‘We want India here’ - Pakistan fans put up banners during PSL game

Cricket has slowly but surely come back to Pakistan. There have been multiple steps that have already been taken to revive cricket in the country. After the attack on the Sri Lankan players in March 2009, Pakistan were deprived of international cricket and they had to search for a new home. United Arab Emirates (UAE) became their temporary home for long.

However, over the last couple of years, it was first through T20 cricket that international cricket was brought back to the country. It was only last year that ODIs and Tests were back. Zimbabwe were the first to tour the country in 2015 after the 2009 incident while World XI toured for three T20Is.

Sri Lanka have already made multiple trips to Pakistan. In fact, they were the first ones to play ODIs and Test cricket. West Indies took a trip to Pakistan for a handful of T20Is as well.

The last few seasons of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) also saw Pakistan host a few games. However, the 2020 season of the the T20 extravaganza is being hosted entirely in the Asian subcontinental country. Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi are the venues and they have hosted international cricket as well.

Pakistan fans want India to visit the country

The first week of the PSL is currently in progress. During the fifth game played between Islamabad United and Multan Sultans at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore saw a few fans hold interesting banners and placards. They want India to go to Pakistan and play cricket. Amongst many fans, there was one who was holding a placard, “We want India here.”

It was back in 2006 that India last played a series in Pakistan. The Rahul Dravid-led Indian team played three Test matches and five ODIs. While they lost the Test series 0-1, they won the ODI leg by a 4-1 margin. The last time the arch-rivals played a bilateral series was back in 2012-13 when the latter toured India for a short limited-overs series which consisted of two T20Is and three ODIs.

Lahori fans want the Indian team to vist #Cricket pic.twitter.com/wUjjDzoD3f

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) February 22, 2020