Lahore (September 12, 2017): The historic match between Pakistan and World XI which will brought cricket back to Pakistan is just hours away to turn thus far deserted Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore back to life.
The first of the three T-20 match of the Azadi Cup event between Pakistan and World XI will start at 7 p.m. All the preparations have been made including the stringent security plan comprising traffic management. All the adjacent roads around Qaddafi stadium are being closed for the traffic.
All the World XI players arrived in Pakistan on the night of Sunday and Monday.
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Invitations have already been extended to President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to watch the match in person.
The stringent security arrangements comprise 8,000 personnel performing the security duty while personnel special police forces Dolphin and PRU will patrol the roads with police personnel deputed to all routes leading to the stadium.
The players will arrive at the stadium under the police security monitored by the SPs.
The personnel of the Dolphin and PRU forces were briefed about their responsibilities including information related to security protocols, emergency response, and tackling emergency situations and strategies to deal with them by DIG Investigations Punjab Safe Cities Authority Sultan Ahmad Chaudhary, project director Akbar Nasir Khan. Audio video streaming and 4G LTE enabled special MDT Band Sets were handed over to them.
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The international cricket is about to return to Pakistan after the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team at Lahore.
Elite Panel award-winning Pakistani Umpire will supervise the umpiring in his own country after a long time.
The traffic plan has also been finalized. A total of 1,466 special wardens supervised by CTO Lahore and SPs are being deputed.
Six stands are reserved for car parking, while a control room, monitoring room, and two traffic information camp have also been installed.
Walton Road, will be open for traffic going from Mall Road, Jail Road, Canal Road, Kot Lakhpat to Cantt and Mughapura areas.
Those with passes of Saeed Anwar, Sarfraz and Saeed Ahmad Enclosures will enter the stadium through Qaddafi Gate while ticket holders of A H Kardaand Fazal Mahmood Enclosures will enter the stadium through Ferozepur Road Gate.
City Police Traffic Radio FMM 88.6 will keep the people informed about traffic situation minute-by-minute.
The captain of national squad Sarfraz Ahmad said yesterady that his side will not take visitor World XI lightly because it is string team. He also predicted that all the three scheduled T-20 matches will be extremely interesting. Winning the Champions League has heightened our confidence and we intend to give tough time to the visitor, he had added.
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Like all matches this event too is important for us and I expect agreat combination of Ahmad Shahzad and many other senior players for whom this series is also important, he added. We would depend on any single bowler and though Muhammad Amir is not available we do have his alternate. The historic win of Champions League has increased responsibilities on me and my team and we will try our best to win the matches and to take any and all advantages available to us during the three matches, he added.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference along with Chairman PCB Najam Sethi in Lahore the Director of ICC Giles Clark said that a long journey has been taken for the restoration of international cricket in Pakistan. I thank the PCB, Pakistani government, and particularly the security institutions to make this event possible, he added.
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Had the final of Pakistan Super League final not held in Lahore World XI’s tour would not have been so easy. Crediting PCB and Rameez Raja for their efforts for the restoration of international cricket to Pakistan Giles Clark also congratulated Andy Flower without whose support World XI’s tour would not have been possible.
He further said that the ICC has been reviewing security situation in Pakistan since 2011 while the last year security teams from various countries reviewed the security arrangements during the final of the Pakistan Super League in Lahore.
The Pakistani government and the people have taken a great step forward, our eyes are fixed on this series, international cricket has returned to Pakistan after eight years nd the World XI has arrived in Pakistan under the leadership of Faf diplomacy, he added.
Talking on the occasion Najam Sethi said that the final of the PSL paved the way for the return of international cricket in Pakistan. He also thanked ICC members for giving permission to foreign players to come to Pakistan.
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