Pakistan’s dream of hosting the International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament is going to be fulfilled today after a long wait of 29 years. Pakistan and New Zealand will face each other in the opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy at the National Bank Cricket Stadium. The joy of hosting the ICC tournament for the first time since 1996 is clear.
The roads leading to the National Bank Cricket Stadium have been decorated with the branding of the Champions Trophy, while the stadium has been decorated in green and blue colors and President Asif Ali Zardari is expected to attend the opening match.
According to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan is fully prepared for the Champions Trophy, but some fans are still not convinced that the dream of hosting such a big event in Pakistan is going to come true. “If someone had told me in 2015 that England and Australia would come to Pakistan, I would have definitely laughed at it and considered it misleading,” a fan, Mohammad Abdullah, told Dawn.
“When Pakistan was announced to host the Champions Trophy, I was just expecting it to be cancelled, so this is already a huge victory for Pakistan,” he said.
Pakistan has come a long way to host an ICC event for the first time since 1996, when the country’s safe cricket venue status was revoked after the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus in Lahore in 2009.
That year, Pakistan lost the rights to host the 2009 Champions Trophy and also lost the chance to co-host the 2011 World Cup, ushering in an era of empty and silent stadiums.
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi, during whose tenure Zimbabwe became the first foreign team to tour Pakistan since 2009, said the Pakistan Super League played a key role in convincing teams to visit Pakistan.
“It was quite difficult to convince teams to visit, but the arrival of the PSL proved that security can be managed,” said Najam Sethi.
