Return of Test cricket finally becomes an unambiguous reality

The middle two weeks of December were surreal for Pakistan's most popular sport. The eagerly-awaited return of Test cricket finally became an unambiguous reality amid the truly warm feelings of joy, even though the weather was chilly as it usually is at this time of the year. The warmth on the playing fields of Rawalpindi and Karachi was evident on the face of every cricket lover.

The icing on the cake was perhaps that it was Sri Lanka - whose innocent cricketers were in the firing line of that barbaric terror attack during the middle of the Lahore Test in March 2009 - was the one to put Pakistan back on the map of Test cricket.

Not being able to play home internationals had forced the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to seek solace in the United Arab Emirates for a lengthy period, although the PCB had earlier played hosts to the West Indies and Australia there in 2002 as well over security fears, arising from the ramifications of the Sept 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States.

It is an irony that Pakistan needed home advantage to get back to winning ways at the highest level of cricket, and the result - a win by 263 runs in the Karachi Test - illustrated just how much they missed the passionate support and inspiration of playing in front of home fans. The first Test in Rawalpindi was dampened by rain and chilly conditions with the light also hindering the enjoyment of the spectators who were the real stars, because not only had they turned up in big numbers, their presence also infused muchneeded life into Test cricket.

The sight of people in the stands both at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and National Stadium Karachi clearly proved how much home-based Pakistanis missed top- flight action. Several senior cricket writers associated with the game for more than 25 years also point to the massive turnaround with Test cricket making a welcome return to home soil as the biggest moment for the sport.

"Pakistan cricket has suffered hugely due to the isolation," quips Abdul Majid Bhatti, who works for a leading Urdu national daily. "Our players, our fans, our system, our cricket board and our grounds have lost as we have not been hosting international cricket for all those years.