They say that happiness is short lived. I don’t know who ‘they’ are but happiness is indeed short lived. The second edition of Pakistan Super League ended with a bang in Lahore. The city is again set to host a World XI four-match series in September. But the former has passed and the latter is the future. So let’s just talk about the present. We all went berserk when a Peshawar Zalmi-Kolkata Knight Riders series was announced. The excitement, however, was too good to be true.
Shah Rukh Khan’s KKR were the first to dismiss the reports as “false” through their official twitter handle.
KKR won't be playing any unauthorized games/leagues as some false reports are claiming.
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 9, 2017
No such communication happened from our end.
Zalmi’s owner Javed Afridi also retracted his earlier claim that a series between Zalmi and KKR had been suggested by none other than Shah Rukh Khan himself .
We always welcome cricket for peace ,but there is no truth about @KKRiders & @PeshawarZalmi matches just speculations.Verily respect for ????
— Javed Afridi (@JAfridi10) March 9, 2017
But we as fans of cricket cannot let our excitement go in vain. Any match between Pakistan and India is big. It is the biggest cricket rivalry since the Ashes. One can imagine all the epicness the series, if the two teams agree to play somehow, will have in store for cricket-mad fans in Pakistan and India. Whoever first came up with the match speculation, hats off to you!
We do not need reasons for any cricket match between teams from Pakistan and India to take place. Any clash between the two cricket giants is a cash cow for the sponsors, whatever the place, whenever the time. Who knows, Zalmi and KKR might open the door for resumption of cricketing ties between Pakistan and India. After all, cricket knows no boundaries.
As a once cricket fan whose interest was reignited ahead of the PSL final in Lahore, I am rooting for a cricket series between Zalmi and KKR or, for any series between domestic leagues of India and Pakistan. If the national teams cannot play, let PSL vs IPL take the limelight. Cricket is not just a mere game for Pakistan and India. To the management of both the teams, just give it a try, at least engage in talks. You guys try your part and we as fans are ready to give all-out support. I am sure folks from other side of the border will be more than happy to see a long-lost cricket clash between Pakistan and India.
