Lords on a sunlit Twenty20 finals Sunday is hard to beat for character, atmosphere and history – even if the history is almost brand new, comes in a throw away package and is consumed quicker than an Umer Gul yorker hits the bottom of middle. That’s the ‘new’ form of cricket at least.
‘New’ to the international stage but played on Village Greens and Council grounds for decades.
Australia may have departed the tournament early but the locals (mostly Indians from Ealing, Sri Lankans from Peckham and Pakistanis from Huddersfield) couldn’t give a flying samosa.
The England team, fans and press thought they had stolen a psychological march for the Ashes but the home team’s subsequent consignment to the ‘also-rans’ bin soon dampened that train of thought.
My old team Pakistan, and still very close to the heart, took on the undefeated Sri Lankans coached by long time team mate former Blues batsmen Trevor Bayliss, with Lankan Lions clearly the favourite with the bookmakers.
Naturally I had seen Pakistan as a major chance of going one better than 2007 from the beginning, I was a lone voice among so many pundits and public who see that part of the ‘troubled world’ as a geo-political-sporting wilderness.
They simply don’t understand that cricket permeates the culture and lifestyle of just about everybody on a daily basis, not just with the big time of international and IPL style fixtures. The grain of the game is deeper in Pakistan than India, although the woods are both heavy (with willow I presume).
Sri Lanka had widespread sentiment on their side following the Lahore attack 110 days previously. An attack seen as preventable, and only partially successful because of the inadequate security provided by the Pakistan authorities and the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Even the match officials including referee Chris Broad, who had been so critical of the organisation at the time, were given the final to adjudicate.
The press corps sided with the those forcefully confronted by the horror of terrorists bearing arms with intent. It was understandable, but the players and officials from Pakistan had lived with such threats (unrealised until that day) for many years, and they’ll do so for sometime into the future.
Younus Khan’s hometown borders on the volatile Swat Valley. Umar Gul’s family live in Peshawar, the focal point of much of the recent bombings and violence, Shaid Afridi was born near the Khyber Pass and still has many relatives in the Khyber Agency. It is not easy to pursue a high profile, high pressure vocation when the family could be among the next victims of random terror.
Still, they played with verve and flair that is the trademark of wristy, risky sub-continental players. They also held their nerve after early games were lost and the critics sprang up like clowns at the circus. In the end, Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by eight wickets to win the World Twenty20 tournament.
OK, it was only a cricket game, and a short version at that, but you can be assured that the millions, nay tens of millions watching and listening in ‘the troubled homeland’ would have their spirits lifted considerably by the efforts of their countryman at the home of cricket.
The Ashes can start now, after I’ve had an orange juice with my muslim mates to celebrate the world title.
Stradlater
Guest
What a complete bore is 20/20 cricket. Just ridiculus. I hadnt watched a game of cricket in a year as I live OS but tuned into the last half hour. I still follow cricket news and results closely online. What a waste of time. If you guys think that that rubbish is even newsworthy then good on you for supporting cricket. keep it up but if the public has only the attention span to watch 20/20 then the attention to it wont span for long. Also, they are having a laugh if they think that the sri lankan bowler malinger is "bowling" a cricket ball. Every other "bowler" was getting hit for 8 to 10 an over while he hurtled them down from knee height and had 2 overs for 4 or something. Ridiculus.
Ian Noble
Guest
Well done to the Pakistanis and what a tournament, plenty of surprises and a great success. It looks as though the Pakistanis want to hold a Test series in England. If it was against the Indians it would be a real treat for all cricket lovers and would be well supported. I know Younis Khan made a plea for countries to visit Pakistan but I can't see that happening in the foreseeable future. By the way I enjoyed your summaries on TMS presumably you are staying on for the Ashes?
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Waqas It is unfortunate you take exception to my comments. Firstly if you care to read the two articles "Pakistan,s Magnificent twenty/20" and "Dream Final" you will appreciate that I am actually praising Pakistan Cricket. I said in the article "It speaks volumes for Pakistan' Cricket that the last over was entrusted to a 17 year old." I also said Pakistan "needs all the succor it can get" Here I am praising Pakistani's and you choose to damn me. And for your edification I was being helpful in saying Younus would have been comfortable with an interpreter. Many Indians like Virender Sehwag dont mind being interviewed in Hindi. It is also common in Europe for players like Nadal to be interviewed in Spanish and have an interpreter at hand. My remarks were directed at Geoff lawson as he had raised the geo political issue. And as you would realise it is a complex issue. As neighbours we share many similarities but we also have legitimate concerns as do the rest of the world community. I also stated that "cricket can heal many wounds" So with due respect I suggest you read the two articles I wrote on the weekend and hopefully you will see that i am mostly on your side. In fact I also said the result of the final is irrelevant in the greater scheme of things as Sri lanka,too did not deserve to lose. They were undefeated till the final.
Waqas Ahmad
Guest
Hats off for Geof for saying what he believes in and hats off for Mr. Vinay as well for making it sound like a remark with such deep Political / Geo-Political implications wrapped with even deeper self-centered intentions. We are going through a tough time as a nation and we expect the rest of the world to at least understand that, if not support it and thats exactly what Geof tried to say before being 'interpretted' (though we understand that our neighbours wouldn't understand ....... ;)). Everyone, be it an individual or a nation, has its weaknesses & strengths. It is always ethical to praise others' strengths while trying to overcome one's weaknesses and not to raise other's weaknesses while boasting about one's strengths (and that too all the time). Therefore, focussing on Dhoni's aerrogant dictatorship causing India's downfall instead of being worried about Younis' linguistic skills may be a little more beneficial. Cheers ......
SH
Guest
Jeff, It's unfortunate that you were with the team in such "political" and fluid times, where our cricketing establishment could not use your skills and temperament to better our lot. Thank you so much for investing in our team and you'll always have lots of fans in Pakistan hoping you return to our team in better times. Good luck till then!
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Younus Khan's plea would resonate more if you could hear him speak in Urdu. Its time that Interpreters are made available so that guys like Younus can speak more comfortably. Then maybe we would not get the cliched answers that are so empty. Nasser Hussain could have been used to ask the question in Urdu and then translate it for the audience. Its common practice with soccer and tennis in Europe and these are the little areas where cricket can be more professional.
Brett McKay
Expert
I thought Younis Khan's plea to countries to resume touring was poignant. I'm sure his playing colleagues around the globe would love to answer the call, but I fear their Governments will maintain the distance for the immediate future. And maybe that's what makes Pakistan's win all the sweeter.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Hi Henry, As I watched Pakistan marching towards a well-deserved victory last night, I remembered our chat at the SCG in January when you said Pakistani cricketers have talent and a positive attitude. You should take a bow. In many ways, you are responsible for their golden hour.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Geoff Lawson's lone voice in the willows just got lonlier. He says "The grain of the game is deeper in Pakistan than India" That is his learned opinion from spending a brief time in charge of Pakistan. And presumably he harbours hopes of returning as coach. He is doing an admirable job of public relations for Pakistan. Unfortunately the "geo politics" he refers to may be a tad complex for an optometrist with rose coloured contact lenses.