A loss can be a better teacher

Sometimes a tough loss can be a better teacher than a sloppy, untidy victory. After the dust settles, Pakistan will need to do some soul-searching on how to improve their fielding and batting. That was the difference between them and today’s two finalists, Sri Lanka and India. Despite the anti-climactic defeat to India in the semi-finals, Pakistan has many reasons to hold its head up high after an entertaining, inspiring and in the end, emotionally draining World Cup campaign. Wherever they played, Colombo, Dhaka or Mohali, the Pakistani team were great ambassadors and a powerful advert for the game.

Throughout the last five weeks, they played some magnificent cricket and Wednesday’s semi-final in Mohali was watched by a billion-plus people all around the world. This included the fans, both heads of state, their governments, oppositions, armies and even the paranoid security agencies. Although Pakistan came into the semi-final with great momentum, unfortunately, they made too many crucial errors in the field and didn’t bat well enough to be on the winning side. You can’t drop Sachin Tendulkar four times and hope to win against India. It’s a credit to Pakistan’s overall talent and tenacity that the margin of defeat was still only 29 runs.

While other higher ranked and more experienced teams like South Africa, Australia and England did not make it to the semi-finals, Pakistan topped their group and lost only two games.

But in both defeats, to New Zealand and India, it was their inconsistent fielding that let them down.

Had they held the relatively easy chances offered by Ross Taylor and Sachin Tendulkar, its likely that they would have had an unbeaten record and would be playing against Sri Lanka in today’s final in Mumbai.

Nevertheless it is these three: Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka, who have stood out as the most entertaining of all the World Cup teams with the best players on view.

We saw the great reigning champions Australia brought down from their unbeatable World Cup status by both Pakistan and India.

Sri Lanka’s overwhelming and one-sided win against England in their quarter-final showed the huge difference in class between the subcontinental players and the rest of the world. In home conditions, there is no comparison. Bangladesh, too, surprised everyone by winning a thrilling contest against England. Their first ever World Cup victory against the Poms.

Equally important was the enthusiasm and maturity of the Indian, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi crowds. Apart from a solitary incident involving a few disgruntled Bangladeshi fans after their loss to the West Indies, the crowd’s behaviour has been excellent. Thousands came out to cheer their sides and were rewarded by watching thrilling, close contests. They celebrated with songs, trumpets, dhol, drums, flag waving, fancy dresses, painted faces, outrageous wigs and ear-to-ear smiles. This World Cup has been a desi mega-mela and a resounding success for the organisers.

In Mohali, after the game, it was a powerful and touching World Cup moment when Afridi graciously thanked the Indian crowd and also apologised to his own nation for losing, in what must’ve been a very disappointing game for him and his team. In the process, he ended up winning millions of hearts all around the world and raised Pakistan’s international image and his team’s self-respect tenfold. It’s an achievement as important as being the leading bowler of the tournament.

Now, today, we wait for the final curtain to fall on World Cup 2011, dekhtain hain kaun baney ga cricket ka Jehangir?!

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd,  2011.