Pakistan will host a first major cricket tournament in almost three decades from Wednesday in a move hailed as a landmark just a few years after the country was off-limits because of security fears. Staging the Champions Trophy in three cities over the next two-and-a-half weeks will be a huge boost to the South Asian nation’s reputation if authorities can pull it off smoothly and safely. “Convincing the world that Pakistan is a safe country and that it is capable of delivering such a global event from an administration point of view took serious hard work and convincing,” former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja told AFP.

“The world eventually understood our viewpoint,” said Raja, under whose tenure the event was awarded in 2021.

The build-up has not been without problems after neighbours and arch-rivals India refused to play in Pakistan over long-standing political tensions.

A powerhouse of the sport on and off the pitch, India will instead play their matches in Dubai, but the other seven countries will be based in Pakistan.

The country has stepped up security, especially in host cities Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi, even if attacks in major cities are increasingly rare.

Pakistan had been due to host the Champions Trophy, the premier ODI event after the World Cup, in 2008.

It was instead staged in South Africa a year later because of a security crisis that spilled over from the war in neighbouring Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks.

Pakistan became a no-go zone for international sides in 2009 after Islamist gunmen attacked a bus carrying Sri Lanka’s team in Lahore, wounding several players and killing eight policemen and civilians.   

But since a sweeping military crackdown that started in 2014 and lasted several years, security has vastly improved.

Test cricket returned to Pakistan in 2019 and Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa later toured the country, helping Pakistan’s bid to host the tournament. 

Those teams will all be in Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.

‘Terrorism took everything’

For 77-year-old businessman Haji Abdul Razzak, a global event coming back to Pakistan is like another birthday. 

The last time Pakistan held a major international cricket tournament was as co-hosts, with India and Sri Lanka, in 1996.

Razzak raised the Sri Lankan flag on March 17, 1996 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore when the islanders defeated Australia to clinch the title.

Twenty-nine years later the cricket fanatic will attend the opening match of the Champions Trophy in Karachi on Wednesday between holders Pakistan and New Zealand. 

“It is fresh in my mind,” a teary-eyed Razzak told AFP. “My country was thriving back then and cricket was on everyone’s mind.”

He added: “Terrorism took everything away from us. I am overjoyed to see a global event coming back to our country and I am feeling like it will be my birthday.” 

Although militancy is still a threat in Pakistan, the violence is nearly entirely limited to the remote border regions from north to south, far away from the stadiums.

With the capital Islamabad placed in lockdown, Pakistan recently hosted a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and a global meeting on girls’ education, raising its profile on the international stage. 

As a test case for its readiness, Pakistan last week staged a tri-series with New Zealand and South Africa and crowds flocked to the recently renovated stadiums in Lahore and Karachi.

Raja, a former Pakistan captain who played in the 1987 World Cup hosted by Pakistan and India, said holding the Champions Trophy has enormous significance that goes beyond sport. 

“This Champions Trophy is a crucial step toward normalising its standing in the global cricket community,” he said.

“It’s also about national pride and sending a strong message about resilience and determination. 

“It is about youth engagement, cultural promotion and building a global image.

“Now the onus is on us to deliver.” 

Pakistan batter Imam-ul-Haq has shared an insight into how a defeat to India terribly affected the mentality of Pakistan players leading up to the 2023 ODI World Cup. Imam speaks about the 2023 Asia Cup, where Pakistan were handed a humiliating 228-run defeat by India, thereby also ending their hopes of winning the Asia Cup. In that game, Pakistan were bowled out for just 128, chasing India’s 356. Imam narrated the raw emotions of how that game, and then the loss to Afghanistan during the World Cup, completely shattered the confidence of the Pakistan team.

“The sudden loss to India in the Asia Cup (in 2023) started a downfall. The Asia Cup was a disaster. I saw several of our boys crying, a lot of them locked themselves in their rooms and many of them had stopped smiling,” narrated Imam on the Ultra Edge Podcast.

Following the defeat to India in the Asia Cup, Pakistan were again comprehensively beaten by India in the 2023 ODI World Cup. A few days later, Pakistan’s hopes of qualifying were almost dashed when they were beaten by Afghanistan as well. Imam said that these losses badly affected his teammates.

“I remember the exact picture after the Afghanistan match. Where I was sitting, where Babar (Azam) was, Haris (Rauf) and Shaheen (Afridi) were sitting in front of me and one of them was bitterly crying. Shadab (Khan) was sat in a corner,” Imam said.

Imam Ul Haq: The Downfall of Pakistan started after Asia Cup match vs India.

