The team truly deserves a round of applause for making it so far
KARACHI: Saturday’s match between Afghanistan and Pakistan was an emotional rollercoaster, as our team finished the match with a nail-biting victory. Supporters of the Green Shirts lost confidence in the team half way through the second innings, as the Afghan spin-bowlers were able to restrict our run rate to a minimum. They were able to use this strategy for a good three to four overs, before our batsmen regained their confidence. Despite the visible change, one could not celebrate a premature victory for Pakistan, as one really needed to see it to believe we had won the match.
This mix of thrill and anticipation was mostly because of the fight the Afghan side put up. As the newcomers in the tournament, no one had expected them to put up as strong a defence as they did in their last few matches, particularly against Pakistan. The team truly deserves a round of applause for making it so far, and improving with every game. What was unfortunate though, was the politicisation of this match. Pakistani fans were calling the Afghan team the most distasteful names on social media, even prior to the start of the match. Afghan fans could not contain their emotions and kept engaging in brawls with the Pakistani fans at the venue of the match. It is sad to see the people of two brotherly nations and not respecting both the teams, as the Gentleman’s Game demands.
Farhat Kazi
Published in The Express Tribune, July 2nd, 2019.
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