Dav Whatmore: We experienced what Obama or visiting state heads might go through

Dav Whatmore: We experienced what Obama or visiting state heads might go through: The security concerns of visiting teams, had meant cricket matches in Pakistan seemed a distant memory. Things changed for the better recently when Zimbabwe toured the terror hit nation. Thousands of security personnel from multiple agencies, armored vehicles, road closures, helicopters, snipers, plus three rings of security around the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore ensured Zimbabwe’s safety on their trip to Pakistan in May this year. Dav Whatmore, the Zimbabwe coach, who gave his services to Pakistan from 2012 to early 2014, shared his moving experience of being the first full member team to tour Pakistan in six years in an interview with Cricinfo.

“In the hotel, we had the whole fourth floor, Pakistan was on the third floor. Nice hotel. But you would sometimes have to excuse yourself in the corridor to get past security. And there were, I think, four different agencies. You had to walk around people to get to another room or go down to breakfast” Whatmore said.

“[We] probably got to experience what Barack Obama might go through, or any visiting head of state. I counted at least 24 vehicles in front of the bus. We always travelled in a convoy, and there were three buses – one like a decoy bus. Similar [number of vehicles] at the back. And then two on either side of us. And all the streets were just shut. The only time we saw people out in the streets was when you went to the ground for games, and it was packed – 25,000 or whatever. But everything else was deserted. It was incredible. It was extremes.”

The atmosphere back home in Zimbabwe is laidback, and the biggest organisational question faced during the day is often what to order off the restaurant’s menu. So it isn’t surprising that the Zimbabwe players were a little overawed in Pakistan. But, as Whatmore says, “There was a deep appreciation of what it meant to every person in that country. Six years they’ve been denied access to visiting teams, not to mention the negative financial knock-on effect. I think the players were sensitive to all that. I have to say, it was really wonderful to see that very first T20I match, when the anthems were playing, everyone in that packed stadium was singing that Pakistan anthem. Really moving stuff. And everyone was making the same comment to us: “Thank you very much, this is fantastic.”

Whatmore also experienced a swirl of emotions, given his own recent – and still strong – connections to Pakistan. “A little bit of that, but to be honest with you when you’re working for a particular team or a country, I’m just absorbed in that. You’d be inhuman if you didn’t feel a bit for the opposition where you worked for two years, but I wasn’t too worried about that. I still wanted Zimbabwe to crush them.” Zimbabwe may well be going back to Pakistan in April next year because Pakistani players don’t participate in the IPL, and not many of the Zimbabwe players are invited either.