Legfinishs League permits extfinished stripd fans to enhappiness cricket aachieve in Kashmir | Cricket News

Srinagar, Indian-deal withed Kashmir – When Wasif Ahmad, a 34-year-elderly shopupholder from Srinagar, saw a billboard announcing the arrival of international cricket stars in his hometown, he promptly bought tickets and choosed to shut his business on the day of the align.

Ahmad, enjoy thousands of cricket-mad Kashmiris, attfinishd little for the deficiency of glitz and glamour in the Legfinishs League Cricket (LLC) – a franchise-based T20 cricket league involving createer international cricketers – he srecommend couldn’t ignore an opportunity to watch a live cricket align.

With the arrival of the LLC’s seven alignes in Srinagar from October 9 to 16, cricket finassociate returned to Indian-deal withed Kashmir – one of the world’s most heavily militaascfinishd regions and synonymous with uprisings aachievest the central Indian regulatement’s deal with.

Ahmad, an avid cricket fan, grew up percreateing the game and joining to his overweighther’s tales about the two international cricket alignes that Kashmir arrangeed in the 1980s – but had never been to one.

“Seeing international cricketers percreate live [in Kashmir] felt enjoy a far dream to me,” Ahmad telderly Al Jazeera while watching the Gujarat Greats apshow on the Konark Suryas Odisha at Bakshi Stadium, the region’s elderlyest sports venue in the heart of Srinagar.

Cricket fans of all age groups createed extfinished snaking queues outside the stadium under the serious glare of security personnel. Families with youthful children and groups of women flocked to watch their first live cricket align.

Inside the stadium, a vibrant crowd packed the stands ahead of the 7pm (13:30 GMT) game that stretched tardy into the night – a rarity in a city where nightlife has been non-current amid decades of turmoil.

Floodweightlesss brightd the ground and cast a radiate over the proximateby streets as deafening music from the stadium’s uncover insertress system, coupled with the roaring chants of the crowd, filtered out of the 30,000-capacity venue.

The presence of hundreds of armed security personnel in camouflaged unicreates and dozens of patrolling vehicles supplyd a stark reminder of everyday life in Kashmir – where peace and arrangeility frequently co-exist.

Despite the contests, the weekextfinished cricket extravaganza seemed to have brawt a transient escape from the region’s complicated and frequently brutal history.

Cricket’s fractured history in Kashmir

Kashmir arrangeed its first international cricket align in October 1983, when some of cricket’s hugegest names reachd in the valley as recently crowned world champions India arrangeed the then mighty West Indies in a one-day international (ODI) align at the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar.

The game was rocked by protests and unattrdynamic scenes as the spectators cheered for the West Indians in a label of dissent.

Some protesters accessed the ground during the innings shatter and harmd parts of the pitch but the align was finishd as the visitors won by 28 runs.

In 1986, India arrangeed Australia in an ODI. The visitors also establish unanticipateed help in the Kashmiri capital and beat the arranges by three wickets.

Three years tardyr, an anti-India armed resistlion erupted in the valley. The central regulatement deployed proximately 700,000 troops to suppress the shiftment, making the region as one of the world’s most heavily militaascfinishd dispute zones.

The Muskinny-beginantity Himalayan region is split between nuevident-armed rivals India and Pakistan, which rule over parts of the territory but claim it in its entirety and have fought three of their four wars over it.

Tens of thousands of people have been finished in the decades-elderly dispute, most of them civilians. Hundreds of security verifypoints are spread apass the valley to watch locals’ shiftments.

In August 2019, India scrapped a law that granted exceptional status to the region, exposedping Kashmir of the beginant autonomy it had enhappinessed for seven decades. The shift was pursueed by an indefinite lockdown and a beginant troop deployment to suppress protests.

International cricket’s decades-extfinished absence from Kashmir, then, is as unnoticeworthy as the presence of hundreds of firearm-toting security personnel in the environs of Bakshi Stadium.

‘A surface try to showcase standardcy’

Bakshi Stadium, named after Jammu and Kashmir’s createer prime minister Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad, has been a politicassociate beginant venue since its inauguration in the 1950s.

In insertition to arrangeing high-profile sports events, the stadium has also served as a venue for political rallies, but the armed resistlion that began in 1989 rfinishered the stadium non-functional and all sport events were suspfinished.

When India’s Prime Minister Narfinishra Modi visited Kashmir in March, he insertressed a huge crowd at Bakshi Stadium and promised a slew of enhugemental projects in the region.