They cried after match vs India in WC and then crying stopped for a while.

But then it resumed vs Afghanistan where they cried twice:

1. after losing the match

2. after watching Afghan celebration pic.twitter.com/stAoQVV3GE

— Johns (@JohnyBravo183) December 21, 2024

“The downfall started from the India game, and after the Afghanistan loss, it was the end for us,” Imam said further.

Pakistan went on to miss qualification to the semi-finals of the World Cup, leading to Babar Azam resigning from captaincy. Although he was reinstated six months later, Pakistan’s poor white-ball form continued as they got knocked out of the T20 World Cup 2024 in the initial group phase. This led to Babar quitting captaincy permanently.

Pakistan are experiencing a renaissance since then, having won back-to-back ODI series, in Australia and South Africa respectively, under the leadership of Mohammed Rizwan.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has agreed to form a two-member independent committee which will act as a conduit between the national team players, management and the board. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, following a day-long cricket connect conference on Monday attended by the board’s top leadership and foreign coaches Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie, assured the players that the committee to look into their grievances would be formed soon.

According to sources, the players voiced their concerns regarding problems in communicating with top PCB officials, especially in the international and domestic cricket departments.

Captains Shan Masood and Babar Azam backed by Muhammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and some other players told the meeting that they wanted a “bridge” with the board so that there are no misunderstandings and they can convey their issues and grievances to the board when required.

It was decided that the two-member committee would function independently to improve the communication between players, management, and different departments of the PCB, the source added.

Pakistan is one of the few Test-playing nations where there is still no players’ association recognised by the board.

The players also pointed out that they required a sense of security while representing Pakistan and there should be clarity from the selectors and the board over several issues, including captaincy.

The source said that Mohsin Naqvi assured the players that no imminent changes would be made in the national team captaincy and they should focus on their performances.

Naqvi advised the players to work on building a more cohesive and united environment in the dressing room, the source added.

“He (Naqvi) basically told the players that whoever the board had as captains the players must support them and play as one regardless of the format,” the source said.

PCB Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer and the two foreign coaches later described the cricket connect session as productive and transparent.

“It provided us a forum to identifying issues and resolving them,” Naseer said.

“The session was about openly and candidly accepting and identifying (issues) and ask for a commitment from each other… demand it on how we can improve our performances and how we work together as a team. Our unanimous view was that we need to resolve this going forward and need to identify how we do it.

Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan opened up about his recent struggle to find the purple patch with the bat and ball on the international circuit. Shadab is enjoying a memorable debut in Lanka Premier League Season 5 with the Colombo Strikers. In his very first game, he snared a hat-trick against the Kandy Falcons and has since thrived in the conditions, picking up 16 wickets, the most by any bowler so far in this LPL season. As the LPL caravan moved from Dambulla to Colombo, Shadab picked up his third four-wicket haul of the tournament against the Jaffna Kings at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.

As Shadab continues to rewrite record books, he opened up about his struggle to deliver for the Pakistan team.

“I was struggling for three months. I hadn’t taken a wicket in the last seven international games. I came here, started bowling and am now always taking wickets. That is the beauty of cricket. You have to enjoy these types of scenarios as well… sometimes you perform, sometimes you don’t. But the process that you follow has to be consistent,” Shadab said, as quoted from a press release by LPL.

Shadab recalled his first outing in the league and expressed that the pitch was helpful for spinners. But he went on to add that a T20 bowler requires variations to be successful across conditions.

“The pitch was helping us as it was a bit slow and gripping a bit… But T20 cricket is very hard nowadays, as 200 is easily changeable. As a spinner, you have to have your variations because on flat tracks, if you don’t have variations, you can go for runs. But if you have variation, you can take wickets as well as contain runs. So that is very important, and it is also important that you land it in a good area,” Shadab added.

The 25-year-old stated his intention to contribute as an all-rounder across all departments of the game for his franchise, the Colombo Strikers.

“I am performing for my team, and that is a good sign. I am the main bowler, and if I am taking wickets, that is a positive sign for me and my team. I want to contribute in all three phases. So far, I am contributing in two as a bowler and fielder. Hopefully, I can contribute with the bat too,” Shadab concluded.

Pakistan World Cup winner Mushtaq Ahmed praised under-fire Pakistan captain Babar Azam, and stated that he requires contributions from the rest of the players. He went on to ask that more respect be shown towards Babar. Babar and the rest of the Pakistan team were heavily criticised by former players, experts and fans as Pakistan crashed out of the 2024 T20 World Cup after the group stage. However, Mushtaq Ahmed rushed to Babar’s defence, stating that he has increased his aggression.

