Well played, Pakistan

There are still other foes to conquer for this Pakistan cricket team. Right now it’s time to celebrate our resurgence.

Whoever is responsible for scripting the journey the Pakistan cricket team has taken over the last 18 months has a delicious sense of irony. Just a year-and-a-half back, Pakistan reached its lowest ebb after three of its cricketers were caught in a corruption scandal in England. It is only fitting that our redemption should come thanks to a 3-0 whitewash of the England team. Since the spot-fixing scandal Pakistan has yet to lose a Test series, starting off with some nervy draws before gradually gaining in confidence. Team Misbah has now handed a decisive defeat to the number one ranked Test side in the world, as comprehensive a rebuke to the doubters as could be imagined.

The best thing about this series victory is that, in a manner that is almost un-Pakistani in its unity, it cannot be attributed to any one individual. Going in, we knew that Saeed Ajmal would be the key to victory — and he was — but Abdur Rehman nearly stole the show, Umar Gul was the best fast bowler on display from either side, Younus Khan showed he is still a dependable batsman while Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq enhanced their reputations. Misbah, so reviled at home for his obdurate and slow batting, finally won over his doubters with his cool head when the chips were down. When the pressure was on, as it was on the last day of the second Test, it was England who crumbled. Yes, our fielding was still shoddy but that merely added a tone of familiarity to a performance that one would never associate with Pakistan.

There are still other foes to conquer for this Pakistan cricket team. We haven’t played India for a few years, and given their current woes, there may be no better time for a win. Ideally, Pakistan will also be rewarded for its perseverance in the face of adversity with the resumption of international cricket at home. An entire generation of Pakistani cricketers is missing out on the experience of playing in front of their home crowds. But that is a thought for another day. Right now it’s time to celebrate our remarkable resurgence.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2012.