Christians and cricket fans in Pakistan were overwhelmed with joy after the country’s all-Christian cricket team made history by winning the four-nation South Asian Legacy T20 Championship tournament held in Sri Lanka last week.
The event, organized by Mountain Movers Lanka and the South Asian Sports Movement, featured Christian teams from Pakistan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It was aimed at fostering peace, harmony and the spirit of cricket.
The final match between the Pakistan Christian team and the Sri Lankan Christian team was played at Aarons Country Club in Horana, Sri Lanka, on March 29, with the hosts losing by 27 runs.
During the group stage, Pakistan defeated India and Nepal to secure a place in the final, despite an earlier loss to the hosts. Sri Lanka reached the final after edging past India in a close semi-final, winning by just two runs.
Led by captain Mark Suleman, the 17-member Pakistani squad included players from across the country: vice-captain Saqib Gill, Akash Hayat, Philpus Tariq, Ramish Ameen, Garry Gill, Rahal Javed, Akash Ashraf, Yashwa Talib, Brine Bhatti, Mohsin John, Haroon Aslam, Boaiz Irfan, Joshua Gill, Shazaib Bhatti, Ashir Razzaq and Farhan Masih.
Behind the scenes, manager Irfan Francis—a former Lahore and UAE cricketer—played a key role in guiding the team to success. The support staff also included operational manager Ajmal Tahir, coach Stephen John and physical trainer Rashid Masih.
Speaking to media after the team’s arrival at Lahore airport, Francis praised the efforts of the Sports Acceleration Team, crediting their vision and planning for the team’s participation.
He said the initiative promoted cricket while highlighting unity and inclusion, showing that religious minorities in Pakistan can excel and represent the nation with pride. He also noted that work is underway to establish an academy and sports complex for the Christian community, a step toward long-term sports development.
Christian social media users took to Facebook and other platforms to celebrate the team’s victory.
“Huge Congratulations to the Pakistani Christian Cricket Team for their Championship Victory in the Christian Asia Cup, a tournament that included strong competition from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Pakistan,” wrote one user, Ronnar Gill, on his Facebook page.
A Facebook page, Christians in Pakistan, also congratulated the team with a post. The historic success of the Christian cricket team in an international event has renewed calls from the minority community for the inclusion of Christian players in the national team.Five Christians have previously represented Pakistan in international cricket. These included Wallis Mathias, a Christian of Goan ancestry, who first played for the national side in November 1955; Antao D’Souza, also of Goan descent, who made his debut in February 1959; and Duncan Sharpe, whose English-Indian family lineage traced back to famed novelist William Thackeray, who joined the national team the same year.
Muhammad Yousaf, formerly Yousaf Youhana, a Christian from a Hindu Dalit background, debuted in 2000. Before announcing his conversion to Islam in September 2005, he became the only non-Muslim to captain Pakistan, doing so during the 2004–05 tour of Australia.
The fifth Christian to play for Pakistan was Sohail Fazal, who appeared in two matches in 1989 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
