Cricket Fever
By Mowahid Hussain Shah

If you fail to prepare, be prepared to fail. So goes the adage. And it has proven correct, in the case of Pakistan’s team performance in the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Unwise selection, an imbalanced squad with too many past their expiry date, unfair omissions, along with the glaring over-compromised perception of impropriety of a chief selector selecting his own nephew, putting thereby unnecessary pressure on the player himself.
While cricket bridges the national divide, untapped thus far is its energy to heal rifts and to harness elements of national cohesion. It is the only game in town. And, yes, it is one field which gives Pakistan a presence on the global stage. And, also, one of the few remaining sources of national joy.
The last time this nation of 200 million plus won an Olympic medal was during the Barcelona Olympics of 1992, when the hockey team secured a bronze medal. Since then, the tally has been zero-plus-zero. Ditto, too, for squash, wherein Jahangir Khan during the 1980’s won 555 games in a stretch – a feat unrivalled in the annals of sports. Noted New Zealand commentator Ian Smith said that one of his proudest moments was to meet Jahangir Khan in person. Jahangir’s great rival, Jansher Khan, was his equal as a worthy champion.
It was presumed that Pakistan’s World Cup triumph in 1992 would lead to a resurgence and renaissance of cricket. Instead, the corruptive influx of quick cash smeared the game. Cricket today serves as a metaphor for larger socio-political misdoings and misgovernance, which stalks the land.
More strenuous effort is required to improve infrastructure and incentives, particularly in Baluchistan and Sindh, to infuse a sense of inclusivity, as it could be a medium for national integration. There is an abiding sense of being left out. That could be partially met if players of caliber from remote regions start trickling into the national side, which then would be a bit more representative of what the country looks like.
It is harder to compartmentalize cricket, which has been infested with vested interests that have little to do with the uplift of cricket. Here, there are two key hurdles: invasive shady money elements and, number two and even more significantly, a despairing attitude which morphs into do-nothing defeatism.
Required now is shock therapy. Modernizing how the team is trained and talent is hunted can ensure that future squads are picked transparently and fairly.
During its fledgling days, the grit and valor of Kardar, Fazal, Imtiaz, and Hanif stamped Pakistan cricket on the world map, despite the absence of infrastructure and meagre resources. Self-belief and self-respect motivated them to reach the heights. They were inspired by the Quaid and the fervor which drove the Pakistan Movement.
When Mohammed Ali Jinnah returned home after his legal studies in London, he brought with him a cricket kit, which he donated to the boys in his locality, urging them to stand upright, dress neatly in white flannels, and compete with élan instead of squatting down on the dusty ground playing marbles. He set a benchmark worthy of wider emulation.