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    Zimbabwe Braces Itself for Controversy-Plagued Pakistan

    Zimbabwe Cricket Team's Visit to Pakistan, May 2015

    Written by: Mirza Salam Ahmed
    Posted on: May 21, 2015 |

    Pakistan (left) and Zimbabwe (right) warm up at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

    Expect an endless sea of green inside and outside the Gaddafi Stadium this Friday, as Pakistan gears up to face Zimbabwe, the first Test-playing cricket team to visit the Shaheens since the last six years. The first T20 game was sold out within 24 hours, but that’s what you get from a nation that has been deprived of international cricket for so many years.

    The PCB warmly welcomed their guests with garlands at the airport, but outside the vicinity, armed security personnel were deployed by the thousands, as the Zimbabwe team was whisked away from the Lahore airport to a city hotel with impregnable security measures.

    Zimbabwe Cricket Team’s Visit to Pakistan, May 2015

    The teams get a security escort

    Pakistan has been unable to host any international cricket matches since 2009, when the bus of the visiting Sri Lankan team was attacked by gunmen in Lahore. Seven Sri Lankan players were injured in the attack, and six policemen lost their lives in the line of duty.

    Zimbabwe’s tour of Pakistan includes two T20 matches and three ODI matches. The two teams will first lock horns this Friday, starting off with a game of T20. The 15-man squad was announced earlier this week. Some much-needed fresh blood has been injected into the team for the T20 matches in the form of all-rounders Imad Wasim and Nauman Anwar. With the departure of Misbah-ul-Haq, selectors have prudently called back a few veterans as well. Fast bowler Mohammad Sami and all-rounder Shoaib Malik have been re-introduced, but spinner Saeed Ajmal hasn’t been able to break into the squad. While the addition of new and old faces is making heads turn, it is the inclusion of Umar Akmal that has been the centre of controversy, as he was dropped from the recent tour of Bangladesh due to his poor performance in the ICC World Cup 2015.

    Zimbabwe Cricket Team’s Visit to Pakistan, May 2015

    Elton Chigumbura speaks to the media in Lahore

    Controversy and Pakistani cricket have always maintained a close relationship, from suspected conspiracies by the ‘Big Three’ (Australia, India and England) to sideline Pakistan, to throwing bones instead of displaying true cricketing action. The ICC has refused to send any match officials to Pakistan for Zimbabwe’s tour due to security concerns, despite satisfaction from the guests.

    It appears as if the PCB took the ICC’s rejection to heart. Media channels were given full access to document and broadcast live, as if mocking the ICC and the Big Three was planned all along. Meanwhile, stringent measures to secure safety involve airborne and ground forces. Special Forces designated on the routes for the Zimbabwe Cricket team are already patrolling near the Qaddafi Stadium.

    In the advent of the unfortunate 2009 attack, Pakistan has been coerced into playing all “home series” at foreign grounds. In the last six years, Dubai was a second home for the Pakistani Cricket team. Dubai has always welcomed Pakistani cricket, especially since a considerable proportion of its population consists of Pakistanis.

    Zimbabwe’s visit to Pakistan is certainly a positive step, which will test the waters for the future of international cricket in the country. The ship that was once drowning in a storm of controversy and conspiracy is finally entering calmer seas.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021