Street cricket in Pakistan comes to life after darkAFP, KARACHI, PakistanAfter midnight during Ramadan, makeshift floodlights transform a central Karachi basketball court into an urban cricket arena, where dozens of young Pakistani men chase taped-up tennis balls zipping through the night air. “After the Taraweeh [special Ramadan prayers], people crave entertainment, so that is why many play cricket,” batsman Waqas Danish said. “They play all night, because some people can’t wake up for breakfast if they sleep.”A cricketer bowls during a tape-ball night cricket tournament in Karachi, Pakistan, on Tuesday last week. From legendary all-rounder Wasim Akram to modern-day pace star Shaheen Shah Afridi, many of Pakistan’s top players credit street cricket as a positive influence on their techniques. “In cricket there is a saying: ‘Watch the ball’ — it doesn’t matter if it is a tennis ball or a taped ball or a hard ball,” Pakistan national youth coach Mohammad Masroor said.
