‘Time to pay tribute to the resilience of Pakistan cricket’: Former skipper ahead of Champions Trophy | Cricket News

ICC Champions Trophy 2025 (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official Wasim Bari has expressed his delight at the return of a significant worldwide cricketing occasion to Pakistan by the ICC Champions Trophy.
After the tragic militant assault on the Sri Lankan crew in 2009, Pakistan was unable to host worldwide cricket for a decade, forcing the crew to play their residence matches in the United Arab Emirates.
Bari, who served as the Director in the PCB beneath the late Ejaz Butt’s chairmanship throughout the assault, vividly remembers the harrowing expertise. He described it as the worst day of his life when information of the assault close to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore broke. The incident left everybody numb, realizing that it might set again Pakistan cricket for years.
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The assault, which claimed the lives of six policemen and two others, and injured a number of, together with Pakistani umpire Ahsan Raza, was a traumatic occasion.
Bari recounted the disbelief and sorrow that adopted, as the governments of each nations and the ICC turned concerned, ultimately arranging a chartered flight to ship the Sri Lankan crew again residence.
“It was the worst day in my life when news came through of what had happened. Everyone was numb and most of us in our offices realised immediately this was going to put Pakistan cricket back by a few years,” stated Bari, as quoted by PTI.

As pictures of the bullet-ridden bus and vans carrying match officers and umpires in blood-stained shirts went viral, it turned evident that Pakistan’s hopes of staging the Champions Trophy and even the 2011 World Cup matches had vanished.
Without assigning blame, Bari acknowledged that the incident ought to by no means have occurred, and in consequence, Pakistan cricket couldn’t correctly develop for the subsequent 10 years, as all groups refused to play in the nation due to safety considerations.

However, Bari is now delighted to witness the ICC Champions Trophy being held in Pakistan, with a number of groups, together with England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Afghanistan, arriving in the nation.
“To see England, Australian, South African, New Zealand and Afghanistan teams in Karachi and Lahore means so much to all Pakistani cricketers, board officials and the fans. I think it is also a time to pay tribute to the resilience of Pakistan cricket while hosting the Champions Trophy, after all that has happened in the last 10 years,” the former Pakistan skipper added.
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