Cardiff: The first semi-final of the Champions Trophy may be a clash between hosts England and Pakistan, but someone travelling to the Cardiff cricket stadium on Wednesday, would be forgiven for thinking that Pakistan was the home team, such was the enthusiasm of the Pakistani fans.
Vociferous Pakistan fans virtually sang and danced all the way to stadium, cheering their team and shouting slogans claiming their team will be the winners.
I had taken the early morning (6.40am) train from Birmingham to Cardiff, and as a precautionary measure had booked a seat in advance since I was told many Pakistanis lived there and finding a seat would be difficult.
Travelling with me were a bunch of college students who sang popular Bollywood songs, clearly showing that though India is their arch rival, when it comes to music there are no boundaries.
One of the boys got all his lyrics wrong and could hardly sing and he was promptly admonished by his friends to either stop singing or he would have to get off the train at the next station.
“What do you call a Sri Lankan who can hold a catch?” asked another student, who seemed pretty excited by the answer.
“A fisherman”, he proclaimed. He was referring to shoddy fielding by the Lankans in their previous match against Pakistan where they dropped many catches.
However, Sri Lankan fans had some reason to cheer with Kumar Sangakkara hitting his 100th century, combined in first class and list-A cricket, in the Royal London Cup quarter final on Tuesday.
Taking time off from his role as a commentator for the Champions Trophy, Sangakkara cracked 121 runs.
To reach the stadium at Cardiff one has to walk through a beautiful park where health-conscious joggers and cyclists whizz past you, especially in the mornings.
An advertisement close-by proclaiming ‘cricket cycling challenge’ caught my eye.
The Professional Cricket Association as part of their 50th anniversary has called on everyone to join in for a five day cycling challenge to Birmingham to raise funds for charity.
Memorabilia
Kiosks selling Pakistan and England flag were seen doing brisk business.
A kiosk owner who had more Pakistani items than England ones said: “It is mainly the sub-continent fans who buy things because they would like to keep it as memorabilia for having attended the match in another country,” he explained.
Arup Dutta, an Indian fan from Dubai who was attending the Pakistan-England match said he wanted India to win the tournament. Another Indian family is here to support Pakistan since they are keen to witness an India-Pakistan final.
Many cricket fans could be seen desperately looking for spare tickets. “Sometimes people buy tickets and their friends don’t turn up; so they sell it cheap. I am hoping against hope [to get a ticket],” said one ticketless fan.
As we entered the stadium, some vociferous Pakistan fans were heard shouting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ (Hail Pakistan) as they marched into the stadium, while England fans could be seen quietly walking by amused at the enthusiasm of their counterparts from the sub-continent.