Pakistani who saved Sri Lankan team in 2009 fails to get PSL final tickets

LAHORE: Mehar Mohammad Khalil, the courageous bus driver who sped the visiting Sri Lankan team to safety in 2009, has returned to Lahore to watch the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). But, despite being hailed as a Pakistani hero, he is unable to buy tickets to the game.

"As soon as I found out that PSL final is being held in Lahore, I cancelled all appointments and came to Lahore straight away," Khalil told Geo News on Thursday.

Khalil, whose Facebook account displays a photo with PCB chairman Shahryar Khan, said he contacted several people after returning to Pakistan, but "everyone appeared to be busy".

"Neither have I got a response from the people I contacted, nor are the tickets for the final available anywhere," said a dismayed Khalil.

In March 2009, Khalil was driving the Sri Lankan team bus to Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium when it was attacked by rocket launcher and machine gun-wielding terrorists in an assault that left eight people dead and seven players injured.

The attack brought an abrupt end to international cricket in Pakistan.

Khalil had displayed great courage and presence of mind to speed the bus towards the stadium. He was feted after he held his nerve to drive the visiting team to safety, and with reward money from Sri Lanka's government and donations from well-wishers, he started his own bus company.

In 2015, the 45-year-old was one of the guests of honour at the same stadium, where Pakistan played Zimbabwe in their first home international since the 2009 terrorist attack. But the one-off visit by Zimbabwe failed to usher in the return of international teams to the cricket-starved nation.

Khalil was rewarded for his role in saving the Sri Lankan cricketers

Now, the PSL final is scheduled to be held in Lahore on March 5. But it appears the Pakistan Cricket Board has forgotten its heroes this time around.

Khalil says he wishes to watch the PSL final in his home ground, adding, "It would be a great pleasure."

When asked if he sees international cricket being played in the country in the future, Khalil replied: "Yes! I see it [returning], from the way PCB is making efforts and the way the government and military are backing these efforts."

"The enemies do not want revival of international cricket in Pakistan," he said, adding, "The entire nation wishes so and it must be revived."

Khalil is just one of the many cricket enthusiasts who have been unable to purchase a ticket for the final given the high demand for it. Moreover, some even claimed that the tickets they bought online have been cancelled all of a sudden. Amid the long queues, crashing servers the tickets situation has been an utter mess and requires better management.