One city, two museums and tonnes of cricketing memories

The historic city of Lahore is home to a couple of cricket museums that preserve the legacy of the nation’s iconic moments and honour the legends who have defined the sport.

While the one run by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) at its National Cricket Academy premises feature the 1992 World Cup and the 2009 T20 World Cup trophies along with several other memorabilia, the one at the Lahore Gymkhana ground at Bagh-e-Jinnah, on the outskirts of the city, chronicles the journey of yesteryear greats who helped the game grow.

Yahya Ghaznavi, who has been associated with the Archives and Game Education at the Board and the National Cricket Academy (NCA) since 2013, has curated the PCB-run museum whereas the one at the Lahore Gymkhana is the brainchild of Najum Latif.

The septuagenarian Latif started the museum at the historic Gymkhana ground where Pakistan cricket took baby steps. This cricket ground is the oldest in Pakistan and the second-oldest in South Asia after the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

As one walks around the Bagh-e-Jinnah and sneaks into the pavilion there are scores of pictures of Pakistan playing its first international match at the venue back in 1948. That was a drawn unofficial Test against the West Indies but it still holds immense significance in the history of the game in Pakistan.

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Back in 1955, the third Test of five between India and Pakistan was played at the Lahore Gymkhana ground and Latif, a schoolboy then, remembers how he ran after the Indian cricketers to get some prized autographs. Years later, when he visited the Lord’s Museum in London, Latif was convinced that Pakistan needed a similar museum. So, in 2002-2003, he set up the museum, housed in the same room at the Lahore Gymkhana pavilion where players had their meals during their playing days, and where the PCB was founded in 1949.

“It was a challenge to reach out to the players and get some treasured items from their collection,” Latif told Sportstar. But with the help of some cricketers, their families and members of the club, the museum was up and running by 2003.

While the flags of all the Test-playing nations welcome the visitors, the museum features the cap of legendary Jahangir Khan from India’s first Test match in England at Lord’s in 1932, many blazers of Majid Khan, a tie of A.H. Kardar and Fazal Mahmood, and a pair of signed cricket trousers worn by the World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan apart from several signed bats and match balls.

“The Indian team was here in 2004 and 2006, where they played some games and the players also visited the museum,” Latif said, pointing towards pictures of Kapil Dev and Virender Sehwag.

While he is constantly on the lookout for adding stuff to the museum, Latif fears what would happen in the future. “I want our club members to take the legacy forward, so that we can maintain our cricketing history,” he said.

The PCB museum is more glamorous with a collection of trophies and never-seen-before pictures. The facility captures the legacy of the cricket icons, through their gloves, jerseys and other personal memorabilia. In fact, in one corner of the museum, there’s a showcase featuring the India cap of Roger Binny, a member of India’s 1983 World Cup-winning team and the current president of the BCCI.

As one walks around both museums steeped in the vibe of the forgotten times, it is easy to lose track of the present.