England show hearts of lion and great pride in taming Pakistan to win the ICC T20 World Cup
Follow Us
England vs Pakistan at ICC T20 World Cup - Image Courtesy NDTV Sports
You don’t win silver, you lose gold. It was hard not to think of these famous lines which have been in vogue for several decades amongst sports writers. At the famous MCG on Sunday, it was not just the weather which kept fans guessing. For, contrary to prediction, there was no rain washing out play. In the end, just as the rains did not come, Pakistan’s date with destiny was also sealed when they lost the ICC T20 World Cup final to England by five wickets.
To be sure, the last few days have been very hard for cricket fans on both sides of the border — India and Pakistan. Agreed, India lost to England in the semi-finals, in what was a masterclass in batting from Alex Hales and Jos Buttler. After that loss suffered by India, the entire Pak cricketing machinery from former captain and ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan to Shoaib Akhtar were baiting India.
Even if you were not a hard addict of social media platforms, the barrage of bouncers bowled by the Tricky Pakis through memes, videos, and much more was aimed at mocking India. Yes, the taunts, barbs, and invective were in sheer gutter language. For former cricketers from India as well as Mohd Shami to also react to the warfare on social media was engrossing.
It just went to show the animosity that Pakistan cricketers, en-masse and en-bloc, have towards India is part of their DNA. A famous author had written, sport is “war minus the shooting.” What was witnessed in the last one week was carpet bombing from the Tricky Pakis. In the end, on Sunday, their great campaign came a cropper, despite having tried hard in the final.
Sport remembers winners and champions. Sport respects those who hold the trophy and not those who are left on the sidelines, teary-eyed, as poor losers. The bubble had to burst, for Pakistan had barged their way into the knockout stage by sheer dint of luck and some amount of hard work. To take on England, highly professional, was not easy.
Perhaps, the Pakistan cricketers, past and present, got so carried away by winning the trophy, as if, it was taken for granted. What they had not bargained for in the process was how England were the silent slayers in this T20 World Cup. Hats off to England, they are now the champions in the ODI format as well as the T20. It calls for a giant celebration from fans and even their Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as the mood back home in England has been low — recession, despondency, and a falling currency — making things hard for them.
They are surely not going to win the FIFA World Cup (sorry, Gareth Southgate) but winning the ICC T20 World Cup was a big moment. You could be dead sure, British fans will get drunk in downtown pubs in London and smaller cities. The Englishmen, perhaps, never expected to peak like this.
The way two warriors performed on Sunday, Ben Stokes and Sam Curran, it shows how England was the Lord and Masters! They were the Lord and Masters, historically, as well, when they ruled the world. Do not forget, before 1947 there was no separate India and Pakistan. Just as partition was painful, the losses suffered by India and Pakistan to the former dictators were a reminder of how they still dominate in many ways.
Pakistani warfare on social media comes as a cropper as riposte from India led by Mohd Shami puts losers in place
You could well argue sport and politics must not be mixed. If that be the case, we would have seen Russia competing in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and Wimbledon not banning Russian and Ukraine players in the summer of 2022. Sport is sport, but the link with politics has been there for centuries. It will never go, no matter if you play in football leagues or the IPL. In the end, when patriotism has to be the flavor and fervor, England managed to show they are the masters in white ball cricket. This is a champagne moment for England and a tearful one for Pakistan.
A country ravaged by Covid, corruption, and, now, failed cricket, Pakistan will sink further after this loss, mentally. It’s a mourning time for Pakistan, for sure. Yes, they fought hard. Heck, who cares. They have lost many wars on the field to India, and this one to England in a neutral territory called the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) should make the Men in Green and their fan army realize battles are not won on social media and TV screens. You have to perform, deliver, and be the master of the situation.
For sheer professionalism, pluck and poise, England deserved to win this big trophy in T20, a razor-sharp format. As for Pakistan, all that drama over invoking the spirit of 1992 was needless. After all, India never invoked the 1965 and 1971 wars where Pakistan was tamed in conventional warfare. Fight the battle, no harm in that. Do not politicize match situations into poison and let arsenals fly. Sometimes, the shrapnel comes back at you. Sorry, Pak, you did not deserve to win the ICC T20 World Cup.
Stay Updated!
S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)