LEILA FADEL, HOST:
It's been a difficult few years for Pakistan, which has been dealing with a prolonged economic and political crisis. But Pakistanis have reason to celebrate this year as the country hosts a major international cricket tournament - its first in a long time. Betsy Joles has more on the scene from Lahore.
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BETSY JOLES, BYLINE: Dozens of Pakistani fans lined up on Saturday, waiting to enter Lahore's newly renovated cricket stadium.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking Urdu).
JOLES: There were video bloggers, rows of news cameras and hawkers selling flags, trinkets and sweets. Pakistan wasn't even playing in this match. It was England versus Australia. Twenty-four-year-old Yasir Haseeb came with a group of friends. He says he bought tickets early just to see his favorite international players in person.
YASIR HASEEB: Being Pakistani, cricket is inherent in us.
JOLES: The match Haseeb was going to see is part of the ICC Champions Trophy. In this 15-match tournament, eight teams are competing over the course of two weeks, until March 9. The matches are mainly taking place in three cities around Pakistan. It's a big event for this country, which has struggled to recover from economic and political turmoil over the past three years. Haseeb says it's a much-needed reason for Pakistanis to feel proud.
HASEEB: It's a big step and a big achievement. So, yeah, we are happy.
(CHEERING)
JOLES: Hosting this major tournament is also a milestone for Pakistan because, for much of the last decade and a half, international teams were scared to come here. This is because of a 2009 militant attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore. It brought international cricket in Pakistan to a halt until 2015. Teams slowly started coming back in the following years, but there's still been plenty of hesitation. Authorities say it's now time to move forward.
MUHAMMAD FAISAL KAMRAN: It's kind of a confidence-building measure for the world.
JOLES: This is Muhammad Faisal Kamran. He's in charge of the police force handling security for the matches being held in Lahore. His job is to make sure things go smoothly for visiting teams. He says he hopes it will show that Pakistan is ready to host again.
KAMRAN: Actions speak louder than words, and we are giving our best in this event.
JOLES: Cricket commentator Leena Moin Aziz says it was only a matter of time before Pakistan again hosted a major tournament like this one.
LEENA MOIN AZIZ: A lot of hard work was put to bring international cricket back to Pakistan.
JOLES: But there's been one significant no-show - India, Pakistan's biggest rival. India's cricket team has not come to Pakistan since 2008, influenced by rocky political relations between the countries. Aziz says she didn't expect them to come this time, either.
AZIZ: I didn't see any chance of India coming to Pakistan. So I wasn't ever fooled by saying, oh, it's going to happen. Yes, they're coming. No, they're not coming. I wasn't ever fooled by that.
JOLES: India is still part of the tournament, but their matches are being played in Dubai, including the one against Pakistan, which took place on Sunday.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Non-English language spoken).
(APPLAUSE)
JOLES: To watch the Pakistan-India match, fans gathered at an outdoor cafe in front of the big screen. Twenty-nine-year-old Misbah Noreen says this was the match she really wanted to see.
MISBAH NOREEN: When it comes to India, it matters a lot. We need to win. You know, it make us really proud if, you know, Pakistan wins against India.
JOLES: People started to trickle out early on Sunday night when it became clear that Pakistan was probably going to lose, which they did. Noreen says she's disappointed, but given Pakistan's recent track record, she expected it.
NOREEN: I'm a little heartbroken that we lost, so it's OK. It's OK. It's OK. It happens.
JOLES: The crowd still clapped at the end in appreciation for how India played.
For NPR 瓜神app, I'm Betsy Joles in Lahore, Pakistan.
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