ICC Twenty20

I don't often get involved in sports.
The occasional Cy-Fair high school football game, I could get excited about.
When the Eagles' Brian Dawkins did something phenomenal, I cheered along with the rest of my household-
But, I don't turn up the radio in my taxi, and scream AHLY, like every Cairene boy when a soccer game is on, and predict that there will be no load shedding in Karachi when Pakistan is playing cricket.

This summer, however, I've found a new respect for the level of patriotism that sports can bring in a country. Shahid Afridi has brought most of Karachi to standstill with his epic catch against New Zealand, and I along with Ammar, was rooted to the edge of my seat watching him.

For those of you, like me, who are not cricket aficionados here is a wikipost. (Ammar, Mashal and I recognized that explaining cricket is one of the most difficult things in life, so I'm out sourcing here).

Recently, I was surprised, when I read a sportblog post on The Guardian in which sports writer, Andy Bull, said that his heart was rooting for Pakistan winning the ICC Twenty20.
My heart's been rooting for Pakistan winning the Twenty20 all along-

International Cricket in Pakistan has suffered a great blow since the Lahore attacks on March 3rd of 2009. Until that point, I'd say that Pakistan had believed that cricket, at least, was exempt from the terror and turmoil of the country. However, when British fast bowler Dominic Cork, in Lahore at the time, uttered the words, “I don’t think international cricket should return to this country. I won’t be coming back here while I’m still living, there is no chance,” I suppose Pakistan knew, cricket in Pakistan would never be the same.

Fact of the matter is, terrorism and cricket have never been mutually exclusive- certainly not in Sri Lanka, or to other members of the international cricket playing community.

For example, April 21, 1987 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, a suicide bomber struck a bus station in the city killing more than 100 people when the New Zealand team was in Colombo for a three-Test tour. The three-test tour was reduced to just one Test match and the team returned home. Then again, on November 16, 1992 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, there was a suicide bomb attack by Tamil Tiger rebels outside the very hotel where the New Zealand team was staying. Four people were killed, and five of the players along with the coach decided to go home. More recently, on July 24, 2001, 13 Tamil Tiger suicide bombers strapped explosives on their backs and broke through the airport security in Colombo and detonated themselves on the runway just as a flight from the Maldives landed on the airstrip. At least 14 people were killed and 12 others injured. The New Zealand team continued with their tour amidst tight security.

Granted, none of these terrorist attacks are on the level as the March 3rd attacks- which were abhorrent, terrible, and shocking to the international at large and I'll be the first to agree that the current security state in the country I live in isn't exactly what most Westeners' would regard as safe. However when sports writer Will Buckley decides to write a satirical, almost comical piece about what would happen if the England football team experienced a feat similar to the Sri Lankan cricket team, I was a little shocked. He heralds the Sri Lankan cricket team as the "Team of the Year" for making it to the Twenty20 final after having suffered the March 3rd attack and even goes out of his way to mention that some Pakistanis are also likely to be hoping they triumph.

Pakistan's captain, Younis Khan, explained it well when he said "If we win tomorrow it will be good for our future cricket (and) for the Pakistan nation as well because we've been suffering from a lot of things."
Cricket gives the people of Pakistan- the paan-walla on the side of Tipu Sultan Road, the Pizza-hut delivery guy, the little boy living in a Katchi-Abadi settlement- hope.
Perhaps in the international media their country is regarded as a breeding ground for terrorists and fundamentalists, but here, on the cricket pitch, they can compete with the best of the best, be it West Indies, or South Africa. On the cricket pitch, they can pulverize their sworn enemy, India, without drawback.
These people of Paistan, the jamadaar (sweeper), household plumber, chowkidaar (neighborhood watchman), are never to blame for the March 3rd attack. They deserve to keep that hope.

While Sri Lanka is an excellent team, who has yet to lose any game in the Twenty20 tournament, Buckley's article, was rubbish, in awful taste, and a poorly written piece. Sri Lanka has come a long way since March, and I commend them their cricket-skills. However, to say that they deserve to win more than Pakistan- now that, is way out of line.