17 captivating pictures that celebrate cricket coming home
Recapping the Independence Cup with a series of our favourite pictures
PHOTO: AFP
In one glorious week, the Gaddafi was thrice a flood of green and white. Chants of Pakistan Zindabad could be heard where for too long there had been nothing but deathly silence.
Obsessed with cricket, the fans put up with high ticket prices and traffic to not just witness history but be a part of it. At long last, it feels like cricket is almost home. With the three matches against a team filled with genuinely world-class talent, the exile has almost come to an end.
Independence Cup: World holds nerve to take down Pakistan
As Pakistan lifted the Independence Cup Trophy and bid farewell to the World XI team, there was a palpable sense that this was more than just a game for this country. This was Pakistan welcoming a long-lost lover back into its warm embrace.
It was a reunion well worth fondly recapping through a series of our favourite pictures.
1. The players all smiles as they landed in Lahore!
2. Captains Faf du Plessis and Sarfraz Ahmed pose with the Independence Cup trophy at Gaddafi Stadium
3. Starting to get used to the #CricketKiHalalala hashtag now
4. Faf du Plessis in a rickshaw is a sight we never thought we'd see
5. An offer of friendship for the players across the border
6. Pakistani fans definitely know how to go all out when it comes to cricket
7. The moment Shoaib Malik made his place in the history books as he became Pakistan's top scorer in T20 internationals with 1702 runs
8. Ahmed Shahzad stunned us all with a captivating innings in the final match
9. Shahid Afridi and Misbah ul Haq graced Gaddafi Stadium with their presence
10. O captain, my Captain!
11. Crowd goes wild as Afridi makes his signature pose during lap of honour during the third match
12. Picture perfect!
13. This placard captured the essence of the series
14. The moment Pakistan won the series!
15. It wasn't Pakistan vs World; it was something else entirely
16. CHAMPIONS!
17. Thank you World XI!
Obsessed with cricket, the fans put up with high ticket prices and traffic to not just witness history but be a part of it. At long last, it feels like cricket is almost home. With the three matches against a team filled with genuinely world-class talent, the exile has almost come to an end.
Independence Cup: World holds nerve to take down Pakistan
As Pakistan lifted the Independence Cup Trophy and bid farewell to the World XI team, there was a palpable sense that this was more than just a game for this country. This was Pakistan welcoming a long-lost lover back into its warm embrace.
It was a reunion well worth fondly recapping through a series of our favourite pictures.
1. The players all smiles as they landed in Lahore!
2. Captains Faf du Plessis and Sarfraz Ahmed pose with the Independence Cup trophy at Gaddafi Stadium
3. Starting to get used to the #CricketKiHalalala hashtag now
4. Faf du Plessis in a rickshaw is a sight we never thought we'd see
5. An offer of friendship for the players across the border
6. Pakistani fans definitely know how to go all out when it comes to cricket
7. The moment Shoaib Malik made his place in the history books as he became Pakistan's top scorer in T20 internationals with 1702 runs
8. Ahmed Shahzad stunned us all with a captivating innings in the final match
9. Shahid Afridi and Misbah ul Haq graced Gaddafi Stadium with their presence
10. O captain, my Captain!
11. Crowd goes wild as Afridi makes his signature pose during lap of honour during the third match
12. Picture perfect!
13. This placard captured the essence of the series
14. The moment Pakistan won the series!
15. It wasn't Pakistan vs World; it was something else entirely
16. CHAMPIONS!
17. Thank you World XI!