Sweet sound of crowd cheers Gabriel de Souza

I was told that coming to the Pindi Cricket Stadium for the first day of the Test would be quite a hassle. Hearing similar remarks from some of my fellow sports journalists made me think twice about going to the venue. However, I told myself that this was one of the most important days in the history of Pakistan cricket and it would be a crime to miss being a part of it. After all, Test cricket was coming home after a gap of 10 long years.

The approach to the venue was a little cumbersome. One had to get off one bus station earlier and take a longish walk to the Nawaz Sharif Park entrance. It was quite pleasing to see long queues of mostly youngsters, who all looked pretty excited but patiently went through the security checks. It was a very wise step by the administrators to make the spectators enter from one gate of the park and come out of the other and reach the entry gates of the Pindi Stadium.

Previously, the spectators, with or without valid tickets, would reach the venue from the Double Road and gather in front of the main gate which would create problems for both the organisers and ticket-holders. Even inside the Pindi Stadium’s vicinity one could see long queues at the various gates. It took a while to go through security checks and finally find a seat to enjoy the action, but it was worth it.

Sri Lanka were comfortably placed at 89 without loss before lunch, maybe because there weren’t many Pakistan supporters inside the stadium to egg them on. But as the stadium started to fill after the break, the home team bowlers also started to perform better.

Left-armer Shaheen Shah Afridi first removed Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne and then 16-year-old speedster Naseem Shah produced a beauty to have Oshada Fernando caught in the slips. The loud cheers from a sizeable crowd sounded so sweet. Pakistan took two more wickets in the session.

Even though five-day cricket has lost the most of it gloss and with Pakistan not doing so well in Tests recently, it wasn’t expected that there would be so many youngsters inside the stadium. Talking to a few of them one could feel their pride in being part of the Pakistan cricket history.

“I am a fan of Test cricket and this is the first time I am getting a chance to watch action from inside the stadium,” said Jerome Sigamony, who came to the venue along with his cousin Jonathan Sigamony. “This is a historic occasion and we are glad that we are here,” Jonathan said.

Kamal Ahmed, a college student, travelled all the way to the stadium without any valid ticket, thinking that he would buy a ticket from a booth near the venue. But while being ushered into one of the queues outside the Nawaz Sharif Park he was told that students would be allowed free entry, he was over the moon. “When I was told I wouldn’t get tickets from outside the stadium, I got disappointed. But now that I don’t need a ticket, I am happy that I will get a chance to watch my favourite players in action,” he said.

Daulat Khan, who works in a barber shop, said Pakistan cricket lovers should thank Sri Lanka for sending its team for the Test series. “We are grateful to Sri Lanka cricket board for agreeing to play in our country. We are a peaceful nation and we know how to take care of our guests,” he said.

There was one aspect, however, on which the Pakistan Cricket Board could have or should have paid more attention to. Three of the premium stands at the Pindi Stadium — Javed Miandad Enclosure, Javed Akhtar Enclosure and Azhar Mehmood Enclosure — were closed.

A PCB representative said since work on toilets and other facilities was still not complete, those stands could not be used. But those being the stands with chairs/seats — other enclosures have concrete benches to sit on — would naturally attract more spectators. It is understandable that the Sri Lanka Test was scheduled at the venue in a very short span of time, but the PCB could have ensured that work on the three enclosures was completed on urgent basis. The loss of internet service in the media box shortly after play resumed after lunch also did not go well with the working journalists who included some from Sri Lanka as well.

Teams clad in whites playing in front of a sizeable, cheering crowd made a spectacular site from the newly-built media box, and I am sure from all angles of the stadium as well. It was a scene that all Pakistan cricket supporters had been longing for a decade. Now that the wait is finally over, let’s hope that the national team’s fortunes will also change for the better.