It’s the middle of the night, the floodlights are on and Ayub National Park is teeming with people.

Unlike other public parks in the city, Ayub Park does not close after sunset in Ramazan. Instead, it is taken over by young cricket players, who play until the pre-dawn hours and stop just in time for sehri.

Pakistanis are known for their love of cricket, and so it has become something of a tradition for young people in the inner areas to spend the Ramazan nights playing cricket from iftar until sehri. More than 12 clubs and 2,400 people play at Ayub Park every night.

In the past, high beam lights were installed on streets and roads, and players used tennis balls wrapped in white tape to ensure their visibility at night. But when local residents objected to the late night matches in residential areas, the players turned to the new grounds at Ayub Park.

“A few years ago, youngsters would connect 200 to 500W bulbs to the electricity metres in small streets, but now people have refused to allow them to continue connecting lights to their supply line because of inflation and the high electricity tariff. So we started coming to the playground,” said Raja Bazaar resident Suleman Ahmed.

“We organise night matches in which teams can play Rs4,000 to enter and play,” he said, adding that it was easy for teams to pay to play in a better environment.

Players can also practice in cricket nets before their evening matches.

Upon entering through the main gate on Jhelum Road, players can be seen dressed in their kits or being trained by professionals. Everyone, from six-year-old boys to older players can be seen playing cricket, while parents and visitors watch on. Hamza Ahmed, a trainer, said he was teaching under-16 players how to handle the cricket ball.

Children learn techniques better than adults, he added. “But most people bring children to get them away from computer games, because they become addicted to computer games,” he said.

“National cricketers such as Sohail Tanveer, Umer Amin and Mohammad Amir also came to these grounds for net practice; it is an opportunity for people to see techniques to handle the ball,” Mr Ahmed said.

Another player, 16-year-old Hasan Qureshi said he had come to the ground to learn how to handle the cricket ball from professional trainers. He said he was allowed because it was close to his house.

Army Heritage Foundation Director General retired Brig Zaman Nasrullah Khan Niazi told Dawn that this was the only ground in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad to provide floodlights for club teams’ net practice.

“The cricket ground was made in 2014 to keep the culture of night-time cricket matches alive in Rawalpindi,” he said, adding: “About 150 teams participated in the Ramazan cricket tournament.

The area south of Ayub Park, which used to be mud and wild growth, has now been turned into a play area for young people, he added.

Mr Niazi said girls and boys were taking an interest in such sports activities and enjoying them. “We are working to bring more surprises for the youth, with the aim to develop sports such as hockey and volleyball,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2018