Wishing the ‘90s were back

Interestingly, when the preparations for the cricket World Cup 2015 were under way, the only thing associated with Pakistan was the glorious past which saw Imran Khan lift the coveted trophy at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1992. The current scenario and the condition of the team never put it in any real contention for the biggest prize in cricket, yet the common Pakistani wanted to relive the 1992 triumph and was hoping for a repeat of the campaign. However, as experience has taught us in more ways than one — history does not repeat itself.

Even with all Pakistanis wishing from the bottom of their hearts that somehow Team Pakistan might pull off a miracle, we all know that it is a long shot right now and it would be highly improbable that the current line-up does well in front of some formidable opponents. To rub more salt into our wounds, even the minnows are performing well. And although it is too early to make any judgment calls, one thing is certain: Pakistan really need to up their game; otherwise, they face a long, disgraceful trip back home.

It certainly would not be a feeling that Pakistanis have not gone through before — remember the 2007 World Cup — but it stings nonetheless and no one would want such a scenario to present itself in front of us. In more than one way, we all want the ‘90s to come back to Pakistan. It was an era in which we were on the rise in the world of cricket. It was an era where Pakistan not only lifted the trophy but went on to assemble a squad that was daunting against any opposition. However, just the way that era ended — losing to Australia in the final of the 1999 World Cup — the national team has since then been in decline and has not been able to bring itself to command the respect it did in the ‘90s.

I, for one, wish that the ‘90s were back — if not in the timeline then at least in spirit. The gentleman’s game has been decaying over the last decade, just like everything else in the country but as the saying goes “Darkness follows where there is no hope”. Hence, we must not give up hope and pray that beyond all our expectations, things start improving and that the Pakistan Cricket Board finds a solution to the problems that plague the country’s cricket.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2015.