“Babar’s intent has definitely changed in the past year. He has shown aggression in his batting. If a person can improve so much, I think that’s enough,” Mushtaq said to Cricket Pakistan.

“Other players also have a duty to score runs; they have a role to play too. If one person gives you a score, but the rest of our players don’t go on to score in the remaining 7-8 overs, then there’s a problem,” he added.

“This has been happening for 3-4 years. They (other players except Babar) only score when it doesn’t make a significant impact,” stated Mushtaq.

Babar was Pakistan’s top runscorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup, scoring 122 runs in four games, but at a strike rate of just 101.66. Mohammad Rizwan, who scored the second-most runs, had a strike rate of just 90.90.

Mushtaq called for people to respect Babar more, and not forget his contributions to Pakistan cricket.

“If we talk about Babar, there’s a reason why people respect him worldwide. He brings honour to Pakistan. I think sometimes people are very hard on him,” said Mushtaq.

Babar Azam currently ranks among ICC’s top 5 batsmen in all three formats; No. 1 in ODIs, No. 3 in Tests and No. 4 in T20Is.

Despite a rocky T20 World Cup campaign, Babar is expected to retain captaincy, with the ‘major surgery’ earlier promised by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi reportedly unlikely.

File image of Babar Azam (right) and Shaheen Shah Afridi.© AFP

Many Pakistan cricketers jumped to the rescue of Haris Rauf, after a video went viral online, where the pacer is seen engaged in a heated squabble with a fan. After Pakistan’s group stage exit from the 2024 T20 World Cup, a fan was caught on camera in an argument with Haris Rauf, having allegedly thrown insults at the player’s family. Rauf’s teammates Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan and Hasan Ali, as well as Ahmed Shehzad, took to social media to address the behaviour of the fans.

“Let’s keep the debate respectful and considerate of the players’ families. Let’s promote love, peace and respect for the GAME,” tweeted fellow pacer Hasan Ali.

Shadab Khan was firmer with his words, criticising the fans’ behaviour towards the cricketers.

“It is not OKAY to attack anyone personally in their family’s presence, unacceptable. How would you feel if someone attacked you personally while with family?” posted Shadab on X.

A heated argument between Haris Rauf and a fan in the USA. pic.twitter.com/d2vt8guI1m

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 18, 2024

I’ve seen a video circulating online about Harry @HarisRauf14 and I urge all my dearest cricket fans to remember that criticism can be constructive without being hurtful. Let’s keep the debate respectful and considerate of the players’ families. Let’s promote love, peace and…

— Hassan Ali (@RealHa55an) June 18, 2024

It is the right of fans to criticise us for performances. We accept it and try to learn from it. It is not OKAY to attack anyone personally in their family’s presence, unacceptable. How would u feel if someone attacked u personally while with family? #HarisRauf @HarisRauf14

— Shadab Khan (@76Shadabkhan) June 18, 2024

Rizwan’s post, however, triggered a major row, as he mentioned that it didn’t matter if the fan was from India or Pakistan, despite the fact that it was cleared by the fan himself that he was from Pakistan.

It is irrelevant whether the person who disrespected Haris Rauf was from Pakistan or India. What truly matters is that this individual lacked values and manners. No one has the right to disrespect any human being, especially in front of their family members. Such appalling…

— Muhammad Rizwan (@iMRizwanPak) June 18, 2024

Rizwan received criticism on social media for bringing India into the debate despite there being no involvement from any Indian fan.

Absolutely unnecessary to mention ‘India’ here when that fan himself claimed he’s from Pakistan.

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 18, 2024

Discarded Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad has been the talk of the town on social mediathe last few weeks, criticising Babar Azam and the Pakistan cricket team. However, even he expressed his dislike for the events that had unfolded.

“As cricket fans, you can criticise the performance of players and their actions on the field. No one has the right to ridicule a player or their family, always respect their privacy,” said Shehzad.

As cricket fans, you can criticise the performance of players and their actions on the field. No one has the right to ridicule a player or their family, always respect their privacy. Criticise them for grouping in the team, for their friendships which has kept deserving players…

— Ahmad Shahzad (@iamAhmadshahzad) June 18, 2024

“Criticise them for grouping in the team, for their friendships which has kept deserving players out, for prioritising personal milestones over country’s collective success, and for the betterment of Pakistan cricket only,” he added.

