LAHORE – A cyber battle among the youth has kicked off with the start of ICC Cricket World Cup, 2011. Cricket fans have rolled up their sleeves and have started to grate their fingers, posting comments, getting in arguments and proudly posing for their favourite cricket teams on facebook, twitter and other platforms in the cyber world.
Cricket lovers have made various blogs and groups to share their views on World Cup’s matches and at some place even cross firing of arguments between the Indian and Pakistani fans was witnessed. While some compromise on their stance, keeping in the view the need for peace, Nishat Shah, a Pakistani fan on facebook was one of the few who was seen trapped among the Indian fans.
Where various Indian fans make the most of their ‘quantity’ and try to beat the opposing Pakistani arguments, this young man had the guts to question India’s chances of lifting the cup on one of the facebook’s discussion board. Some people also had the audacity to keep themselves realistic, and such was Shahid Nawaz Khan from Pakistan, who setting his nationality aside and thinking more like a rational cricket expert, said “Be real guys! I think Australia, South Africa and India have similar chances to lift the trophy.”
The fever is indeed high and the symptoms are showing like anything, and such a fever-stricken Indian fan taunted on the first match by saying, (Translated) “Where have all the Bangladeshis disappeared now? You were hampering about the ‘tiger’ with such valour before, what happened now? Has the tiger transformed itself into a wet cat?” Some fans were overwhelmed by the fact that one of the Pakistanis had made a video game of the World Cup, they never hesitated to boast about that.
They bragged and tried to show the Indians down by saying that the ones who boasted of their expertise in information and technology were over taken by a Pakistani, who had made a ‘world class’ cricket game. India fans commented and argued a lot on this discussion, well such was the fever, but one had the brains to come ahead and launch a world cup related online game on facebook as well, with the name “Be the Cricket Manager of Team India.”
Thus the zeal is transcending the human rationality on both sides of the borders, and in countries beyond this region, and just moving along are those people as well, who are intelligent enough to reply with something more practical; like a cricket game or a well structured rational argument. The love for cricket and rationality’s abandonment reached the peak where some of the Pakistani fans started to argue on the point that Pakistan will win because ‘an astrologer had said so.’
And similarly the Bangladeshi fans were also seen busy soothing themselves with octopus images sitting in the Bangali box. Amidst the supernatural-fate-related-beliefs, Sallahuddeen comes to the reason’s rescue and says, “Though predictions are going in Pakistan’s way but in practicality, victory could only be ensured if one gives a genuinely good performance.” What a practical and existentialist though, one may say.
The fans were busy busying themselves with all these arguments when Shane Warne also jumped in and tweeted (simplified), “I think India and Australia will meet in the finals. Team that could surprise include West Indies, England and Sri Lanka.”
