KARACHI:
Pakistan cricket team’s wins against India and New Zealand set a great example of collective effort, teamwork and humility. On the other hand, poor performances by India and New Zealand during the first couple of matches present the impact of arrogance, overconfidence and high headedness.
There are several lessons to learn from this T20 World Cup, where the first two historic victories of the Green Shirts brought joy to the faces of 22 million Pakistanis suffering from inflation and infused the entire nation with pride and renewed patriotism. During the selection process, the selectors should remain neutral and prioritise merit instead of favourites because this will contribute to the morale and devotion of the team. The team should be encouraged to function cooperatively; there must be no competition to outdo one another within the team. All the focus should be on succeeding against other teams through collective effort.
This time, it is clear from just the body language of the Green Shirts that they are a product of pure talent and there is no pressure on them to play favourites. The captain had full confidence in his team, and he was not pressurised to include any favourites in the team. Despite the earlier debacle with New Zealand, followed by England’s refusal to play in Pakistan, the team’s spirits were not lowered. If anything, Pakistan has put out its best performance thus far. As our national hero, Shoaib Akhtar befittingly remarked to Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh that “[Indians] have come here on the strength of money. We have come here after working hard, the decision will be in the field.” Pakistan’s performance is a reminder to all the teams that ultimately it is the skill and hard work that pay off.
Saddam, Babar Solangi
Islamabad
Published in The Express Tribune, November 6th, 2021.
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