LAHORE: Zimbabwe and Pakistan squads simultaneously held long training sessions amid blanket security cover here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday as part of their preparations for the forthcoming two-match Twenty20 series.

From Pakistan only wicket-keeper/batsman Sarfraz Ahmed was missing at the training session. Sarfraz, who tied the knot Tuesday night in Karachi, is most likely to join the camp on Thursday.

Members of both squads remained engaged in fielding, batting and bowling practice in the day-night session lasting around three hours.

Interestingly, the visiting Zimbabweans practised with all the zeal and fervour, showing no feeling of security concerns.

While Zimbabwe head coach Dav Whatmore — the former head coach of Pakistan — imparted training to his charges, his successor Waqar Younis remained busy with Shahid Afridi-led men at the other side of the Gaddafi Stadium.

No moment of any people was allowed during the training session by the security officials.

Meanwhile, security personnel continued to give tough time to the visitors of the Nishtar Sports Complex, who wanted to access the arena.

A extraordinarily heavy police deployment -- 3,000 staff inside the complex and around 2,000 along the way of the teams’ hotel to the stadium on a glut of four wheelers — explicitly indicates the law-enforcement agencies mean business in providing top-notch security to the visitors. An encouraging sign indeed, particularly if one recalls the 2009 horrific terror attack on touring Sri Lankans in Lahore.

However, these unprecedented security measures, though indirectly, have bothered many.

Amid a blanket security cover for the competing cricket teams, not only media but also the employees of the PCB, PHF, Sports Board Punjab, LCCA and the PFF (all located inside the Nishtar Sports Complex) are facing considerable hardship in performing official duties. Members of the police even do not seem willing to give any regard to the accreditation card issued by the PCB to the media.

LAHORE: Police commandos escort a bus carrying Zimbabwe cricketers and officials as they arrive for practice at the Gaddafi Stadium.—AFP

One earnestly feels that sound security to the cricket teams could have been provided without media staff facing inconvenience, had the security agencies decided to use high-tech gadgets to verify the identity of media personnel besides checking their accreditation cards.

However, it seems, law-enforcement agencies and the PCB staunchly believe in manual checking process, perhaps failing to notice in the process that the approach has also troubled PCB employees in getting the access. No wonder, these employees would express their own miseries whenever any complaint on security-related hassle faced by media reached them.

With just one day to go before the Zimbabwe series starts, one hopes that the security officials will soon overcome all the major shortcomings and adopt better coordination to facilitate media and spectators who are likely to throng the Gaddafi Stadium to watch their cricketers in international competition at home after more than six years.

Published in Dawn, May 21th, 2015

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