Triumph At Last!!!

They say cricket is the great equalizer, when Misbah Ul Haq made that behind the wicket paddle mistake at the cusp of a legendary victory in the 20 20 world cup some time ago Pakistani hearts sank as India raises their arms in victory.

It is often said that the cross border rivalry is all but faint now, that the virtual war that were India Vs Pak cricket matches are all but a faint roar in the history of the two teams. Yet why is it time and time again that when these two face off, fear is etched onto the players faces, this is not the nervousness of the game at hand but the fear of defeat at each others hands and having to face the baying crowds back home.

At the onset of this tournament India with players fresh of the resounding success that was the IPL 20 20 cup spanked Pakistan to a 140 run loss. Pakistan was coming off a 12 match winning streak against minnows like Zim and Bangladesh (no offense) and felt the sting go out of its tail resoundingly with this loss to India. In the days that followed a vehement email from the PCB chief Naseem Ashraf made it to the local press and the days of the Aussie Coach Lawson and Malik’s optimism seemed numbered.

Limping along Pakistan made it to the final and today they proved once again that it is pure folly to count them out as a team on any given day. Without Asif or Shoaib Akhter and with faces looking like a man against a firing squad they entered this game and swooped away the Tri Nations cup from under India’s nose. It started as if this was the 90’s and Pakistan were building up to a tail end blast off with Miandad in the middle order, slowly they inched along at around 3 runs and over till the middle overs came around and then Salman Butt and Younis Khan opened up a great big can off whup ass on the Indian bowling attack. Chawla with 4 wickets in the last time they faced off went for the worst ever figures by an Indian bowler in ODIs and when they ended the onslaught at 315 for 3 with both having made tons the writing was pretty much on the wall.

India never looked like they could make it! With this big a total to defend Umar gul, Tanveer and Co went at em like a pack of rabid dogs. Only when Yuvraj and Yusuf Pathan were on the crease that too as a result of some shocking LBW lett offs on Afridis bowling did India seem to be in play. The rest of the day Pakistan spent keeping them on a tight leash and tightening it as the game drew to a close. Umar Gul proved to the selectors hopefully for the last time that him and Sohail Tanveer are enough, let the bad boys rot in jail, we have won a trophy after five years and tonight is ours!!!!!!