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Journalism of Courage
Much before peace leads to an India-Pakistan match in either country, the Punjabis on either side of the border will begin the warm-up.
If all goes well, a Punjabi cricket team from Pakistan’s Punjab will play Captain Amarinder Singh’s boys in Patiala on February 19. The team from across the border will be sponsored by Choudhary Pervez Elahi, Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Punjab.
The 40-over friendly match will be played to celebrate the spirit of ‘Punjabiyat’ at a heritage festival in Patiala, officials from Punjab said.
The teams to be called ‘Punjab chief ministers’ eleven’ will comprise young cricketers and old-timers like Kapil Dev, Navjot Siddhu and Yuvraj Singh among others. ‘‘In Lahore, they have a Zamam club, which is gathering the team together,’’ Principal Secretary of Tourism D.S. Jaspal told The Indian Express.
Punjab officials said the visit of the cricketers had been cleared by New Delhi and Islamabad. ‘‘We are going to line up our team in three days,’’ an official said.
Besides the match, Pakistani Ghazal legend Ghulam Ali will be at the fest.
