But let’s not gloss over the negatives
It really went down to the wire – at the last delivery, all three outcomes remained a possibility. Not much separated the winner from the loser, save that the former has in the last one year or so somehow learnt to keep its nerve. The defeat against India rankled, and it’s not merely the age-old rivalry; recent snubs have only exacerbated it. Yet Team Pakistan picked itself up and survived the scare against the Bengal tigers when the latter had already done its giant-slaying by beating India and Sri Lanka with consummate ease and poise. They wanted a third successive big scalp, but Pakistan managed to clinch it. By all accounts, Pakistan had a pretty decent event, and was the first to get to the final. But in front of the boisterous spectators, Bangladesh too has shown remarkable resurgence. This can only be good for world cricket, which has seen many teams dwindle.
As an outstanding last over by Aizaz Cheema clinched the issue in our favour, spontaneous celebration – telecast live by most satellite channels – began throughout Pakistan. The nerve-wracking win was a welcome respite from the overall depressing scenario. The curse of loadshedding did not allow the fans to follow the match in its entirety, yet the win brought the people of all the provinces dancing on the streets. This display of shared joy underscores the uniting power of sport.
Every win is a good win, for it not just inculcates the winning habit but also glosses over glaring weaknesses. Seldom in victory have we as a nation maintained our perspective. We are the continental champions again after a dozen years, and this on the top of a 2011 marked with many a triumph. Despite this sequence of credible wins, especially after the doom and gloom of 2010, many a flaw is staring us in our face. We can ignore our deficiencies both technical, selectoral and in human resource only at our own peril. Our overall fielding is perhaps the worst in the world, ditto for our running between the wickets. We need to beef up our pace bowling, find a better wicket-keeper batsmen etc. But, as being drummed up by some interested circles, our captain is not our weakness. He is highly professional and mentally strong. Along with the brand-new coach Dav Whatmore we must allow him to carry this team forward. That said the PCB would do well to chart a clear succession plan and make it public to thwart the ambitious ones who have the capacity to bring back the curse of infighting.
