Groom prefers Australia-England cricket match to his wedding

A cricket-crazy groom decided to skip his marriage ceremony and prefer to watch ICC Champions Trophy cricket match being played between Australia and England at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The groom who belonged to Jhang stated that after years of hectic efforts, international cricket has finally returned to Pakistan and it is a great opportunity for him to watch cricket greats playing in Pakistan.

He went on to saying that it’s not a matter of concern for him if the members of his bride’s family became infuriated by his action.

The marriage ceremony can wait but watching an ICC Champions Trophy match in Lahore is a great opportunity for him.

The groom further said that as Pakistani it is his duty to welcome international cricket players in Pakistan.

Pakistan is hosting first major cricket tournament in almost three decades in a move hailed as a landmark.

Staging the Champions Trophy in three cities over the next two-and-a-half weeks will be a huge boost to the South Asian nation's reputation if authorities can pull it off smoothly and safely.

"Convincing the world that Pakistan is a safe country and that it is capable of delivering such a global event from an administration point of view took serious hard work and convincing," former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja told AFP.

"The world eventually understood our viewpoint," said Raja, under whose tenure the event was awarded in 2021.

The build-up has not been without problems after neighbours and arch-rivals India refused to play in Pakistan over long-standing political tensions.

A powerhouse of the sport on and off the pitch, India will instead play their matches in Dubai, but the other seven countries will be based in Pakistan.

The country has stepped up security, especially in host cities Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.