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Pakistan has tightened its security for the T20 series, first big international cricketing event on home soil for eight years, between Pakistan and a World XI in Lahore.
International teams stopped visiting Pakistan after a March 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team in which seven of its players were injured.
In 2015, a tour by the Zimbabwean team was marred by a bomb attack near the Lahore stadium, reports BBC.
Cricket is hugely popular in Pakistan, and cricketing authorities have been keenly working to revive the game at home.
In a colourful ceremony on Monday, the captains of the two teams unveiled what the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named the Independence Cup trophy, then led their teams out to practice in the stadium.
The World XI has drawn players from seven countries. Two more matches will be played on Wednesday and Friday.
Most parts of the city around the hotel where the international players are staying and the Gaddafi Stadium have been closed to traffic and business activity until the end of the series.
Authorities in Lahore, Pakistan's second largest city, say the threat of militant violence that peaked during 2009-13 has receded but not ended.