Cricket at fever pitch ahead of Indo-Pak clash

Islamabad

Having already gripped Islooites since the start of the ICC Champions Trophy in the UK lately, the cricket fever reached its climax in the federal capital ahead of the big clash between Pakistan and India at Edgbaston on Sunday.

To exhibit their excitement for the thriller, youth and children got their faces and hair painted green and white, wore the replicas of Pakistani team’s official T-shirts and trousers and matching shoes, and carried national flag riding bicycles and motorcycles and driving cars until late on Saturday night.

Some hung out from cars, which, too, were painted green and white, waving Pakistani flags and shouting high-pitched slogans like ‘Pakistan zindabad’ and ‘jeetay ga bayee jeetay ga Pakistan jeetay ga’.

They also stopped cars, stepped out and tripped the light fantastic toe to the stereo for a while.

Caught up in the excitement, bystanders joined revellers.

“We’re out here first to express cricket fervour and second to show support for Pakistani team,” said Jamal Khan, a university student, while driving a car wrapped in the national flag in Jinnah Super Market. Jamil Shah, who was dancing to a patriotic tune among a crowd of people in Blue Area, said he loved watching cricket and the excitement reached fever pitch whenever Pakistan faced India.

He said though he favoured Pakistan against India, he was for good cricket no matter who showed it. Another citizen, Mir Zaman, said it didn’t matter if Pakistani team won or lost and what matter was that if they gave full measure on the field or not.

“They (Pakistani players) should give their best forgetting about the result. That’s just what we expect of them,” he said.

High sales of Pakistan team’s official T-shirts and trousers, national flags, and even replicas of the ICC Champions Trophy were reported. However, cricket lovers complained shopkeepers overcharged them taking the undue advantage of the frenzy.

Plasma screens were installed at major public places, including Jinnah Super Market, Super Market, Blue Area and Aabpara, for cricket enthusiasts out on the streets, while some high-end restaurants and cafés made arrangements for the live telecast of the match on their premises.  Cinemas also announced that they would show the high-voltage match.