KARACHI: They’re the England cricket supporters club and they follow the England team everywhere it goes.
Since last month, the Barmy Army has been in Pakistan tailing the England Men’s Test team for their first Test series on Pakistan soil in 17 years. And while Pakistan might have lost the series 3-0, Pakistani fans have won the hearts of the cricketing club for their “positivity,” even in the face of defeat.
The Barmy Army, a rowdy but good-humored camp of followers, has become a fixture on all England cricket tours over the last couple of decades, arranging touring parties for its members to watch the English cricket team at home and abroad. The group was given its name by the Australian media during a 1994-95 Test series for rooting for a team that was badly losing.
In the last few weeks as England toured the Pakistani cities of Rawalpindi, Multan and Karachi, the Barmy Army was the center of attention at stadiums, cheering on their team, singing songs, and having fun with Pakistani fans.
“They are warm, generous and applaud the England team,” Andy Thompson, the Barmy Army’s Travel Tour Manager and a member of the touring team, told Arab News in Karachi, describing Pakistani fans as “positive” compared to other cricket supporters around the world.
“They are so pleased to see us here. They don’t leave as soon as their favorite batsman is out, which happens in other parts of the world,” he added. “They’re very knowledgeable about the game. Everything about Pakistani cricket fans is positive.”
Cricket fans, also known as the Barmy Army, watch the third day of the third cricket Test match between Pakistan and England at the National Stadium in Karachi on December 19, 2022. (Photo courtesy: AFP)
With thousands of members and a huge social media following, the Barmy Army has created songs for all occasions related to the game, including moments of winning and losing.
“Sometimes, we make songs about the opposition, if something happens, it’s controversial, or they do something or say something silly,” the tour manager said. “That hasn’t happened in the case of Pakistan, I should add. But yeah, we’ve got lots and lots of songs.”
The troupe also said it was “impressed” with Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city where the third and last Test was played.
“It [Karachi] is so busy and vibrant. [It] feels like a very modern cosmopolitan city. I was really looking forward to coming here and it hasn’t disappointed me in any way,” Thompson said.
“[The] food is fantastic. The people are just as welcoming as they are in other parts of Pakistan we’ve been to, and yes, it’s going to be a very memorable [tour] for us.”
Thomspon visited Pakistan in 2005 and toured the country’s Punjab province but said most of the other Barmy army members were visiting for the first time.
“Their perception of what they’ve seen [about Pakistan] in the media over the years,” he said, “it’s totally changed.”
The tour manager hoped the next time the group visited Pakistan, it would be with a lot more England fans.
“Numbers wise, we haven’t brought anywhere near the supporters that we would bring to two or three Test tours in other parts of the cricketing world,” he said. “But I think next time we come back, those numbers will go up exponentially from what they are at the moment.”
