LAHORE: The security cordon around the Gaddafi Stadium was water-tight; impenetrable. All roads leading to the venue, basking in bright sunshine, had heavy police and law-enforcement agency presence.

A vendor, carrying Australia and England flags, still managed to find a way into the parking area.

“I’m confident I’ll be able to sell these today,” he said, his conviction stemming from the fact that the Gaddafi was sold out on Saturday.

Apart from a smattering of English and Australian fans, most fans were locals eager to get a dose of world cricket’s other big rivalry.

The Champions Trophy’s homecoming might not have brought the latest instalment of the Indo-Pak rivalry to Pakistan’s shores — that game will be played in Dubai on Sunday — but it did bring the blockbuster clash between the Ashes rivals.

Anticipation had been building. This, after all, was the first matchup between Australia and England on Pakistan soil; the sides that featured in the first-ever Test match, the game’s first-ever international rivals, the last two winners of the ODI World Cup. The weight of history hangs heavy whenever, wherever these two sides meet. It was no different.

The sense of occasion was palpable; fans braving the mid-day sun — the roof over the stands was removed during the recent renovation of the Gaddafi and will be installed post-tournament — to fill up the seats.

Since international cricket returned to Pakistan in 2018, fans of the game have largely seen matches involving the hosts; New Zealand’s victory against South Africa earlier this month at the Gaddafi during the tri-nation series, a test event for the Champions Trophy, being one of those rare occasions.

It doesn’t get bigger than Australia-England, though, and that too in a match of the tournament that was previously termed the ‘Mini-World Cup’.

“We’re here to see good cricket,” a group of fans said, walking towards the Gaddafi.

They, and those who packed the ground to capacity — spreading Mexican Waves from time to time and cheering every boundary and wicket — got to witness a classic. They saw the highest successful chase in the history of the Champions Trophy.

“I thought the atmosphere was amazing all day … it was unbelievable,” Josh Inglis, Australia’s England-born match-winner, told a news conference.

“I saw the Mexican Wave and all while I was batting and with the renovated stadium, it looks really good. The noise was amazing and it was a very nice crowd.”

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2025