Representational image.

The moment Afghanistan bowled against South Africa on Wednesday at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium, it became history. Sharjah becomes the first cricket ground to hosts 250 one-day international matches. It is indeed a huge milestone for Sharjah. It is also a nostalgic moment for me because I grew up watching Sharjah Cup during the 90s. I would sit with my father to watch the Sharjah Cup matches in the evening in India. That's how my familiarity with Sharjah started. I was fascinated by the scenic beauty of Sharjah. Cricket was at its best during those times. Indian and Paksitani players were at their best.

I would watch Javed Miandad, Waseem Akram, Saleem Malik, Sachin Tendulkar and Mohammed Azharuddin rubbing shoulders with each other in the ground. India and Pakistan would clash for the title and that made it very interesting. Both the teams were very competitive and had legendary players on their side. When I arrived in Sharjah two decades ago, the first thing I did was I went straight to the stadium to get a photo of mine clicked which I shared with my father and siblings. It was a great moment for me. I felt nostalgic about it. I also visited all those places which I had seen during the live matches.

Tufail Ahmed Khan,

By email