Ending near-3-decade wait, Pakan full of excitement to host major ICC event

The last time Pakan staged a major ICC tournament was 29 years ago and with a median age of 20.6, as per 2023 statics, most of the country’s population wasn’t around to experience such excitement that was last felt at the 1996 World Cup. And all accounts, the hot topic in drawing-room discussions, for weeks, was whether the renovation work at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium and National Stadium in Karachi would be over in time. It was only after the recent tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa in Lahore and Karachi that there was a collective sigh of relief.With the ICC Champions Trophy just a couple of days away, there is a festive atmosphere in the country. It has been reported that cinema halls are preparing for live broadcast of all Pakan matches, including the showdown against India in Dubai on February 23. From Peshawar and Quetta to host cities Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore, people are planning community screening in localities.
“Finally, something has united us all. It already feels like the tournament has begun. After all, Pakan has been waiting for this moment forever,” says the 68-year-old stalwart Mudassar Nazar, who was a mainstay of the Pakan team in the late 1970s and 80s. “Since the last time we hosted an ICC event, we have changed a lot as a nation. The political scene is totally different, cities have undergone huge makeovers. But the love for the game hasn’t changed. The Pakan public’s love for cricketers hasn’t diminished. They have been thirsty for a really long time,” Nazar adds.
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That tickets were sold out for all Pakan matches within minutes of going live is a clear indication. Even for non-Pakan matches, the word going around is that there is heavy demand for tickets.
Intikhab Alam, manager of the Pakan team in 1992 and 2009, when they won the 50-over and 20-over world titles respectively – is still hurt India not travelling across the border but feels this is the moment for his country to show the world it is as safe for cricket as anywhere else.
“It will be a catalyst to inspire a new generation, who will get to see all the big stars of world cricket. We have been hosting bilateral series of late, but a world event like the Champions Trophy, with the best playing in your own backyard, is totally different. It has been 29 years and we all want to impress the world,” Alam says.
First-hand experience
For an entire generation, logging into YouTube or lening to anecdotes from elders are the only link to the 1996 World Cup. Back then, Pakan were standing on an equal footing with India, if not better, on the cricket field. But to host a big tournament 29 years later, it has had to move heaven and earth, especially after the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009, which kept international cricket away from the country till 2017.Story continues below this ad
“They have to thank the PSL (Pakan Super League) for it. It was where it all started,” Nazar, who has been involved with the Pakan Cricket Board (PCB) in various capacities, says. “In 2015, the Kenyan team came for an A tour. But thereafter, it was the PSL that brought cricket back to Pakan. The PCB used it to win the trust of the players that it is safe to tour Pakan. From there on, it has been a steady progress towards hosting this event.”
There was a time when the likes of Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels of the West Indies, England’s Dawid Malan and Chris Jordan, South Africa’s Morne van Wyk and Zimbabwe’s Sean Ervine took a huge leap of faith and travelled to Lahore, where they stayed for less than 24 hours, to play the PSL final. They had landed in Lahore to empty roads and security usually reserved for heads of states. When the two English cricketers returned from the ‘quickest shower ever’ in the dressing room, the security staff had already packed their bags and loaded them in the team bus to ensure they flew out of Lahore as soon as possible.
Since then every major team except India has toured the country. “Having India would have been the biggest of them all, but we keep mixing politics and cricket. The Pakan public would have loved to watch Indians play – some of their players have such a huge fan following that they would have been surprised,” Nazar says. “In 2005-06, when I coached the Punjab Ranji team, I was showered with endless love and affection. Since then, I’ve been waiting for a moment to repay my Indian friends having them over. I hope in my lifetime, I will get the opportunity,” says the 83-year-old Alam, who shared a strong friendship with the late Bishan Singh Bedi.
All eyes on Pakan
As ever, the only mood-spoiler for the Pakan public could be its own team led Mohammad Rizwan. After the 2023 World Cup debacle, where they failed to reach the semifinals, with an eye on putting a strong team at the Champions Trophy it is hosting, the cricket board hired former India coach Gary Kirsten to guide the white-ball team. But he lasted less than six months.Story continues below this ad
Unlike in 1996 when it arguably had the biggest talent pool and was tipped as favourites to defend their World Cup crown, in 2025 they don’t enjoy that much confidence to retain the title they clinched beating India at The Oval in 2017. In a tournament where every match counts, in Pakan’s case it is all the more challenging as the tournament opener is against New Zealand – against whom they lost both matches in the recent tri-series. If they lose that, their match against India, against whom they usually struggle in ICC events, will become a must-win encounter.
“There will be pressure, but they have to feed off the energy in the crowd. I’m not going to read too much into the tri-series loss because it is a preparatory tournament. Given what’s at stake, if the team does well, it will definitely propel the mood of the nation to new highs,” Nazar says.