Let the magic begin

In recent times we here in Pakistan have been totally starved of cricket cause quite simply no one has the nads to come here. Thus when Sri Lanka decided to show up we all went into over drive, fans, team, management you name it. Our reaction can be best described as a glass of cold water in the hands of a thirsty desert dweller.

We played the first ODI in Karachi and god did we thump them well, everything was right we had not played for 6 months but we could still play cricket, we could beat Sri Lanka we could read Mendis. Most of us Pak fans went to sleep with light hearts that night and then came the next day.

Its not that we fell short of the target of 300 plus set to us, its as if something inside the team imploded. I do not know what happened but this match and the next match was even further proof that something was horribly wrong. I think the hosts thought they had one up on the visitors but the visitors adopted and blew us the hosts out of the water, but that’s a personal opinion. Fact is  the final in Lahore was even worse, the Pak batting lineup trembled and collapsed in one big quivering mass before the Lankan onslaught and it is at this precise moment that we all went nuts.

So how does Pakistan go nuts over its cricket? Here is how, we call senate hearings and crucify players, we ask for detailed reports from captains explaining the loss and then blast them out of their seats dismissing them totally. As of now Yunis khan, yes the same Yunis (I am not a dummy captain) has accepted Captaincy of both the Pakistan Test and ODI team while Shoaib Malik gets to say ” i stepped down in the interest of whatever”

I do not have a problem with players being held accountable for their responsibilities. However how can we ever explain what we as a nation and organization (PCB) just did to Shoaib Malik. We shafted him plain and simple, we made him a scape goat cause in the last match he stayed at the NCA and not the team hotel, we cut his head off and exhibited it to all because he gave the seniors no respect.

Odd culture we have, the Captain the man in charge is supposed to go around brown nosing seniors who have egos the side of everest and act like preening divas when they cannot even bowl their quota of overs. Then we have a PCB which is hemorrhaging money but still manages to choose the brightest individuals as their saviors.

Below is a quote which explains our position well both as a cricketing nation and as a people.

“We have not sacked him but relieved him from the captaincy” Ijaz Butt (Chairman PCB)

He was talking about Younus Khan replacing Shoaib Malik as Pakistan captaincy.

Here is another quote which should set the tone for what fans should expect in the near future.

“I will try and fix things that aren’t right at the moment,” Younis said. “But the boys will all have to get together and wave their magic wands. I can’t just wave it by myself”