Saeed Khan, in his mid-twenties was curiously looking outside from the window of a Speedo Bus onto the Jail Road lined with neon-light cutouts posing different batting and bowling actions and huge hoardings declaring the metropolis “Qalandars’ city”.

“I am from Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and visiting my cousins who live here,’’ he replied, when asked about his origin, pointing towards two smiling youths, who seemed to be his age-fellows. Obviously Zalmi backers, the youngsters were hopeful of the victory of their favourite team led by Babar Azam.

Outside the Gaddafi Stadium, cricket seemed to have proved an effective antidote to the hangover caused by the pitched battles occurring just 48 hours ago between the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers and law-enforcement agencies at Zaman Park, where the former kaptan of a world cup-winning side, now heading an opposition party, is holed up to avoid arrest in two cases which, according to him, are politically-motivated.

At the Gulberg’s Main Boulevard entrance to the road leading to Gaddafi Stadium, cars and SUVs in jumbled queues were honking horns with their occupants restlessly waiting for their turn to be cleared by police officials deployed for the security.

Not far away, people jostle at the outer checkpoint manned by police personnel to get frisked. As soon as they cross the security check, vendors selling flags of the rival teams and other spectators’ items try to grab their attention.

Moving ahead to the well-lit roundabout, you find families and friends greeting each other at the rendezvous they’d agreed to meet up. Some others were trying to guide, on their mobile phones, those who they thought were getting late for the game.

“I was quite apprehensive whether the match would actually be played or not, because of the turmoil at Zaman Park, until the court stopped the operation to arrest Imran Khan,” says Aqil, a businessman from Sahiwal, who had especially come to Lahore with his friends to watch the contest. “We’re here only to see Babar and Shadab in action,” he said when asked about his favourite team, though for him teams didn’t matter at all.

For Uzair (22) the game took precedence to politics for the time being. “I’m Khan sahib’s supporter and was outside his house yesterday. God willing, no one can even touch him. But, it’s because of cricket we love Khan,” said Uzair, when asked why he was at the stadium instead of guarding his leader.

Uneeza and Harris, newlyweds, were carrying Islamabad United flags and buying placards inscribed with “6” and “4” signs at a stall along the road to the venue. “We’re from Islamabad and my husband has a job here, so we decided to back the team of our native city.”

For 10-year-old Ibrahim, who sells white and green plastic trumpets at the venue, it was a good evening, as he was left with only two pieces. “I had 20 ‘bajas’ a couple of hours ago,” he said with a contented smile. However, for the buyers it proved a bad bargain, as a policeman manning the last checkpoint was confiscating the nerve-shattering devices. One wonders why the sale was allowed at all.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2023