Why return of cricket to Pakistan is a welcome move

Cricket is finally returning to Pakistan. After a lot of deliberation, a decision was reached to conduct a Pakistan vs World XI series this month. Credit has to go to the ICC (International Cricket Council), the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) and more importantly the players for accepting the invitation to go to Pakistan and play a series.

A star-studded World XI side who will be led by South African skipper Faf du Plessis comprises players from seven countries, indicating that the cricketing world has given a green signal for international cricket to resume in Pakistan. The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore is expected to be jam-packed when Pakistan and World XI face off in three T20Is across the span of five days.

It’s been more than eight-and-a-half years since that morning in Lahore when a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers was attacked by militants. The attack injured at least seven Sri Lankan players including Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera, who was hospitalized as a bullet pierced 12 inches into his right leg.

Since then, no team has been willing to visit the nation (except Zimbabwe in 2015).

Earlier this year, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final was held in Lahore and the security provided for that match was magnificent. The PCB has promised similar if not better security for the upcoming series.

As the world gets ready to witness cricket in a country which has a population of about 193.2 million, here are five reasons why the return of cricket to Pakistan is a welcome move.

Pakistan deserve to play at home

Pakistan are in splendid form

It’s been more than 100 months since Pakistan last played a series at home, barring the Zimbabwe one. Like all the other teams, Pakistan also deserve to play at home. They have played all their home games in an adopted venue i.e. the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since 2009 and the crowd turnout for international games has been very poor. Pakistan, like all the other nations, deserve to play in front of the locals and get some much-needed home support.

The Pakistan cricket team will be very happy with the scheduling of the World XI series as well. They are in splendid form at the moment. Since April this year, they have lost only three games out of 12 in limited-overs cricket (ODIs and T20Is). In T20Is, their recent record has been excellent, with them winning 7 out their last 8 games.

They won the ICC Champions Trophy in June 2017. They entered the tournament as the No. 8-ranked team and nobody gave them a chance but the way they bounced back after the loss in the opening game against India was incredible.

World XI tour might give new identity to Pakistan cricket

Faf du Plessis will lead the World XI side in Pakistan

It is a new beginning of sorts for international cricket in Pakistan. A new era is about to begin and both former and current players are positive about the status of cricket in Pakistan. In fact, two-time World T20-winning captain Darren Sammy even went on to say that full-fledged tours might begin soon. The Independence Cup (Pakistan vs World XI series) is a huge step in the revival of cricket in Pakistan.

Both the ICC and the PCB have coordinated well to bring international cricket back to Pakistan and their efforts have yielded positive results. They will be hoping that this World XI tour to Pakistan acts as a catalyst and teams start touring Pakistan on a regular basis.would just hope

Fans in Pakistan are deprived of competitive cricket

Fans are eagerly waiting for cricket to resume in Pakistan

Pakistan, like most of the sub-continent countries, is a cricket crazy nation. It is true that you can watch and follow the game closely on television, social media and various other places, but when international stars come to your country/city, there’s a genuine buzz and what's better than watching your favourite stars live at the stadium?

Fans in Pakistan have long been starved of competitive cricket. Though the series against the World XI may only consist of three T20Is played over five days, they’d be overjoyed by the fact that they get to see their nation’s cricketing heroes closely along with many international stars.

Boost to first-class cricket

Domestic cricket in Pakistan will receive a boost

Improving the quality of cricket in the country is of paramount importance for any board. Moreover, domestic players getting adequate exposure is an important stepping stone in their path to international stardom. Pakistan have often been criticised for having a poor domestic structure which undergoes regular chopping and changing. Former players including Zaheer Abbas, Inzamam-Ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi have questioned Pakistan's domestic set-up in the recent past.

Moreover, the teams that play Pakistan in the UAE rarely play any practice games. Practice games provide opportunities to fringe players to play against bigger oppositions and help them improve their skill sets. So, with international cricket back in Pakistan, domestic/fringe players will get more opportunities to interact with international stars which will help bridge that gap.

Increase in revenue for the PCB and improvement in infrastructure

PCB Chairman, Najam Sethi

Playing at home will help the PCB generate more revenue, which will help in improving the infrastructure in the country thereby encouraging the next generation to take up the sport. PCB has been sharing most of its revenue with the Emirates Cricket Board. Playing at home will eliminate that

The cricketing infrastructure in Pakistan has been a major talking point for quite some time now. PCB chairman Najam Sethi said that they would be placing a lot of importance on the improvement of infrastructure at the grassroots level. So, with cricket back in Pakistan, it would certainly help in improving facilities such as practice grounds, equipment and cricket academies.

PCB will also hope that the darkest chapter of cricket in the country is closed for good and it can concentrate on just the game.