Pakistan: The Vanquisher… Truly

Nothing seemed to be going right for Pak. If parents are worried and upset, how can things be fine for the child? So was the case with Pak cricket.

Sudeshna Guha Roy

One day you will see that it all has finally come together. What you have always wished for has finally come to be. You will look back and laugh at what has passed and you will ask yourself, “How did I get through all of that?” Just never let go of hope. Just never quit dreaming. And never let love depart from your life. Jancarl Campi‘Hopeless’ was the word that came to my mind when my father and I were discussing about the situation in Pakistan. Bomb blasts being a daily affair… People being killed… Taliban attacks... Unstable government… and what have you not… All in all, nothing seemed to be going right for Pakistan. If parents are worried and upset, how can things be fine for the child? So was the case with Pakistan cricket. But what makes me write this, is the fact that despite all adversities, the nation today stands strong as the Champions of the T20 format. Pakistan cricket faced its first major set-back when the ICC decided to postpone, and eventually, cancel the Champions Trophy that was to be hosted by the country - reason being repeated bomb-blasts and suicide attacks. Later, a blast at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad on September 20 made things worse. A truck loaded with explosives breached all security measures and detonated right outside the hotel gate, killing 54 people and injuring over 200. The blast sent a wave of shock, not only throughout the country, but also across the world. The attack was viewed as the worst of its kind in the past 7 years in Pakistan with the Law Minister Farooq Naek stating it as “Pakistan`s 9/11”. Petrified, the cricketing nations thanked God for the already cancelled Champions Trophy, as the hotel usually plays host to players touring Islamabad. Crisis continued for PCB after Australia and New Zealand cancelled their tour to Pakistan, further alienating the latter from cricket. With Asia Cup being the last major tournament played by the country, Pakistan cricketers were starving to play. The process of persuasion then began, as the Pakistan Cricket Board left no stones unturned to convince countries to tour the country. Their eyes turned towards India, citing terrorism as a common issue and something that prevailed everywhere; PCB said that it cannot be used as an excuse for not touring a country.India then agreed for a small series with the neighbours. Just when it seemed that things had fallen in place, the disastrous 26/11 attacks struck Mumbai. Around 10 Pakistani terrorists went on a shooting spree down the streets of Mumbai and later forced their way into the three most well known buildings of the city - the Nariman House, the Taj Hotel and the Oberoi Hotel, where they held hostages for over two days. The Indian government strongly condemned the Pakistani involvement and ruled that India would play no series with the neighbours until the ‘other’ government did enough to punish the guilty and uproot terrorism. BCCI cancelled its tour to Pakistan…Later, it also barred all the Pakistani players from its cash-rich IPL - another blow to Pakistan Cricket! After a lot of persuasion, Sri Lanka decided to fill in the void. Happy again, Pakistan started off with the Test series under high-security measures. The first Test completed peacefully. What lay ahead was something which nobody, even in their distant dream, would have thought of. A group of gunmen targeted Sri Lankan team’s bus in Lahore with bullets, rockets and grenades as they travelled to the stadium for a match against Pakistan on March 3. The whole cricket fraternity shunned Pakistan after that fateful day - the day which was termed as the black day in the history of cricket… Already the nation was devoid of cricket, and the attack shattered its image even more. The ICC declared Pakistan as a highly volatile country. The rest of the tournament was forfeited. Another punch right across the face...! Things worsened further still when Taliban slowly but surely gained momentum in several areas of Pakistan. Without playing the IPL, the Pakistan Cricket team stepped into the T20 World Cup, in England; their only fresh experience of cricket being the UAE series against Australia. Being the underdogs, nobody even noticed or acknowledged the fact that even Pakistan could go ahead to win the prestigious title. And the rest, as they say, is history! Crushing teams like South Africa and New Zealand, Pakistan jumped into the finals against Sri Lanka, where too, its determination to win and beat all odds prevailed. With 8 wickets victory over the Lankans, Pakistan finally came out of the dark to win the T20 World Championship trophy. Despite all odds… despite all adversities… they did not let go their hope… they did not quit dreaming…they never let love depart from their lives… And now they stand in front of you and me, the Champions… the Victors… the Vanquishers…