Snipers, smiles as Test cricket returns to Pakistan after 2009 attack

Pakistani fans skipped classes and work on Wednesday to attend the country's first cricket Test in a decade, which was ringed with security and guarded by snipers following the deadly 2009 attack that scared away foreign teams.

Despite the tight security, excitement was palpable as the cricket-mad country finally got to host a Test, 10 years after the militant assault on a convoy carrying the Sri Lankan team to a game in Lahore.

"This is a dream come true," said Hamza Shakoor, a 21-year-old university student.

"We are all so excited. We just prayed for (this) time."
- 'Come and play here' -
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