Last ball of the match - six runs to win. After some seriously tense moments and a chat with Kapil Dev, Chetan Sharma runs in to bowl. Millions of hearts on either sides of the border skip a beat. An overpitched delivery is smashed to deep mid-wicket for a six and Pakistan wins the Asia Cup Final. They hardly seem to have relived that joy in recent times.
Cricket has always been a different kind of passion in Pakistan. With least infrastructure and no resources, it is raw skill that makes a cricketer in the troubled nation. Loss, especially to India, pains them. The existence of a military rule, the tough life and a crude and unforgiving mindset has troubled them no end and has prevented progress. Right from the time of partition, it has strived to be among the top cricketing nations and in some ways, has even been one up over India. Like us, they too play cricket on streets. It was this game which gave Pakistan a tiny bit of recognition, but the recent events, lately triggered by the 3/3 attacks, have threatened to remove the Islamic country even from the cricketing map.
The Mumbai attacks last November were an eye-opener - a revelation which confessed to us Pakistan's true nature. The rosy friendship promising to blossom a few years ago ( the 2004 series proving to be false joy) was an illusion. If there was no 26/11 Indian cricketers might have been attacked in Lahore, or worse, killed. If we believe the video clips of the Lahore attacks, terrorists seem to have a free licence. Is the government present there against terrorism at all?
We basked in the legacy left by the Imran Khans, Wasim Akrams and the Javed Miandads, and hope to witness their heirs. As we entertained ourselves with a cracker of a match at Christchurch today, as true cricket lovers we wish terrorism take a beating and atleast cricket - the most beautiful game in the world, is spared.
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