Cricket - a tale of donkeys, movie stars and spot-fixing
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 is a nation passionate about cricket. We are a nation that lives on cricket. It could easily pass as the national sport of the country, with everyone from uncles to doctors, to college students to kids, playing this sport whenever they get an opportunity to do so. Being a cricket loving nation by nature, we invariably end up having high hopes from the national cricket team.
Nevertheless, Pakistani cricket fans have had to endure a lot of heartbreak at the hands of the national team. Despite getting defeated in a World Cup final in 1999 and 2007, cricket in Pakistan was going strong. Apart from minor upsets, cricket was not headed for a path to destruction. However, the past few years has lead to the total annihilation of Pakistan cricket. Following the attacks on the Sri Lankan cricket team who were stranded in one of the cross roads in Lahore following a terrorist attack on their convoy, cricket has completely come to a standstill in Pakistan.
Since http://www.senore.com/Cricket/March-c74391 2009, not a single international match had been played in the country. Cricket fans managed to refrain from expressing their anger and grief in public. However, reactions from cricket fans were completely different. Angry protesters, in a mood to keep mum about the spot-fixing scandal that has caught the news by storm, took to the streets of Pakistan. Seven donkeys in a row with name plates of Pakistani players inscribed on them were paraded through the streets of Lahore, where angry protesters hurled rotten eggs and tomatoes on the poor souls. The fans could not settle for anything less to express their reaction against the match-fixing imbroglio at Lords.
Being a cricket starved nation, they certainly expect for their national cricket team to not consistently test their patience, for that would most certainly elicit an ugly reaction from Pakistan audiences. Unfortunately, the cricket team and the Pakistan Cricket Board have been consistently doing just that – constantly pushing the Pakistani cricket fan to the very edge of sanity.
While fans are out there protesting, expressing anger at the spot-fixing allegations that have tarnished the image of Pakistan cricket even more, the celebrities see this as an opportunity to come into the limelight, and cash in on the issue. With Mohammad Asif’s ex-girlfriend coming forward in what could be termed as a spectacular interview to a local TV channel, Veena Malik confided in the host that Asif has been involved in match-fixing in the past as well claiming that she had proof to validate her accusations.
Veena Malik is a talented young actress who has had an acrimonious break up with Mohammad Asif, not so long ago which resulted in a lot of media hype and controversy. What the average man fails to understand the reason as to why Miss Malik refrained to inform cricketing fan’s about these details earlier, and gone to court against Asif for being a cheat. While http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ijaz-Butt-c64128 sits on his throne not knowing what to do, now that he finds himself cornered from all angles, and the movie stars see this as an opportunity to gain media coverage, the average Pakistani fan suffers.
Former skipper Imran http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Khan-c71319, who led the side to the 1992 World Cup win, has called for exemplary punishments to be handed out to the players if they are found to be involved in match fixing.
“If these allegations are proved true, then probably this is the biggest blow to Pakistani cricket," Khan said, believing that the contests must continue even if some of the Pakistani players are guilty.
"Why should the cricket fans suffer? If the players are found guilty they should be replaced by others," he said.
Rameez Raja, former Pakistan test player has said that he feared for the future of Pakistan cricket after several players were accused of having links to match-fixers. "I'm totally speechless. It's a devastating issue for Pakistan cricket," Rameez lamented.
The outcome of the scandal is beyond our psychic abilities. But one thing we do know, the poor donkeys are at the receiving end of rotten eggs and tomatoes, while those responsible for the mess sit on their thrones and conveniently refuse to resign despite ruining Pakistan cricket.
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