Celebrating my first week in Pakistan and I am having the time of my life.

Being at Rawalpindi Stadium yesterday as fans got their first-ever taste of live HBL Pakistan Super League action was so special.
It was a packed house, and the sound of the crowd was deafening as Quetta Gladiators beat Islamabad United in a thrilling chase.

It is raining this morning but I hope weather clears for tonight’s game between Lahore Qalanders and Peshawar Zalmi, which is set to kick off at 8pm local time.

We arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday and I have fallen In love with this place. The people, the mountains, the coffee shops, everything is perfect!

Islamabad local, Komaal Khan, has been amazing to us, showing us around and being so hospitable. Sincerely grateful.

I have had the flu and on arrival in Islamabad was whisked off to top doctor, Dr Imran Uppal, who put me on the road to recovery.
It’s different here from the hustle and bustle of Lahore where I started my first-ever visit to Pakistan a week ago.

Leaving South Africa was hard. My three children are all eleven years old and under, so the prospect of me going away for over a month was tough to come to terms with for all of us.

After a tearful goodbye, I hopped onto a flight to Dubai and then connected to Lahore, arriving in the early hours of the morning on Thursday, 20 February.

A Pakistan Cricket Board official was there to welcome me and I was whisked off to the hotel, where I settled in for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

My dear friend, Munawar Hussain, called and visited me at the hotel. It was all I needed to feel welcome in this beautiful country, and to feel less homesick!

Everyone I talk to, it is clear how much it means to them to have every match of the HBL Pakistan Super League season 5 on home soil.

The vibe at all three matches at Lahore was incredible, and I expect that more and more fans will start grabbing the opportunity to attend matches.

Commentating with my childhood heroes Waqar Younis and Jonty Rhodes certainly stands out as highlights for me, so far!

I am also delighted that the Pakistan Cricket Board has included leading women broadcasters, Zainab Abbas, Erin Holland and Urooj Mumtaz on the presentation team. It is clear that diversity and inclusion is high on the agenda of the PCB!

If the first week is anything to go by, we are set for an incredible experience.

HBL PSL 5 is the glue Pakistan cricket needs to forge a new way forward which hopefully will see all cricket return here full time, for the sake of the amazing people here.
Pakistan Zindabad!