Sharjah: A blast from the past

As arch rivals India and Pakistan brace for their World Cup clash at Mohali on Wednesday, old-timers at Sharjah revive fleeting memories of similar contests.

They miss the intensity and the charged atmosphere of a typical Indo-Pak match.

The Sharjah stadium no longer hosts big-ticket matches and has virtually been abandoned after match-fixing allegations involving the contests.

“It was like war. India-Pak matches were so exciting for us,” recalls Aziz Shah, an Indian photo journalist, who worked for a leading English newspaper in the UAE for nearly 20 years. He recalls with fondness that crucial juncture in the match of 1986. Pakistani batsman Javed Miandad had to deliver a miracle. He did, by dispatching the last ball of Indian pacer Chetan Sharma’s over for a six.

“I was so excited that I could not click a picture,” says Aziz. He yearns for the time when India-Pakistan matches will resume on Sharjah soil.  

Mohamed Lokhandwala, honorary secretary of Dubai Cricket Council, carries fond memories of the 1998 match between the countries. “At the stadium, the lines were drawn. If you made the mistake of entering the enemy camp and cheering with the Indian flag, you could be in danger of being thrashed. The atmosphere was always electrically charged,” he adds.

For Imran Abdul, a Pakistani, Miandad’s 1986 performance was the subject of all conversation once his Sharjah-based relatives went home to Pakistan for their vacation.

For now, Abdul has to make do with watching the all-important Wednesday match on TV. “That’s okay. I can switch the channel if Pakistan begins to lose,” he quips.