Is Ramiz Raja making excuses or does he have a valid case?
Former Pakistani player and sports analyst, Ramiz Raja said that although Shahid Afridi was unsuccessful in winning the World Cup, he was successful in uniting the nation for 30 days.
With the dust from the semifinal now settled a more clear headed analysis of what the Pakistani team actually achieved that day in Mohali can be conducted. The streets in both countries were painted either http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 emerged victors and booked their place in the finals and Pakistan packed their bags and booked their tickets for home.
What was interesting was how the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482, the captain’s of the two sides had tried to play down the hype surrounding the monumental tie, but none could deny what it meant for their respective nations.
In a match where the losing side is on the receiving end of an entire nation’s condemnation, the Pakistani nation’s reaction to the loss was quite the opposite. Its citizens did not go out and riot, nor did they call for the heads of the players, but rather they were grateful to the side for giving them a month of harmony and peace.
The Pakistani team’s performances had brought the entire nation together and received nothing but praise for it, even from the likes of Imran Khan and Ramiz Raja.
There is no questioning the fact that the feeling among the Pakistani masses was genuine, but could it have been a way out of the usual shame it ought to have brought? Because in the end if one looks at it objectively, it was a cricket match with the victor being decided on the field and on the pitch Pakistan lost.
India had beaten their arch rivals on Indian soil in front of an Indian crowd. The Pakistani Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gillani, flew all the way from Pakistan to watch his side lose. All over Pakistan, screens had been put up to show the public their side losing to their neighbours.
With above mentioned points, one could only assume that Ramiz Raja is making excuses for his side. Yet if cricket was all about which team won and which team lost, it would be a game without any soul or passion. Cricket is much more than just what goes down in history or on paper. It is an emotion that the masses can share, a feeling that everyone involved can relate to.
In that sense the Pakistani team can keep their heads held high. No one had given them a chance in the tournament and with experts very hesitant on adding the ‘favorites’ tag to the Men in Green. Yet with their performances they earned that right and with it the respect of their fans.
In the end Shahid Afridi and his men gave their nation a month of respite from the political and security situation in their country and united the people of Pakistan into one entity. Though they may have lost the semi-final, they won the respect and love of their people and that is why Pakistan won that day. Not on the field but in the hearts of fans, because that is where cricket matches are truly won or lost and that is the point Ramiz Raja was trying to make.
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