KARACHI: Other than the ICC World Cup, that happens once every four years, on no other occasion has there been such impatience seen in people for the Pakistan cricket green jersey than this time when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) came out with the Edhi Foundation logo on its sleeve.

The jersey is a way of paying a befitting tribute to the ailing humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi. During Pakistan’s tour of England and Ireland in July, the team will be sporting the jersey with the Edhi logo during their One-day International and T20 matches. An official jersey bearing the name Edhi and number ‘1’ at the back was also presented to the Edhi Foundation earlier this month by the Pakistan cricket team.

Since then sports shops all over the city are being frequented by people of all ages inquiring about the Edhi jersey, only to be told to hold their horses. “They will have to wait for the shirt till the Pakistan-England series,” said one shopkeeper at Lords Sports in Clifton.

Another shopkeeper at Universal Sports in Saddar was diverting all his customers to Lighthouse to try the sports shops there. At Lighthouse, a sports goods shop owner said that the shirt won’t even be available till after the England series. “Had it been a big event such as the World Cup or the World T20 Championship, the jerseys would have hit the market ahead of it. But since this is just a series, they are expected after its conclusion,” he said.

Meanwhile, people are buying the World T20 jerseys said to be the same as the Edhi logo jersey, save the logo. And the shopkeepers say that they can always print the Edhi logo on them later if you bring them to their shop. The jerseys are also available in different price range — from under Rs300 to Rs1,200 and 1,400. “So that every customer can have one according to his or her budget. Of course, the original one from Sialkot, with fast colours, costs more,” said Syed Zain Shah of Continental Sports at Lighthouse.

For a very strange reason they are buying Indian cricket team jerseys, too. “Oh those are for burning. Effigies, too, are dressed in those and set on fire. So the most popular after the Pakistan cricket team jerseys here are the Indian team jerseys,” her said.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2016