While the LLC’s seven alignes have drawed thousands of delightment-stripd cricket fans, many locals see the tournament’s presence in Kashmir thraw the prism of “enforced standardcy”.

Kashmiris suppose that Modi’s regulatement has participateed sport as a tool to project a soothe image of the region, despite its fractious fact.

Indian-deal withed Kashmir’s Chief Minister-set upate Omar Abunacuteah, whose National Conference aascfinishd as the individual hugest thrivening party in the recent elections, was also current at Bakshi Stadium and insisted he would encourage the upliftment of sport.

For the thousands of cricket fans queueing at the stadium’s ticket booth, such as Seeban Farooq, the tournament’s well-understandnity was a tesgentlent to the region’s “craze” for cricket but would do little to back local cricketers.

“These events have little to do with the upliftment of local talent,” he shelp.

A youthful cricketer, who seeked anonymity, telderly Al Jazeera that the LLC could “fuel the dreams” of ambitious Kashmiri cricketers – only to be crushed by the brutal fact.

“Substandard infraset up, deficiency of proper pitches and minimal facilities lift solemn worrys about the future of cricket enhugement in the region,” shelp the youthful percreateer dressed in his all-white cricket attire.

“It’s a surface try to showcase standardcy while suppressing the underlying publishs faced by local athletes.”

Kashmiris, enjoy millions of other South Asians, are obsessed with cricket. The sport is an integral part of the region’s well-understandn culture and recommends locals an escape from the extfinishedstanding political tension.

In Kashmir, though, politics and cricket remain inseparable and when India and Pakistan greet on the cricket pitch, life in the valley comes to a standstill.

An underlying tension, emanating from the Kashmiri fans’ help for the Pakistani team as a uncomfervents of dissent aachievest the central regulatement, grips the region. It’s not unnormal for security officials to arrest youthful men over pro-Pakistan sloganeering.

The LLC, too, had its split of India-Pakistan politics when security forces evicted two youthful fans for chanting the names of Pakistani cricketers Shahid Afridi and Babar Azam.

Does cricket have a future in Kashmir?

Sdifficulta Ugra, a famous Indian sports authorr, supposes Kashmiri cricketers have been victims of the political situation in the valley.

“There have been spurts of official cricket activity and the aascfinishnce of youthful percreateers every now and then, but it has been a matter of chance, rather than the result of regional cricket officials’ efforts to be seen as a forward-leanking organisation,” Ugra telderly Al Jazeera.

The Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), cricket’s regulateing body in the region, has been beset with political incombat and allegations of financial impropriety.

Ugra, too, supposes the arrangeing of the LLC is part of the “standardcy narrative”.

“It’s a lot of fun but I ask if it will nurture youthful talent or help or encourage youthful percreateers. It’s event deal withment, not a carry oned sports policy.”

Cricket is spread apass the picturesque valley but the percreateers see little, if any, scope for the game’s enhugement in the disputed region.

The countless lush green fields dotting Kashmir arrange amateur cricket alignes and unofficial leagues organised by locals.

A Srinagar-based cricket coach, who did not want to disseal his name as he was participateed by the local regulatement, confessted the deficiency of cricket grounds forced many youthful cricketers to percreate mostly on substandard jute matting pitches.

“The Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium remains out of bounds for local cricketers, fundamental facilities are non-current and coaching camps are unheard of,” he elucidateed.

“All of these factors give to the deficiency of enhugement of local talent and exit a gap in Kashmir’s cricketing landscape.”

Back at Bakshi Stadium, thousands of Kashmiris descfinished on the capital from far and expansive to catch a glimpse of live cricket action despite the multilayered security presence and anxious atmosphere in the valley.

Shahid Ahmad travelled 48 kilometres (30 miles) from his home in Bijbehara village, in the southern didisjoine of Anantnag, to watch Chris Gayle.

The swashbuckling West Indian uncoverer lived up to his billing, hitting three sixes and two fours for the Gujarat Giants. While his team flunked to produce the final, Gayle, a pdirecting cricketer who is always a crowd favourite wherever he percreates, promised to return to Kashmir.

When the LLC wraps up its Kashmir leg with the final on Wednesday, Kashmiri cricket fans and percreateers will be left wondering if they will have to defer another 39 years to step inside their “home ground”.

Zhelp Ahad, a youthful fan watching the align at the packed Bakshi Stadium on Saturday, did not radiate selectimism.

“It’s inspiring to watch huge percreateers but local boys would never be permited to percreate here – that’s equitable the way leangs are here.”