Pakistan’s poor performance in the T20 World Cup – losses to USA and India leading to their early exit – has not gone down well among former Pakistan cricketers and experts, with many calling for a change in the team. However, after the attack on Rauf’s family, the players made sure that such behaviour remains inexcusable.

Babar Azam and five other players have decided to spend their holidays in London.© AFP

Pakistan’s former players are not expecting the team to do well in the T20 World Cup starting in the Americas from Saturday. Pakistan lost a T20I in Ireland and then suffered a 0-2 defeat in England this week, not the ideal result before a global event. Before that, they drew 2-2 at home with a New Zealand side that was missing many of its World Cup squad members. “They are not getting their combination right, which is their biggest problem,” former captain Rashid Latif said.

He feels Pakistan need to not only shuffle their batting but make more use of their spinners.

“Not only shuffle, but players need to be prepared to play at floating roles now in T20 cricket as per the match situation,” he added.

The legendary Javed Miandad is banking on the unpredictability factor.

“They are unpredictable and always seem to do well in these T20 World Cups. But yes, they need to definitely improve in some areas quickly because, with a 20-team event, you can’t afford to relax even in one game,” he said.

Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam said in his post-match conference at the Oval that although it was disappointing to lose the series to England, the World Cup will be a different challenge.

“We have capable (and) talented players, and we will come good in the World Cup,” he said.

Many cricket fans are not happy with the selection or performance of Azam Khan, who was dismissed cheaply at the Oval and dropped two catches.

Azam, who has followed in the footsteps of his father, Moin Khan, as a wicketkeeper-batter, has been trolled mercilessly on social media since Thursday.

But it is not just Azam who has been a disappointment. All-rounder Shadab Khan has also been struggling for runs, as has Iftikhar Ahmed, who has failed to make any impact while batting down the order.

The bowlers also have been having too many of -days, with pacer Naseem Shah going for 25 in an over in the power play at The Oval, while Mohammad Amir conceded 28 in two overs.

Some officials in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are worried that if the team doesn’t reach the World Cup semi-finals, the fan base will take a big hit, which would not help the board in its preparations for the Champions Trophy next year.

“If the team does not perform well, it is no secret it has a big effect on the number of sponsors and broadcasters lining up to invest in Pakistan cricket,” an official said.

“I think Babar just needs to bat at number three, and they should make Saim (Ayub) or Fakhar (Zaman) open with Mohammad Rizwan,” suggested former player Basit Ali. PTI Corr AYG AH AH

Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan‘s form has been a point of concern for the team heading into the T20 World Cup in the Americas. In his last two T20I outings, Shadab has leaked 109 runs at an economy rate of over 12, while also remaining wicketless. Before their opening game of the tournament against USA on June 6, Pakistan only have one official game left to play as the first and third T20Is of their four-match series against England were washed out.

On Tuesday, Shadab had an awkward interaction with a female fan in Cardiff. In a viral video, the fan questioned Shadab regarding his recent form.

In the video, the female fan urged Shadab that he needs to take wickets and stop leaking runs. 

“Aap chakkay kyun kha rahe hain? Form mein wapis aayein. Wicketein leni hai aapne (Why are you conceding sixes? Get your form back. You need to pick wickets),” a female fan can be seen asking Shadab in a viral video.

“ap chakay kyun kha rahe hain form mein wapis ayein wicktein leni hain ap ne” so real https://t.co/YxGCAoc6O7 pic.twitter.com/5DmS5kfXx3

— noor (@pctobssessed) May 28, 2024

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s World Cup preparations were again dented by bad weather as the third international in Cardiff on Tuesday was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The woeful scenes in the Welsh capital followed another complete washout in the first of this four-match T20 series at Headingley.

England remain 1-0 up with one to play at The Oval on Thursday after a 23-run win in at Edgbaston but this latest abandonment came just a week before they begin their T20 World Cup title defence against Scotland in Barbados on June 4. 

Rain in Cardiff on Tuesday started to fall steadily an hour before the scheduled 11:30 PM (IST) start, with a capacity 15,600 crowd expected at Sophia Gardens. 

But the bad weather delayed the toss, with the pitch and square at Sophia Gardens remaining fully covered.

And minutes after a 1:10 AM (IST) inspection, the umpires abandoned the match due to a saturated outfield and persistent rain.

The teams will now travel to London for Thursday’s finale at The Oval in the hope of one last chance for competitive action ahead of the T20 World Cup. 

Pakistan, the 2009 T20 World Cup winners, start this year’s tournament against co-hosts the United States in Dallas on June 6.

(With AFP Inputs)