As international cricket officially resumes in Lahore on Friday with the first T20I between Pakistan and Zimbabwe, it will be the first chance for stars like Ahmed Shahzad and Umar Akmal to play in front of a home crowd.
Apart from them, the likes of Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali and Haris Sohail have played their home matches in UAE since the attack on the Sri Lankan Cricket team in 2009.
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Desperate attempts have been made to revive international cricket in Pakistan but nothing materialised in these six years as players were kept at bay by abnormal circumstances from playing at home.
However, the happiness of the homecoming has already given a positive feeling to the fans that have made the trip to Lahore, and Shahzad is one of them.
“I can’t describe what an amazing feeling it has already been to have a chance to play at home. It will certainly be like having my debut again and I’m really excited to get out and enjoy the game,” the dashing opener Shahzad said to Sport360.
Team Green Blood Green Base Green Theme Green Alhamdolilah. Thankyou Pak Thankyou Zim for taking these black clouds away. #cricketcomeshome
— Ahmad Shahzad (@iamAhmadshahzad) May 20, 2015
“As a young boy, you dream for such moments to be able to play in front of a packed house and that dream is just hours away from reality. I just can’t wait to go out and play. My whole family will be at the stadium which makes it really appealing to produce a good performance for my team.”
Asked how difficult it was to manage personal and professional commitments over the years, Shahzad said: “As a professional we need to manage our family and our cricket commitments. Obviously, it’s difficult when you’re away from your family for so long but all the players have been able to do it.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Punjab Government have chalked out foolproof security plan, and people will have to go through several checking counters and a walk of almost 1km to enter the stadium.
There are almost two to three dozen policemen at every counter, supported by more security guards who will monitor every movement.
Nishtar Park Sports Complex has been declared a no-go area until the series ends, as Gaddafi Stadium and Zimbabwe have become the most prestigious things in Pakistan.
While the scenario and security around Gaddafi Stadium is safe, it has been made stronger and safer with almost 6,000 policemen deployed to cover the route of the team, aided by officials of other security agencies as well.
When the team leaves the hotel to travel to the stadium, the city of Lahore will be locked down to provide safe passage to the teams and to avoid any risk.
Shahzad praised the local people for understanding the situation. He said: “I want to thank the people of Lahore who have to suffer on the roads because of the teams and they remain stranded for hours so that we can move freely. However, no complaints have emerged from the public which is the best thing because they also understand it is about Pakistan, it is about us, and it is about our future.”
“The level of security which has been provided to Zimbabwe is unprecedented, and the PCB, Punjab Government and all security agencies deserve a big applause for all their hard work. This tour is really important for us because it could open more home tours of Pakistan in the future.”
With Pakistan set to play England and India in September and December in UAE, Shahzad hoped that somewhere down the line Pakistan would be able to host these teams instead of UAE.
In his view, if Pakistan can host India, especially at home and not at a neutral venue, it would be a major boost.
“We needed to start somewhere and the Zimbabwe tour is the beginning for us. We’re really thankful to Zimbabwe for helping us to end the isolation and hopefully we will be able to host bigger teams such as Australia, England and India in the future,” Shahzad said.
“There is a series in the pipeline with India this year and if we can play that series in Pakistan, then it would be a big boost for Pakistan cricket. There is no bigger series than Pakistan-India because there is so much at stake between arch-rivals. The passion between the two sets of players can encourage younger generations to dream big and do something special for their country in the future.”
Asked whether he has set any special goals for this tour, Shahzad replied that the only thing on his mind is to contribute to a Pakistan victory instead of pursuing his personal goals.
Pakistan are right now wounded after being whitewashed by Bangladesh in the ODI and T20 series for the first time in history and Shahzad said that everyone is fired up to bounce back strongly.
“Sometimes in life, you get up a wake-up call and I believe we’ve received that call. Now everyone is charged up to bounce back in the strongest possible way. The team management is really encouraging the players to do something special and everybody is up for it,” Shahzad stressed.
“We’ll go out in the middle and will play our best cricket for the fans who are expected to turn out in numbers for the series opener on Friday.”
