Match Point
The humble request of a loyal cricket fan

The humble request of a loyal cricket fan

As a Pakistani, I forgive you. Even if it is all true. I still support you but please help protect this fervor. Too many such incidents will just kill my spirit forever.

Miriam Mehdi September 04, 2010

Dear Pakistan cricket team,

I am not a big fan of cricket. I don’t religiously follow cricket matches and series, in fact, I rarely watch sports at all but I am a huge fan of the Pakistani cricket team. I watch cricket, only if one of the teams playing is Pakistan. My heart screams “howzat” when you bowl the opponent out. I jump as high as I can when the ball is hit outside the boundary. I feel I have won when our cricket team wins.

When we won the World Twenty20 in 2009, I was crazy proud because I knew no matter what anyone said we were the world champions. That is exactly the same feeling most Pakistanis shared; people were out dancing on the streets screaming with joy. The mall road Lahore, the Liberty round-about Lahore were blocked because everyone was out celebrating; sharing their joy with other Pakistanis- because “we” had won. Even displaced locals of the Swat operation were swinging with pride and joy. It was a moment of pure joy. It was moment for Pakistan.

You are the ones who can give Pakistan this kind of happiness. Yes, you! Cricket is so popular in Pakistan and everyone relates to it; so whatever you do, think about everyone who is going to be affected by your actions and decisions.

Part of the answer as to why we are all so angry right now is because we love you, the cricket team so much. Most critics consist of people like me who have high hopes and expectations from you - we don’t want to accept the accusations - and calling you bad names makes us feel a little better.

As a Pakistani, I forgive you. Even if it is all true. I still support you but please help protect this fervor. Don’t give me a heart attack by letting me hear of another story like this. Too many of them will just kill my spirit and then I too will lose hope in you.

Sincerely and dearly,

A Pakistani fan

WRITTEN BY:
Miriam Mehdi A business student and an instructor, who actively takes part in social activities. Her interests include debate, writing and teaching.

The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (7)

laraib mohib | 13 years ago | Reply I am also a die hard Pakistani Critcket team fan and I am deeply hurt because of what these players have done. However I feel exactly as u do. I hope they don't do it again.:(

Mustafa | 13 years ago | Reply I've passionately followed cricket for the better part of two decades and have experienced all the highs and lows. This scandal was the straw that broke the camel's back. Pakistani cricket is now completely dead to me. I recently saw Ijaz Butt's interview online and felt the same flash of anger when I saw the News of the World video clip exposing Mazhar Majeed. Does anyone see that he might very possibly have Alzheimer? We've entrusted Pakistani cricket to this man? Really? Well ... we truly deserve what we get. I believe that Pakistan should forfeit the right to play cricket till the time we clean up our act. We really don't deserve to play the sport both domestically and internationally. We've not only sullied the name of cricket but our country's image to boot (not that it was ever at any time good to begin with). I'm actually ashamed to call myself a Pakistani in light of the recent scandal. We've yet again become a laughing stock for the world. I had no answer for South African and Australian friends of mine when they asked me if all Pakistanis are corrupt. Seems as though evil runs through our veins. Perhaps we need an apocalyptic flood of sorts to purge us of our sins.

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Zeeshan Maqbool | 13 years ago | Reply Forgiving is a good gesture and highly appreciable in day-to-day life matters, but not when billions of rupees are involved. Both attitudes, taking the accused as criminal and absolving the accused without investigation, to me are highly condemnable. All we should demand for is an impartial inquiry, perhaps by an independent and reputable judicial commission. I believe this is the only way to restore the honor and integrity of the innocents, bring the culprits to justice(who may be either our venerable players or the people who set them up), and most importantly uniting and recuperating the heart broken cricket lovers of our country... And it goes without saying that it's sine qua non to ensure the performance of the team in future!

Babar Javed | 13 years ago | Reply Another positive post void of a hateful tone. The Tribune is looking up.

Usman Hanif | 13 years ago | Reply Excellent Writeup !!! A Pakistani fan with a pocket full of love, hope and positive spirit for the country !!! Proud to be a Pakistani !!! We will rise one day !!! Inshallah !!!

Junaid Akram | 13 years ago | Reply As the news broke out, we Pakistani ensued our national sport i.e. making weak judgments on ill facts, doing mass protests, even at one incident, spray painting the names of cricketers on the donkeys and actually kicking it, how electronic media quickly edited the gambler songs over the cricketer's footages, that just goes out to say that Pakistan's frustrated fans cannot hold down their horses until someone is proven guilty. Prematurity of judgment is the norm of Pakistan Cricket and its fan base. And sadly that's not even limited to cricket.

Hamza Ahmad Khan | 13 years ago | Reply No need to be angry at our players. They were set up, which is a criminal offence in the first place. I firmly believe we are being targeted. The Indian Board has a lot of influence on the ICC, especially that ugly toad; ICC President Sharad Pawar. With Amir and Asif out, Pakistan have as much chance of winning the World Cup next year as they have of qualifying for the Football World Cup in Brazil in 2014. I am baffled why our Media have played no role at all. Was watching GEO Tv and they were reporting with pride how they were the FIRST channel to show Amir talking on a cell-phone during a match??!!! Is this what it's all about? When the country really needs for the Media to stand up and take a stance against the Indian and International media, they are interested only in glistening their own shop windows.

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