Using a bat and ball on a circular field, in the medieval ages the British invented a leisure activity which has now established a globally recognised. You would have surely understood what I am talking about.

Yes, it is the game of cricket, a game very popular in our country and enjoyed by even those who don’t play it. We can find young boys playing cricket in the streets of all cities and towns of Pakistan. A big portion of our population enjoys playing this game and many of them have dreams to play it on an international level.

There is huge talent in Pakistan in the field of cricket. It is played even more than the national game of Pakistan, which is Hockey. Boys spend good time playing cricket in the evening.

Pakistan team played their first ever Test match against their arch rivals India at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground, Delhi, on 16 to 18 October 1952. After that they have played 412 tests in total, out of which there are 132 wins, 122 defeats and 158 draws.

Pakistan’s One Day Internationals (ODIs) debut was against New Zealand on February 11, 1973. They played their first T20 against England at the Bristol in 2006.

When we talk about the cricketing achievements of our team, the biggest victory for Pakistan cricket came in the shape of the 1992 ODI World Cup trophy under the captaincy of Imran Khan. After that Pakistan won the T20 World Cup in 2009 under the leadership of Younus Khan. Their third championship victory was the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, where Sarfaraz Ahmed led the young Pakistan team to a victory. Sarfaraz is also the captain of the current Test and T20 teams.

Nowadays, T20 is the most favoured form of the game. This is why every country has its own domestic T20 league and so does Pakistan. The Pakistan Super League (PSL) was formed in October 2015, in Lahore. It proved to be a good way for the cricket crazy fans of Pakistan to see their favourite plays, both domestic and international, in action. Previously there were five teams in the tournament but now there are six team.

The teams are named after the largest cities of Pakistan — Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators, Islamabad United and Multan Sultans. The first edition of the League was Dubai, which was won by Islamabad United.

I, with my family, watched the final of PSL’s first edition in Dubai. I witnessed a great atmosphere in the ground where people were cheering their teams. Some people were roaming around providing food to the people enjoying the match. Flags of the teams and the Pakistani flag could be seen flying all over the stadium. I supported Quetta Gladiators.

I had a great experience as I met many superstars, such as Shahid Afridi, Sir Vivian Richards, Kevin Pieterson, Luke Wright and many more. These were the best moments of my life and to make them memorable I also took selfies with them.

The second edition was also held in Dubai but the Pakistanis had a dream to have at least the final in their homeland. The dream came true when Peshawar and Quetta faced each other in the final at Lahore on March 5, 2017. Peshawar Zalmi emerged as the winner.

The 2018 Pakistan Super League is the third season of the PSL. The format of the tournament is a double round-robin and in the end, playoffs will be played. The 2018 PSL is seeing a new team, Multan Sultans, playing alongside the original five teams from the previous seasons. The player draft for the third edition was held in Lahore. Each team was allowed to pick a maximum of seven foreign players in their squad and in all they could have just 21 players.

The most interesting thing about the current season of PSL, that kicked off on February 22, in Dubai, is that the matches will be played in Karachi as well, along with Dubai, Sharjah and Lahore. The final is all set to be played on March 25, 2018, in Karachi.

May the best team win and may there be a true revival of international cricket in Pakistan soon.

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 24th, 2018