ICC Event in Pakistan after 29 long years - I'm in tears

I remember that day as clearly as if it were yesterday. It was a Wednesday, and I had taken the day off from school. I was in grade four, with my final exams just around the corner. I wasn’t feeling too well, so I stayed home. After having breakfast, I settled into the lounge, while my mother, having fed me, went back to bed.

Like most Pakistanis, I was obsessed with cricket. Even those who don’t play the sport still religiously follow Pakistan’s matches. That morning, I was glued to the television, eagerly waiting for the third day of the second Test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka to begin.

Sri Lanka had put up a massive total of over 600 runs, and Pakistan’s Test legend, Younis Khan, had just arrived at the crease at the end of Day Two. The anticipation was high. The game was about to resume.

Then, it happened.

I was watching the pre-match show on PTV Sports when, suddenly, the screen cut to an advertisement. That wasn’t normal. A few minutes later, the anchor reappeared, looking tense. His voice carried an urgency that made my heart race.

What he said next would change the course of history.

The Sri Lankan team bus had been attacked by twelve gunmen at Liberty Square. The ambush had left six Pakistani policemen and two civilians dead, while several Sri Lankan players had been injured.

At that moment, I didn’t fully grasp the gravity of the situation. But that day, March 3, 2009, was not just the end of a Test match. It was the beginning of a dark era for Pakistani cricket. An era where our stadiums would fall silent, where international teams would refuse to play on our soil, and where we would fight for years to bring cricket back home.

That day was not just an attack on a team. It was an attack on a nation’s passion, its pride, and its love for the game.

Pakistan was supposed to host the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy and co-host the biggest cricketing event of all—the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. The dream was there, the plans were in place, and the nation was ready to welcome the world.

But then, in an instant, it was all turned to dust.

The attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore shattered everything. The Champions Trophy was moved to South Africa, and Pakistan was stripped of its World Cup hosting rights. It wasn’t just about losing tournaments. It was about losing our place on the world stage. Suddenly, the stadiums that once roared with chants of "Pakistan Zindabad" fell silent.

For years, Pakistan played its "home" games in empty stadiums in the UAE, waiting for the day when international teams would return. But no one came.

Then, in 2015, something happened that I will always, always be grateful for.

Zimbabwe, a team that didn’t have the riches of the cricketing giants, but had the heart of champions, became the first to tour Pakistan. They walked into the same grounds where teams once feared to play. They played under the same sky that had been clouded with doubt for years. They showed the world that Pakistan was safe.

That tour was more than just cricket. It was hope. It was a new beginning.

Slowly, teams started returning. First World XI, then Sri Lanka, then Bangladesh, South Africa, England, and Australia. The stadiums roared again. The Gaddafi Stadium, the National Stadium, the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. They all came back to life.

And now, after 29 long years, an ICC event, the Champions Trophy, is finally coming back to Pakistan.

I am in literal tears.

I was there. On February 19, 2025, at exactly 1 PM, I was there.

I was right there at National Stadium Karachi, where the Champions Trophy was set to kick off with Pakistan vs. New Zealand—a historic moment, a dream turned reality.

After 29 long years, an ICC event had finally returned to Pakistan.

I took my seat in the Intikhab Alam Enclosure, surrounded by thousands of fans who had waited for this day with the same patience, the same hope, the same unshaken belief that one day, cricket would come home again.

We had been deprived, overlooked, and doubted for far too long. But now, here we were. The world was watching, and Pakistan was ready.

And as the players took the field, as the first ball was bowled, and as the crowd erupted in joy, I knew…

This wasn’t just a cricket match.

This was history in the making.

Even though I wished we had won, we didn’t.

Pakistan fought, but New Zealand deserved the victory. They outplayed us in every department, showing the class and composure they’re known for. As much as it hurt to see Pakistan lose, I wasn’t too sad.

Because on that day, it wasn’t just about the result of the match.

Sitting in the Intikhab Alam Enclosure, I looked around at the sea of green, at the roaring fans, at the sheer joy on people’s faces.

And in that moment, nothing else mattered.

Not the loss. Not the missed chances. Not even the disappointment of seeing Pakistan fall short.

Because the real victory was already ours.

CRICKET HAD COME HOME.