Howzzat?

National Stadium, Karachi
Capacity crowd of 42,000
Pakistan V. England
Game 3

I am a cricket nut, pure and simple. I've actually paid to hear cricket broadcasts over thenet for exorbitant prices. Not to watch the games mind you, but to hear the commentary. I wouldget up at 3 am in Canada and put on my headphones and almost silently cheer on my team in the din of the night. A person who can go through life never having nerver watched a live gameof cricket and accepting the ridicule of all his friends over his love for the game is indeed a nut. Nine years in Canada have not dulled my passion for the game, I have foundanother sport I love far more but that has not diminished my love for cricket.

Today I walked into Pakistan's shrine of cricket, the National Stadium in Karachi. The site has witnessed many a legendary stroke, many a bomb blast, many a broken wicket stump and isthe cornerstone of everything that is holy about cricket in Pakistan.

This is a city of 17 million, dwarfing many other cities of the world with just one quarterof its size. Out of that many people, about 40,000 Karachiites got to attend today's Game 3 versus England with the 5 game series tied at one a piece. This game was decisive, this game was important and having justcome back from the stadium, I can tell you that this game was fantastic.

Pakistan batted first and did it like it was in fashion, which of course it is in Pakistan.Then they bowled like the British Raj's demise depended upon it. The win was historic, it was the worst one day cricket defeat England has ever suffered. It was historic also because a guynamed Uzi who happens to be a cricket nut to the extreme got to watch his favourite team in itshome stadium while they beat the living daylights out of the nation that came up with the idea for this glorious game in the first place.

Today was awesome. My fifteenth day in Karachi will be forever engrained in my memory.