Where are the heroes of the future? Where are the legends of this era that little kids will try to emulate when playing cricket on their streets? It seems as though our current lot of players are destined to walk into the sunset mocked, scorned, barely liked and conveniently forgotten. However, as a fan of this beautiful game and one who longs to see the days of glory return I, for one, am still optimistic about our future. All we need is a little more chaos and greatness will follow.

By Awais Arshad (7th September, 2014)

The legacy of Pakistan cricket has always been marred by internal politics and regional groupings. However, in spite of that the country has always managed to produce some of the greatest cricketers to grace the sport. History remembers Pakistan cricket as vibrant, aggressive and confident albeit a bit unpredictable.

Pakistan cricket fans have always learned to take the good with the bad. They say, all great things are preceded by chaos and we as Pakistani cricket fans completely understand this. The emergence of Javed Miandad and Imran Khan was a direct result of the 1976 player revolt. The legendary Abdul Qadir made his debut in 1977 after several key players such as Majid Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Imran Khan and Mushtaq Mohammad had defected to Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket. The 1980’s player revolt against then captain Javed Miandad led to the emergence of players such as Saleem Mailk and Haroon Rashid. Such instances can be traced throughout the history of Pakistan cricket. Every time the team got embroiled in controversy or fell to unfathomable depths there was always someone around to take the reins and guide us back up. Every dark cloud had a silver lining.

The nation of Pakistan was born out of the trauma of Partition from India in 1947. Its cricket team evolved in the chaotic aftermath. Since then, the people of Pakistan have lived their lives vicariously through their cricket team. Each victory has been marked with over-the-top celebrations and each defeat with outrageous uproar. Our cricket has been entwined with our national identity and our success in the game has helped define our status in the world. We’ve been defiant in defense and irresistible in attack. Our cricketing legends are revered more than anyone else in the country. Nothing brings the nation together as much as this beautiful game.

The legacy of Pakistan cricket is now in danger. The lineage of sensational fast bowling following through history from the likes of Khan Mohammad, Fazal Mohammad, Sarfraz Nawaz, Imran, Wasim, Waqar and Shoaib Akhtar has now suddenly come to a halt. Amir and Asif, the deemed successors of these aforementioned legends, are both currently serving bans for spot-fixing allegations. The tradition of our spin bowling which has seen the likes of Abdul Qadir, Tauseef Ahmed, and Saqlain Mushtaq was first dealt a blow when Danish Kaneria was refused an appeal against a life ban for match-fixing claims and then dealt another when his successor Saeed Ajmal was called in to face investigation into his bowling action.

As if such allegations of ball-tampering, match-fixing and corruption were not tumultuous enough for Pakistan cricket, it was dealt an even worse blow in 2009 when the Sri Lankan Cricket Team were ambushed and attacked on their way to the second Test in Lahore. The impact this event had had on the cricket of the country and the nation itself has been insurmountable. These back to back blows have brought the nations cricket onto its knees. The fighting spirit that was embedded in the teams of the past now almost seems lost. It seems as though our cricket has been unable to recover financially and psychologically from the events of the last few years. It has been five years since a Pakistani fan has watched his team play in one of their home stadiums. The roaring Gaddafi Stadium which used to be the main hub of Pakistani cricket and had treated us to so many unforgettable games now just stands as a memory of the once great past of Pakistan cricket.

The overall cricket and our approach to the game has also shifted immensely over the past few years. Once labeled as cornered tigers by Imran Khan the team now looks more like caged pandas. The aggressive mentality seen in the team throughout the 90’s is now hardly recognizable. Instead of the once exhilarating and defiant sides of world cricket we have been reduced to being dull and defensive.

Where are the heroes of the future? Where are the legends of this era that little kids will try to emulate when playing cricket on their streets? It seems as though our current lot of players are destined to walk into the sunset mocked, scorned, barely liked and conveniently forgotten. However, as a fan of this beautiful game and one who longs to see the days of glory return I, for one, am still optimistic about our future. All we need is a little more chaos and greatness will follow.

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