Cricket Challenge
By Mowahid Hussain Shah

The PSL 2017 final reconfirmed how big cricket is in Pakistan, revealing the depth to which cricket is embedded in the mass psyche. Cricket has become a transcendental force, reflecting the expression of national sentiments that bring people together. Thus, it is important that the malaise that infests Pakistan cricket be rolled back.
Still waters are prone to stagnation. An arguably regressive step is having Misbah, at 43, skipper in Windies, where a Test series win has eluded Pakistan for 60 years, since its first tour there in 1957-58 (similar, too, are the results in Australia and South Africa.) A youthful slot is blocked. It follows the inclusion of recycled players. Fresh medicine is the need of the hour.
There needs to be a fact check. Pakistan has lost 6 consecutive Tests under the existing order. The 2017 tour of New Zealand and Australia was an unmitigated disaster. Former Australian captain Ian Chappell even questioned the utility of inviting Pakistan to Australia, given the substandard one-sided display. But subcontinental society has never lost its knack for rewarding failure. T20 hallagulla, with all its flash and dazzle, is no substitute for substance and concrete follow-up.
Test cricket is the ultimate arbiter of quality. Examine how cricketing fortunes have slipped precipitously since that magical afternoon of August 14, 2016 at the Oval, when Pakistan surged to number 1 in Test rankings.
25 years after the World Cup win, Pakistan has yet to qualify to play in the next World Cup. It just barely squeezed a berth in the 2017 Champions Trophy in England. Four-time World Cup winner Pakistan can’t even qualify now for the hockey World Cup.
PSL has unveiled hidden young talent, evidenced through Pakistan’s T20 win in the Caribbean. But that doesn’t justify it being a smokescreen to mask critical scrutiny elsewhere. The lure at the venue is there to tempt and suborn players into shortcut money traps – and it has.
A recent assessment ranked Pakistan’s remarkable win at the Oval in 1954 against England – then the world’s mightiest side – amongst the greatest upsets ever. Nobody gave Pakistan’s team a chance. Yet, spearheaded by indomitable Fazal Mahmood, it confounded all pundits. Then, there was the will to fight it out and not to quit despite formidable odds. Emoluments were not a motivating factor. Passion to perform for Pakistan was.
Across the border, neighboring Afghanistan is leaving an inspiring imprint. Strife-torn for 40 years, it has managed to produce a team fit to compete with the best, and now has set its aim high by incessantly knocking at the doors of Test cricket. In doing so, it has set a splendid example of dauntless grit and valor. Bangladesh, too, is outgrowing its minnow status.
Cricket is an arena that gives Pakistan a major international presence. It evokes vast following from all classes and social strata. Improved performance here can help mobilize national self-esteem and negate despair. Its incidental benefits can indirectly contain hate, infuse team ethic, and foster fairness, which can have a broader healing impact. Ample scope and space are there to seize morale-building challenges.