There are two Pakistan teams, not one. The one that sends chills of fear down our spine, played against India and West Indies— and earned nothing but broken hearts, humiliation, and anger all over the country. The second is one that first destroyed England’s image as the World Cup favourites; then multiplied the agony of South Africa (on losing trail); and then on the night of the 26th of June halted “the undefeated advance’ of New Zealand in a gritty style.
This third victory that arguably keeps the Semi Final hopes alive couldn’t but bring back the memories of the 1992 World Cup when New Zealand had an overawing run of victories till they faced Pakistan, first in the qualifying match, then in the Semi-Final.
I still remember the look of agony on the face of Martin Crowe—the New Zealand Captain when Inzamam was butchering the Kiwi attack. Williamson has a poker face, but the agony was unmistably visible.
Will history repeat itself? Will destiny emerge again to back Imran Khan’s team? In 1992 Imran Khan was just the Captain of Pakistan Eleven. In 2019, he is Pakistan’s Prime Minister.
In the end, let us stand up and applaud the team— three green shirters in special— Babar Azam, the rising super star— Haris Sohail, the frequently ignored rocklike batsman — and Shaheen Afridi, the emerging new-ball destroyer.
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