The Pakistan Cricket Team’s first test series win at home in over a decade provides a much need cause for celebration for cricket fans. The win on its own displayed some positives that the fans can look forward to in future performances. The highlight of the final day was the performance of Naseem Shah, the breakout sixteen-year-old star that took five wickets, putting himself in the record books as the second youngest player to do so in a test series. Honing youthful talent such as this is important to secure the future of Pakistani cricket, and his stand out performance will hopefully be replicated for years to come.

Another solid batting performance from Babar Azam is also an added bonus; the 25-year-old current stats are slightly above Virat Kholi – who is seen by many as the best batsman in the world at this point. This is good news for Pakistan, as a reliable batsman is something that this country sorely needs if it wants to move up the international rankings board and compete against the best. Azam is clearly performing well even after being handed the captaincy for the T20 team and being declared the vice-captain for the ODI format as well. If the young star can take extra responsibility alongside his batting duties so effectively, fans will hope that he can become the foundation for the team that the coaching staff is trying to build for years to come.

Beyond the win itself, the fact that the Sri Lankan team agreed to tour Pakistan for a test series – something no one has done since the 2009 bus attacks – is what should be the real reason for positivity among the fanbase. The PCB has now gained confidence from this series and is looking for Bangladesh team to visit Pakistan for both the T20 and test series that are scheduled for the start of 2020. The Bangladesh board has agreed to T20s being held in Pakistan, but are not too comfortable with the idea of sending the team for a longer series. Either way, no one expects a sudden inflow of cricket in Pakistan immediately; the process will obviously be gradual. But with this series, Pakistan is firmly on the path to bring all formats of cricket back home.