The Maple Leafs celebrate their win. PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
The country has been gripped by cricket fever this weekend, but notjust because of the T20 series. A warm March sun fused golden with a jovial crowd on Saturday at the Saidpur cricket ground where the Canadian high commission organised a cricketing event to raise funds for Karachi’s Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC).
Four teams, the Canadian high commission’s team the Maple Leafs, the US embassy’s team the Stars and Stripes, the Pakistan Cricket Board star team and a Star-Eleven team of TV celebrities, played two 10-over matches during the day-long event. Led by the Canadian High Commissioner Greg Giokas, the Maple Leafs beat the Stars and Stripes by 10 runs in the first match.
Giokas, who appears to have developed a fondness for cricket and had also starred in an exhibition match on the same field in February, said, “Saturday’s event is meant for Pakistanis and foreign diplomats to have fun, enjoy each other’s company and compete.”
The event’s most important aspect is to raise money for the CPLC, which is doing superb work in Karachi to help fight crime and improve citizens’ safety, he added.
According to the high commission’s officials, the event helped raise around Rs500,000 for the CPLC. The committee was established in 1989 by then Sindh governor Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G Ibrahim and is managed by citizens.
The Canadian high commission had also organised a match at the Shalimar cricket ground in March 2013 to raise funds for the construction of a Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in Peshawar. Giokas said the embassy would continue to support altruistic initiatives in Pakistan.
At the cricket ground nestled at the feet of the Margallas, spectators and players said there was another positive side to Saturday’s charitable event. Tanveer Ahmed, a Canadian High Commission staffer said, “The event can also create international awareness that cricket is being played in the country.”
Pakistan, where cricket is followed religiously, has not hosted any international matches since 2009, when a bus carrying the Sri Lankan national team was attacked by militants in Lahore during a tour.
Even though the Saidpur fund-raiser was guarded by police contingents, Ahmed said Pakistan deserves to host international cricket and it should reach out to the international cricketing community for confidence-building measures.
High Commissioner Giokas also endorsed the idea of Pakistan hosting international cricket matches again and also talked about cricket-based imports to North America, especially from Sialkot.
TV actor Asad Malik, who said he fancied being an all-rounder for the Star-Eleven team, said, “Cricket can be an important cultural export for Pakistan to improve relationships with other countries.”
“Such events should take place more frequently,” Malik said. “There are issues between us and the outside world, and most of these are on our end, so these events can help foster understanding and help bridge some of those gaps.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 23rd, 2014.
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