A series win at last

Hard to be Pakistan cricket fan that Test series win against struggling NZ will be seen as first sign of resurgence.

Pakistani cricket fans are used to dark days, so we can be forgiven for thinking that an entire generation of supporters would grow up without having the chance to experience the thrill of a Test series win. After all, this is a team that hadn’t won a series since 2006-7. In that time, we have been through the cessation of all cricket at home, thanks to a terrorist attack on the visiting Sri Lankan team, had the typical revolving door of captains and seen superstars suspended from the game, awaiting possible life bans. It’s so hard being a Pakistan cricket fan that even a Test series win against a struggling New Zealand team will be seen as the first sign of a resurgence.

Without ever dominating the Kiwi attack, our batsmen were able to grind out competitive scores. Our forte, the sudden and inexplicable collapse, was mostly averted. Our only bowler with significant experience was Umar Gul, yet everyone was able to chip in with penetrating spells. Let’s not forget that captain Misbahul Haq, himself the most consistent batsman on either side, is building a new team. Only one player has survived from the last time we played New Zealand, just over a year ago. This is a significant achievement.

But we shouldn’t get carried away either. Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, the three cricketers accused of spot fixing, will soon face their day of reckoning. The rocks around which our batting revolves, Younus Khan and Misbahul Haq, are at the fag ends of their career. And New Zealand themselves are in crisis, having not won a single Test series since 2008. One Day International cricket is a different beast to Tests, and when the World Cup commences in a month’s time we will have a better clue as to whether this is a renaissance or just a false dawn. Until then, we should savour this rare victory and look to the future with guarded optimism.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 21^st,  2011.