There was no news anywhere about when the tickets would launch. Everyone had an idea that they would launch on Platinum List, but no idea when.

The launch of hospitality packages by Dnata and some other tour and travel operators threw some people off and news of tickets being launched spread like wildfire.

But no, match tickets were not available. Only travel packages (flight and hotel) with tickets were.

On 11 August, Platinum List posted the following on their Instagram page.

On 13 August, Khaleej Times broke the news that the ACC has announced that Asia Cup tickets will be released on 15 August!

Finally the tickets were going on sale, less than 2 weeks before the Asia Cup!

But there was still no announcement from Platinum List who had asked everyone to follow their Instagram page to know when tickets go on sale.

As the clock hit midnight and the date changed to 15 August on Sunday night, Whatsapp groups went frantic with the news that Platinum List had launched the tickets and that there was a massive queue online.

We all logged on to Platinum List and found ourselves in a queue with a wait time of more than an hour.

Once the wait time ended, nothing happened, and the site crashed.

There were no tickets.

Just millions of fans in the UAE and the subcontinent logging on to Platinum List looking for tickets that had not been launched. 

Come Monday afternoon on 15 August, and Platinum List posted this on their Instagram page.

6:00PM! Everyone was ready!

At 6PM began the usual practice of queues, wait times, errors when making payments, payment not going through, to finally payments going through and tickets being purchased successfully.

We managed to get the tickets we wanted. 

But there was one problem that was bugging me.

For the 7th September match between A2 and B2, Platinum List was selling tickets for Sharjah.

The original schedule released by ACC (scroll up) had that match scheduled in Dubai.

I checked cricket's most trusted website, cricinfo, and even their schedule showed the match was to be played in Dubai. 

I checked ACC's website, and there it showed Dubai also.

Check these sites now and you will see the same now as well. Dubai.

Clearly the organizers, i.e. SLC / ACC, told Platinum List that the 7th September match is scheduled for Sharjah but no one seemed to communicate this to other platforms.

And I am not really sure why the other platforms have not changed this in their schedules despite the information being out there since 15 August.

Now I was under another dilemma.

The tournament format said the top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Four stage where each team will play the other three.

With the 7 September Super Four game between A2 and B2 scheduled for Sharjah, does this mean that the A1, A2, B1, B2 seedings were predetermined?

Only for the simple reason that India does not play in Sharjah. 

Which meant that India cannot be A2 under any circumstance.

To me this meant that no matter in which position India qualified to the Super Four, they would be A1 and the other team, i.e. Pakistan, would be A2.

But this information was no where. 

Not on the ACC website. Not on Cricinfo. Not on any cricket website or forum. I kept searching, I kept asking, but no one gave me a satisfactory answer.

Except for one senior editor at Cricinfo, who agreed that A1, A2, etc. were pre determined.

It made sense also as this practice is decades old and used in World Cups where there have been Super 6 ad Super 8 rounds.

But still there was no clarity on why no platform was reporting that the 7 September match was in Sharjah and why there was no information on A1, A2, B1, B2.

Till this morning!

Finally, the ACC released a schedule that showed that the 7 September match was to be played in Sharjah, and also explained which teams would be A1 and B1.

Here you go.

Finally, some official clarity!

Why did it take so long to get this out, I don't know.

For some of us, it was clear when the tickets launched on Platinum List, given the prices of the tickets.

But such information should be made public as soon as tickets go on sale to make it clearer for fans and ticket buyers.

Despite this confirmation, websites are still reporting that on 7 September there is an Asia Cup match in Dubai, and one can't find this clarity regarding India being A1 anywhere else.

Sharjah has been a happy hunting ground for Pakistan where I have witnessed some blistering centuries, fiery bowling spells, hatricks, match winning performances, and magical Pakistan wins.

The last time I was at Sharjah Stadium was in 2003 when Rashid Latif's Pakistan played a quadrangular series against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and Kenya right after the ODI World Cup. 

It was a new look Pakistan team and Mohammad Hafeez was making his ODI debut.

18 and a half years later, it is the T20 World Cup, Pakistan is playing a match in Sharjah, and Mohammad Hafeez is still around.

and so am I!

* * *

The high of Pakistan's first ever win over India in a World Cup was still not over and Pakistan's next match, against New Zealand, was upon us.

The partying after the victory over India had still not ended, but we were ready once again!

As Pakistani fans, we have witnessed a number of botched chases and there were plenty of anxious fans around. Including me.

The worry, however, soon turned into jubilation as Shoaib Malik and Asif Ali upped the tempo.

Asif smashed Southee for two 6s in one over, Malik hit Santner for a 4 and a 6 in another and all was under control once again.

Asif sent another ball sailing into the stands of Trent Boult, and Pakistan finished off the chase successfully in the 19th over.

The Sharjah crowd was just awesome.

One friend pointed out after the match that there is something about matches against New Zealand. 

The Birmingham crowd in 2019 was outstanding. It still stands as my best crowd experience ever at a cricket match.

This crowd in Sharjah was not too far off. 

There were mexican waves, there was some great music bringing out a lot of dance moves, the cheering was just amazing, and the sledging with taunts about "security" was just hilarious. The flourish with which Asif Ali and Shoaib Malik finished off the game sent the crowd into a massive frenzy.

Our group was caught on camera multiple times during Pakistan's chase. From our tense faces to our nervous clapping to my hulk gloves fist bumps after those 6s from Asif and Malik - it was all caught by the camera man in Sharjah.

My phone was on fire every time we came on TV.

I had messages from all over the world from people who had seen me on screen. I had messages from people who I had not heard from in over a decade. My wife and friends had messages from people who have never met me but just seen my pictures on social media.

Thank you to each and everyone of you who captured images and videos on their TV screens and shared them.

It was quite something to witness this chase by Pakistan, and to be captured several times by the camera man.

It was truly an unforgettable experience.

* * *