Srinagar's Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium prepares to host Irani Cup after 40-year gap
The Irani Cup will be the first major cricket event in Srinagar since the late 1980s.
The Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar hosts the Irani Cup from Thursday — the first major fixture in Kashmir in 40 years. The last international match here was an ODI against Australia in 1986.
West Indies played the first international at the ground in October 1983, but protestors dug up the pitch during lunch and the match ended with West Indies 28 runs ahead. A full house still created an atmosphere that lingered.
J&K's recent Ranji Trophy title gives the return extra weight. Players such as Parvez Rasool, Auqib Nabi, Umran Malik and Rasikh Salam have already moved from that setup into national squads.
CricHubb Take
A 40-year absence is long enough that the players now coming through won't remember the last big match at the ground; the Irani Cup is their first chance to set the tone for what comes next.