Timeline: The return of international cricket to Pakistan

The Windies play their three-match Twenty20 International series in Karachi over the next three days, it will mark only the third instance of a Full Member Nation touring Pakistan for international cricket since the Sri Lankans left the country in March 2009 following the armed attack on the team bus in Lahore.

Since then, Pakistan men's team have played almost all their ‘home’ matches in the three cricket centres in the United Arab Emirates – Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi – with two Test matches against Australia being held at Lord’s and Headingley. For the longest time, it seemed like cricket fans in the country would have to wait forever to see top-flight cricket in their backyards, but things have started getting better since 2015, slowly but surely.

**May 2015: Zimbabwe tour (Lahore)**Afghanistan and Kenya had toured Pakistan in February 2013 and December 2014 respectively, but none of that was international cricket. But when Zimbabwe agreed to come for a quick series of two T20Is and three one-day internationals in Lahore, it was the biggest cricket event in the country in over six years. The home team won both series, but that was irrelevant. What was more important was the occasion itself.

In many ways, though, the Zimbabwe tour was an exception, because it didn’t lead to more countries touring Pakistan. There had to be a concerted effort to invite teams and players, and that started in a big way in 2017.

**March 2017: Pakistan Super League final (Lahore)**After hectic parleys, the final of the 2017 edition of the Pakistan Super League, otherwise played in the UAE, was hosted at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Overseas players of the two teams that qualified for the final – Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators – were given the option of travelling or not. Enough of them did make the trip across: Dawid Malan, Marlon Samuels, Darren Sammy and Chris Jordan of Peshawar, the eventual champions, and Morne van Wyk, Sean Ervine and Rayad Emrit of Quetta.

It was a memorable occasion, with fans flocking to the stadium, and the players – especially the likes of Sammy – soaking in the mood and putting on a show, slamming 28* from 11 balls for a Player of the Match award-winning effort.

**September 2017: World XI tour – ‘a huge leap’**The general understanding was that international cricket must be played in Pakistan. To that end, the International Cricket Council played a key role, awarding the series of three matches to be played by a World XI side against Pakistan in Lahore ‘international’ status. Pakistan won the series 2-1, but crucially, a number of top-of-the-line cricketers went across for the matches.

Among the overseas players taking part in the action were Faf du Plessis, the captain of World XI, Tamim Iqbal, Hashim Amla, Tim Paine, David Miller, Grant Elliott, Thisara Perera, Sammy, Ben Cutting, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, Samuel Badree, Paul Collingwood and George Bailey.

“A lot of courage was needed on the other side to put it all together. We are very, very happy to host the World XI and we know this is a small step in many ways but a huge leap for Pakistan,” said Najam Sethi, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), in response to the gesture on the part of the ICC and the World XI side.

October 2017: Sri Lanka return to LahoreThis must count as the big one, when Sri Lanka, the team that was the target of the attack in 2009 which led to the downward turn of events, agreed to play the last T20I of their away series in Lahore. The rest of the series was played in the UAE, the final was to be held in Lahore, and Thisara Perera led the Sri Lankans across – a gesture overflowing with symbolism.

Bringing Sri Lanka back to Pakistan was topmost on the PCB’s agenda, and Sethi said on the sidelines of the game: “The main thing is the process of international teams coming to Pakistan has started this year.” It truly had.

**March 2018: Pakistan Super League final (Karachi)**It was clear that enough cricketers and their cricket boards were happy to play in Lahore, but what about elsewhere, what about Karachi?

Like in 2017, the PCB managed to shift the last three games of the 2018 PSL to Pakistan from the UAE, hosting the two eliminators in Lahore and then the big final in Karachi, featuring Andre Fletcher, Liam Dawson, Luke Ronchi, Chadwick Walton, JP Duminy and Samit Patel, apart from Sammy and Jordan. All went well, opening the doors for Karachi to host international cricket again too.

April 2018: The Windies tour (Karachi)“HURRY HURRY,” Sethi tweeted once the series was confirmed, and it’s impossible not to understand the excitement. The work of the past many months had borne fruit. The Windies, reigning ICC World T20 champions, had agreed to play three T20Is on consecutive days in Karachi.

Some of the big names like Chris Gayle, Carlos Brathwaite, Jason Holder and Devendra Bishoo have opted out, but that might not dilute the excitement – Karachi, after hosting the PSL 2018 final, will now have international men's cricket at the National Stadium again, for the first time since 2009, when the first Test of Sri Lanka’s ill-fated tour was hosted there. Fletcher and Walton, who were both a part of the PSL 2018 final, will be there too.

The first three days in April are the big days, when the next big step in Pakistan becoming a regular stop in international cricket might be taken.