Match Mubarak, India. Thank You, Pakistan.

Posted on March 31, 2011
Filed Under >Adil Najam, Foreign Relations, Sports
93 Comments
Total Views: 87922

Adil Najam

How do I feel today with Pakistan having lost to India in the Semi-Final of the 2011 Cricket World Cup?

I feel exactly as I did on November 4, 1987. I was at the Ghaddafi Stadium in Lahore, as a sports reporter for the newspaper The Muslim, covering the Semi-Final match between Pakistan and Australia in the 1987 World Cup. Pakistan was the clear favorites. Pakistan lost.

How did that feel? Pretty much as today feels. It felt like this:

But as a reader wrote on my earlier post, I am sad, but not angry. Nor am I ashamed or dejected. In an odd sort of way, I am fulfilled. We tried our best.

Today was not our best day; but frankly it was not our worst day either. There have been many days in recent weeks and months when I was ashamed of what was being done in my name. Today was not one of those days. Today, I took many blows, but I stand tall. Today, I wait for tomorrow. Because, tomorrow is another day.

Congratulations, Team India on a well-earned victory.

Thank you, Team Pakistan, for a month full of thrills and chills and making us come together as a country again. Your fielding was rather pathetic, but you have made us proud nonetheless!

93 responses to “Match Mubarak, India. Thank You, Pakistan.”

  1. Human says:

    Is cricket the core issue of the sub-continent? Currently Indians are united against corruption and are forcing government for a law which will punish corrupt polictical leaders and govenment servants. Pakistan will greatly benefit by a similar law. She has to bring back all its money stashed in swiss banks and other places so that pakistanis can be helped with health, sanitation, housing and security. India too needs to spend on such welfare activities. We are just focussing on criket when the people of the sub-continent lack access to food, water, sanitation, housing, health care and education. Brothers please help each other.

  2. Sultan says:

    Onwards now. One thing is proved, one of best investments we can is to improve our cricket. nothing brings country together like this does

  3. Tariq says:

    I am glad for Pakistan’s performance but this time India was teh better team. So they deserved to win. Thats OK , oits just a game.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*