hussein, standing near a billboard with a picture of Pakistan's Captain Misbah-ul-Haq -- the likes of which had been plastered across Lahore -- insisted he would not miss a single match.
“Thank you Zimbabwe, that’s all I can say in recognition of the great spirit and courage shown by them,” said Hussein.
The captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, speaking to reporters, made it clear that the players share in the excitement.
“This is a great moment. We are going to play before our own people after six unbearable years.”
