That everybody in the South Asian region obtains particular delight in Pakistan’s defeats at the ongoing Cricket World Cup should concern the people of that country. It is not as though Pakistani players are a particularly obnoxious breed disliked by one and all. In fact, they too, like other sportspersons, have individual tales to tell of rising from difficult circumstances to the highest level in their chosen sport. As such they are icons worth emulating. The problem actually is that they belong to a country that has deliberately caused pain to other nations, affecting thereby the lives ordinary persons. Try as they might, the sport’s administrators cannot exclude this element when Pakistan is represented at such meets.
In fact, the blame also falls on that nation’s culture, as every success in any field is attributed to its religion based politics. Afghanistan and India have suffered for long from the interference in their internal affairs. Bangladesh, on its part, cannot forget its dark history associated with Pakistan. As such, the compulsions of ‘international’ events that allow an otherwise shunned nation to participate cannot overcome the negative sentiments of the spectators.
There is no doubt, also, that Pakistan’s state of internal affairs has also impacted the performance of its team. Thus far, in the ongoing world cup, it has performed much below par. This can be attributed to the mismanagement of the PCB, which again is greatly influenced by the state of politics in that country. The denial of bilateral relations between PCB and the BCCI has impacted adversely on the overall standard of the game. It is admirable that, despite this, players of high quality have continued to emerge and keep Pakistan in contention.
The best answer, of course, that Pakistani players can give to all the mockery directed at them is to win the world cup. Unfortunately, going by their performance thus far, it will be a tough task. However, to be welcomed and appreciated in host countries, it will require more than that – a total overhaul of the duplicitous mindset that is rapidly transforming Pakistan into a totally failed state. The team may win some hearts with heroic performances and off-field positivity during the ongoing tournament, but bringing politics into sports will not help. Hopefully, lessons are being learned and changes will be forthcoming in the near future.
