Zimbabwe’s cricketers are being rewarded for their historic tour of Pakistan by having the red carpet rolled out for them and experiencing the kind of treatment they rarely get. While they have gone public with their appreciation through their tweets, they’ve matched that in their off-record comments.
“They have really pulled out all the stops for us. We are being treated extremely well,” one player said.
Unlike their South African, English, Australian or Indian contemporaries, Zimbabwe’s cricketers are on modest pay-cheques, which sometimes do not get paid on time or at all. When they play at home, especially in Harare, the team do not stay at a hotel but at their own homes. They do not travel in a team bus, but by their own means. Now, all that has changed.
When Zimbabwe are escorted to the stadium for training and match days in Lahore, it is by an armed guard, something they expected before leaving. One of the players said the team had heard at least 3,500 security personnel had been deployed for their trip. Their movements have been restricted by the security arrangements but several Zimbabwe cricketers took to Twitter to open the channels of communication even before leaving. They retweeted messages from Pakistani fans promising their safety and have since continued sharing their experience on that platform.
Zimbabwe have been enjoying the hospitality and warm reception of fans off the field, too. The team is staying at the Pearl Continental Hotel, an establishment frequented by state presidents, and not at the National Cricket Academy as originally planned. The PCB changed the venue after deciding housing people in the stadium would create the impression the country was not ready for visitors.
The change of location means that Zimbabwe’s touring party will see a little more than just the Gaddafi Stadium precinct but not much more. Their travel is limited to the hotel and the ground with shopping, sightseeing or even general roaming around strictly forbidden.