Adil Najam
UPDATE:
India won the TwentyTwenty final in a thriller, after setting Pakistan 158 to win and then bowling Pakistan out (with three balls to spare) for 152. IK Pathan from India was names Man of the Match for very tidy bowling (3/16 from 4 overs) while Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi was named Man of the Series.
ORIGINAL POST:
I have resisted writing about the Twenty20 Cricket Tournament in South Africa till now. But now I can resist no more. All is set for a thriller final game against India.
What more could one ask for… well, actually, one could ask for Pakistan’s TwentyTwenty winning streak to continue into the Final game against India in Johannesburg on Monday!
Pakistan is on a roll. And this is no fluke. The victories against Australia and Sri Lanka were brilliant and breezing past New Zealand in the semi-final today proved that this is not just a lucky streak.
The young team under a young captain and a new coach seems to have finally found its stride. And it is about time…
Much of our cricket coverage this last year has been depressing. Umpire controversies, a disastrous World Cup Exit, death of a coach, players misbehaving, and more. So, this good news is very welcome. It is all the more welcome because other news these days is much less than welcome.
India, too, has had a spectacular T20 tournament. In fact, the most memorable moments of the tournament till now were the 6 sixes in an over by Yuvraj against England.
That the game between India and Pakistan in the T20 tournament had ended in a tie will make the anticipation about the final even more nail-biting.
Neither team goes in as favorites. Both go in on a roll. Its should be one great game!
shahid, kindly don’t bring secularisn vs religionism debate in middle while we Pakistani muslims know well the condition of Indian Muslims in India and how they re treated. Take playground as a field of sport rather politics or worshiping. If pathan played for you then we have Kineria, a Hindu.
What Malik said was not to hurt anyone. This is the month of Ramadan and malik made comments by keeping the month in his mind because that was Ramadan in 1992 as well when Pak won the Worldcup.
Regarding gae, Dhoni’s captaincy really impressed me. Though most of his decision were hit and trial but the chap was lucky plus his team responded well.
I think Malik’s comments about Muslims were in bad taste and showed his lack of understanding. The minorities in Pakistan would be rightfully hurt by what he said.
Also, his assumption that Muslims around the world were praying for the Pakistan team is foolish to say the least. I am an Indian Muslim and I can’t even think of supporting any other team other than India.
Please don’t forget that Irfan Pathan, who was the chief architect of India’s victory, is a devout Muslim.
One look at the composition of the Indian team will make you realize the true secular ethos of India.
I think these are some things that Pakistan could learn from us.
I think Pakistani middle order got a bit nervous after they lost the openers quickly. The shots played by Younas, Malik and Afridi demonstrated that nerves had got a better of them. Misbah and Gul were brilliant and Sohail Tanvir was a real surprise package with his lusty blows of the bowling of Srisanth. All in all it was an excellant exhibition of spirited cricket where Misbah almost snatched the victory out of the jaws of the Indians but a slightest misjuedgement and we were deprived of what would have been a greatest moment for Pakistan after 1992. We should be proud of this youthful Pakistan side and hope they will find the missing final touches in the games to come. Go well Pakistan team!
We watched the match on a big screen in my office with nearly a crowd of 500 watching on & we had people applauding some fantastic deliveries when Pakistan were bowling.Both countries have true fans of the game who appreciate good cricket. I think finally over the years most of both countries (there are always exceptions) have finally learnt its the spirit of the game & the way our team played that matters.. not just the final result!
What a great game of cricket it was! The final could not have been better. India vs. Pakistan!
Both the teams had played superlative cricket to reach the finals. And they continued the trend on the big occasion too.
I think both the teams played well. One of them had to win, and the team was India!
As an Indian, I am proud of my team’s achievement. But Pakistanis need not feel dejected, as their team put up a great fight. Indeed, had it not been for Misbah’s fatal mistake and Rohit’s dropped catch that went for a six, the story might have been very different.
Both the teams have discovered some great young talent in this tournament, which bodes well for cricket in the sub-continent.
Congratulations to the Indian team for a well fought win in the championship game.
We’ll get you guys next time :-).
The game was not for faint-hearted. I got so supersitious that i switched off TV at the last over. And only when i heard crackers nearby street and sound of youths shouting on their race bikes, i realized that India had won the match.
But I loved the way Pakistan fought and gave us a real scare. Otherwise the match would have been sheer boring. And it was sad to see Misbah kneel on ground and not leaving for a while. I think he was fantastic and is my personal choice for best batsmen in the tour. But his selection of shot on the last delivery was weird though.
Anyways, it was a battle of Nerves.
In addition to that, i consider Shoaib Malik’s comment was really not in the spirit of game. A game is a game and it represents the aspirations of a nation not religion. Pakistan had christian players and one hindu player as well. Christians, Muslims and Sikhs play for other nations as well. So sport is a venue where a team represents as a nation as whole. What Shoaib Malik said also means that he thanked Irfan Pathan who got him out and Shahrukh Khan who couldnt hold his excitement and got off into ground to hug the players.
I think Shoiab Malik should learn a bit from Shahid Afridi.
Words fail me to describe how Umar Gul and Misbah won respect in an Indian multiplex theatre with capacity crowd wathcing this 20-20 final on big screen. In the begining every Indian fan was expecting sixers like earlier matches which never materialised. Then the agony of seeing Indian batsmen not being able to score good runs. Then grudging acknowledgment of good Pakistani bowling and finally, open words of appreciation for Umar Gul.
One particular person sitting in the row behind me started the match with high pitched “naarebazi” and by 12th over, he was won over by Gul’s bowling. “Man-na parega yaar, what good bowling” were his exact words. After that he kept praising every good ball from Gul. Misbah almost won the match and gave us collective heart attacks.
All I want to say, while it doesn’t feel good to lose a final, and that too against India, I hope Pakistan will honor its young players who won new respect for their country in cricketing world. They cleared the stigma of One Day WC. They brought new hope, and that too when there is so much internal politics and bickering in their team-management. Your team does not need Shoaib Akhtar. Players like Umar Gul are needed who bring glory to Pakistan with their game and their behavior.
There will be many more matches. Best of luck for all those matches.
One point which I felt was the undoing of Pakistani team: bringing religion into the game. Thanking Muslims all over the world? Thanking the Almihgty? I think The One has much more bigger things to attend to than helping Pakistan in a cricket match! Giving democracy to Pakistan might be on his agenda but not winning a 20-20 match:)