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!
If we can not score 261 runs against this Indian attack on any pitch we do not deserve to be World Champions.
Well Played India -worthy winners!
I was also in Gaddafi Stadium on 4th Nov 87 . Should never have lost that one or this one in 2011.
Time to reflect on our conduct as people throughout the world cup. Barring the TV Channels I feel average person took it in its stride, much to the dismay of the trash channels on both sides. People had a good feast of class cricket.
Now the game.Kamran started it,then Hafeez and others.This is due to coaching defeciencies and lack of personal discipline. Can some one solve the Misbah puzzle? Why could’nt he see what every one saw?And what was Razak doing in this team?5 overs from Shoaib could have been better than Razak.
Overall the conduct of both teams during the game was admirable.Umpire Gould needs to change his glasses forthwith. Waqar Younis needs to take coaching classes and Gul needs to go to a rehablitation centre for a short course.Afridi should learn to stay away from press and keep players away too.And finally ministers should not pollute the game of cricket too.
I really feel that Pakistan played very well leaving to its fielding. the catches they dropped cost them the match. But , that is cricket. There is nothing lose heart any way. Both the teams are good and any one had to win. I wish More and more matches should be played. Final word…. As an Indian I feel we are not complete without Pakistan. They are our brother. Hope someday we will be united all again and play as one team against Australia and England. My love to all my brothers and sisters in Pakistan.
Time for rebuilding:
1) Kamran Akmal ki chutti is call of the hour; he cannot be the keeper of even a lowly county side.
2) Yunus is not a limited overs player, just like Kaneria or Dravid.
3) Afridi is too manic to be captain and his field settings and bowler rotation almost always leave something to be desired. Pakistani captains have historically led by scoring. Imran had a test batting average of 50 from mid-80s till WC92.
4) Tendulkar’s greatest achievement is not century of centuries, but temperament. He’s no great match-winner and his batting average in both tests and ODIs is quite comparable to that of several of his peers such as Ponting, Kallis, and Dravid, not to mention Inzamam. Tendulkar and Lara were mentioned when Umar Akmal first scored a 50 in Australia, but it’s clear that until he can get his psychology sorted, he’ll remain a permanent could have been. He too needs a break from high pressure top level cricket and good coaching in the mental department, something that Mike Tyson could have benefited from also.
Even after the spot-fixing controversies, not being able to play at home, PCB-player fights, and other insanity, it’s quite something that they made it to the final 4, in style. And even today, on a pitch clearly favoring India, against a very strong batting line-up, the bowlers gave it their all, and did quite well to limit India — had it not been for the fielding, we would have won.
But, I think the team deserves our support and appreciation; they put up a great fight, which in the end is all a fan can hope for.