A view throughout the ICC Champions Trophy cricket match between England and South Africa, in Karachi, Pakistan, on March 1, 2025.
| Picture Credit score: AP
Pakistani cricket followers have kind of misplaced curiosity within the ICC Champions Trophy after the early exit of their group from the competitors and the onset of Ramadan.
On Saturday, there have been hardly a number of thousand folks on the Nationwide Stadium right here for the England-South Africa match, and safety personnel posted on the venue heaved a sigh of aid that the event was nearly as good as over for them.
“It has been a tough and tense final two weeks for us so we’re massively relieved now. It was additionally comparatively peaceable within the England match,” SSP Imran Jamil, deputed on the stadium, mentioned.
At the very least 7000 police personnel, paramilitary rangers and even some navy models had been on responsibility in Karachi for the Champions Trophy matches, which began on February 19 in Karachi.
However Jamil mentioned the work to offer state-level safety for the groups, officers, media and followers had begun earlier than the graduation of the mega occasion due to the three-nation event involving Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa in Lahore and Karachi.
“Now the safety personnel can get again to regular duties in Ramadan,” he mentioned.
Fariha and Faiza, two sisters who got here with a bunch of school buddies on Saturday, mentioned with out Pakistan in competition the Champions Trophy was over for them.
“We got here at this time as a result of we had already bought tickets for the match,” Faiza mentioned.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has introduced that each one spectators who introduced tickets for various enclosures will get full refunds for the 2 matches washed out in Rawalpindi.
The unhealthy information is that the followers who paid a premium for hospitality and gallery views will get no refunds.
Three matches within the event had been rain hit with the final one between Afghanistan and Australia additionally known as off in Lahore resulting from heavy rain.
Cricket journalist and analyst, Mahmood Riaz, mentioned the Champions Trophy had been a little bit of a let down due to the house group’s efficiency.
“We had been internet hosting a giant ICC occasion after so a few years and other people had been excited however the group actually let everybody down.” Tauseef Siddiqui, 65, has by no means missed any worldwide recreation on the Nationwide Stadium.
“Watching Pakistan lose twice to New Zealand within the tri-series closing and on nineteenth March was an enormous disappointment for us,” he mentioned.
He mentioned he had spent round 60,000 Pakistani rupees for buying tickets for himself and his pal for the matches in Karachi.
Specialists imagine that with Ramadan having began from Sunday, it will likely be tough to usher in the crowds even in Lahore for the semi-final.
“Typically folks keep at dwelling and attend Taraweeh prayers after breaking quick within the first two weeks of Ramadan and so they solely begin going out after Iftaar, after the primary 15-20 days of the holy month,” a PCB official mentioned.
The PCB is even engaged on plans to offer free Iftar containers for the semi-final on the Gaddafi Stadium, identical to the Emirates cricket board has achieved for the matches in Dubai.
“It might be a bummer if there are not any sizeable crowds for the semi-final. Not a great commercial for Pakistan cricket,” he mentioned.
Printed – March 03, 2025 03:11 on is
