Cricket fever rises in city as T20 excitement picks up

Tickets for the two T20 matches between Zimbabwe and Pakistan, scheduled for May 22 and May 24, sold out within a couple of hours after they hit the market, and fans are excited to be able to experience live cricket once more.

Ahmed and Hammad are among the thousands of cricket fans who will watch the match at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Ahmed said he had purchased two tickets for the first T20 match between Zimbabwe and Pakistan, which was scheduled for May 22, and he is super excited that he will be able to spend a day out with his friend Hammad and also enjoy the match.

Syed Ali Akbar Abbas Rizvi, a cricket enthusiast from Masson Road, told Pakistan Today that Zimbabwe’s tour to Pakistan is a major respite for entertainment deprived Pakistanis.

The fact that the matches are taking place at home adds a sense of excitement itself.

“While the series may not seem big on paper due to the opposition not being formidable, its importance is no less than the 1996 world cup final which was held at the same stadium,” said Rizvi.

Ali Raza, another cricket enthusiast, told Pakistan Today that they had been waiting for cricket teams to visit Pakistan for a long time and finally now there is some hope.

“I will go and watch every match especially the T20s because we will miss all the fun due to ongoing load shedding. Instead of waiting for electricity to return, I would rather go to the stadium and watch all matches. The government must declare all match days load shedding-free so that people who cannot visit Gadaffi Stadium can watch at home without any trouble,” he demanded.

Ghulam Abbas, manager at a Gourmet bakery which is selling match tickets, told Pakistan Today that the enthusiasm of the people including the youth is quite high, as the tickets of the first two T-20s have been completely sold out in three days.

For Bilal, 13, the excitement of Zimbabwe-Pakistan series is at its peak. “I have purchased Pakistan cricket team’s kit and paints for painting the face and will witness the T-20 matches with my family at one of our favourite eateries in Lahore,” he said.

Different eateries are arranging the screening on multimedia screens across the city where families and friends could go and witness the match while eating their favourite dishes.

Zimbabwe will be the first test-playing nation to visit Pakistan in six years after international cricket was suspended in March 2009 because of the attack on the Sri Lankan team.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Dr Haider Ashraf told Pakistan Today that the touring Zimbabwe team would enjoy the status of ‘state guest’ so equivalent security would be provided to them.

More than 6,000 police officers would provide security to the Zimbabwean cricket team, out of which 3,000 men will guard the stadium during the matches.

“The audience will be allowed to enter the stadium after passing through four layers of security,” he explained.

“We would secure the entrances and exits of the stadium using metal detectors, walkthrough gates and barbed wires,” he added.

Dr Ashraf added that the elite police force vehicles would be patrolling the area during and after the match and they will escort the cricket team to and from the stadium. “Aerial surveillance of the stadium would also be carried out.”

Chief Traffic Officer Tayyab Hafeez Cheema told Pakistan Today that ‘zero route’ would be provided to the visiting team.