Pakistan Cricket: Where have all the patriotic songs gone?
There was a time when the Pakistan cricket team was considered one of the top three teams of the world and was a very dangerous side to play against due to their strong bowling attack and brilliant batting order. Those days of
glory for the Pakistan cricket team were further boosted by the added support they got from the patriotic songs made specifically to increase the morale of the players.
The song “Jazba-e-junoon” by the band Junoon, for instance, was released in 1996 and it paid tribute to the Pakistan cricket team. It became an instant hit among the music enthusiasts and cricket lovers. The song gained immense
popularity among the Pakistani audience and became the signature song of the 1996 Cricket World Cup. It was also dubbed as the national song of the country.
In the same year, Saleem Javed also released a World Cup song called “Phir aya yeh world cup” (“Here comes the world cup”). This song describes the happiness that the World Cup brings for Pakistan, as it not only unites
Pakistanis, but also shows the best of Pakistani cricket.
Similarly, “Hai koi hum jaisa” (“Is there anyone like us?”) was the World Cup song released by Strings in 2003, which was a light and jovial video describing the electrifying and festive atmosphere that pervades in the
country during a World Cup. It also praises the Pakistani cricket team and claims it’s one of the best teams around.
There was a motivation for Pakistani pop artists to indulge in producing songs for the national cricket team; first of all, the game had by then gained immense popularity in the sub-continent. Secondly, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 had a very strong
and competitive team. With the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 in the side, Pakistan was ranked in the top five cricket teams of the world.
Therefore, it was a safe bet for Pakistani pop artists to invest in songs on the Pakistan cricket team as the songs and videos would be an instant hit among the vast cricket loving audience.
Sadly, there has been a seven year drought of cricket songs. The last song and video was “Hai koi hum Jaisa” released by Strings in 2003. It was one of the last few patriotic songs made for the Pakistan cricket team.
The irony of it all is that this is the time when the cricket team of Pakistan needs support from their fans and their country. Marred with match-fixing and spot-fixing scandals as well as a losing streak, the team definitely needs
a morale booster.
The Pakistan cricket team is extremely vulnerable at this point in time due to its weak batting, shaky bowling and poor fielding, and to make matters worse the losing streak against England in the on-going tour is demoralizing
them further.
They are also a very young and inexperienced side; there are some players that are making their international debuts, while others are playing their first few international matches. Azhar Ali, Wahab Riaz, Umar Amin, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahzaib-Hasan-c2488,
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/A-Young-c41367 side requires immense support from its country, especially when facing a horrendous losing streak.
Along with being a younger side, the Pakistani cricket team has also become a weak side, especially after its best bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif got suspended, hence forming a huge void in the bowling attack. Similarly,
the batting line-up has been very fragile as well, as most of the batsmen are either out of form or lack experience.
Since the whole spot-fixing scandal broke, cricket fans have been hurt and disheartened, and many of them have even lost interest in watching cricket matches.
Consequently, this is the time when a heart-felt, passionate song, full of nationalistic fervour and patriotism could lift the spirits of the cricketers and the cricket fans, uniting them on one front – love for cricket.
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