Victorious Pakistan team arrived in Lahore to a heroes welcome. The jubilation reminded one of the enthusiasm of the cricket fans when Pakistan won the World Cup in 1992. Pakistan's victory in the Twenty20 Cup has provided an opportunity to the depressed nation to celebrate. Soon after the winning shot by Shahid Afridi, people took to the streets, singing, dancing and firing in the air.
Cricket mad fans were also seen distributing sweets. But Pakistan captain Younus Khan's announcement that he is retiring from the Twenty20 cricket has saddened not only his supporters, but also the cricket fans. "This is my last Twenty20 game (for Pakistan), so I am retiring from T20 internationals," Younus said after Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets.
"I am now 34, I am old for this kind of cricket. The good thing is we have a couple of good youngsters like Shahzaib (Hasan) and Ahmad Shahzad," he said. However, gifted batsman Younus - who has appeared in 60 Tests and 186 One-day Internationals (ODIs) - is set to continue his international career in the longer formats of the game.
Former captain Rashid Latif, who is mentor of Younus Khan, has rightly said that Younus' heart was clean and he truly wanted to help Pakistan cricket. "For him, a senior and a junior player are the same and he will also prepare back-up players for the future. For him, the team is like his family," said Latif.
Even Younus Khan himself said: "I am straightforward, open minded and will not let the team spirit down. We have to build this team and even if we lose some key players, it will not sag our spirits because you can't have seniors with you all the time," he said.
"At the moment, we are in a very bad shape. In Pakistan, there are a lot of very good people, but because of some mad people, perhaps five percent of the population, we are suffering."
True to his words, Younus reposed full confidence in his players, who did not disappoint him and played to their potentials. One may recall that for the last couple of years Shahid Afridi was treated only as leg spinner and was never considered a batsman. Even he himself not aware at what number he would but. Before the first semi-final against South Africa, Afridi expressed his desire to bat at number three position. However, Younus sent him at number three with the advice to play his natural game.
Similarly, Younus tried young Shazaib Hassan, a slogger in the middle order, to open the innings with Kamran Akmal. However, the gamble paid off as both Afridi and Shahzaib did not disappoint their captain.
TURNING POINT: The win over South Africa, unbeaten in the tournament, in the first semi-final of World Twenty20 Cup proved to be a turning point when all-rounder Shahid Afridi with his superb performance with bat and ball, shattered Proteas' hope of reaching the final of the maga event.
It was generally believed that the final will be played between South Africa and Sri Lanka, but utility player Shahid Afridi helped his team to storm into the World Twenty20 Cup final. He smashed 51 from 34 balls and then grabbed two wickets for 16 runs and restricted the Proteas to 145 for five against Pakistan's 149 for four. After the match, a determined Pakistan captain Younus Khan said: "One more game and this World Cup is ours."
Regression never follows progression, but in the case of unpredictable Pakistan cricket, nothing can be predicted till the last ball is played. However, it all depends on the man who is leading the team and how intelligently he uses his boys on the given day. Younus Khan has proved his ability to guide his team from the front and the way Pakistan defeated first South Africa, unbeaten in the tournament, and then Sri Lanka, also unbeaten in the tournament, in the final was a treat to watch.
It was again Shahid Afridi, supported by Shoaib Malik and seamer Abdul Razzaq, who brought the glory to the country after 17 years. Shahid Afridi hit an unbeaten 54 off 40 balls, his second consecutive half-century, and Shoaib Malik made 24 not out, while Abdul Razzaq took three wickets as Pakistan bowled and fielded aggressively to restrict Sri Lanka to 138-6, then coasted home easily with eight deliveries to spare.
After beating Sri Lanka, Younus said: "We had won the semi-final against power-packed South Africa; a great victory it was, but the Sri Lanka had some giants amongst them. Think of Sanath Jayasuriya, Mutaih Muralitharan, Dilshan Tilkaratne, Malinga and you were asking the lamb to take on the wolf.
"Rightly then, we were the underdogs, and had less pressure, but wanted this cup; not only for himself but also for the people of Pakistan. For too long, nothing had happened to cheer them up," he said. The win by Younus Khan's team gave Pakistanis back home reason to cheer as the cricket-mad nation has been deprived of international tours due to security concerns for the over one-an-half years. Younus Khan inculcated among players' dedication, application, patience and fighting spirit.
There was a marked change in the players' inconsistent and casual attitude, when Pakistan qualified for Super Eight stage, especially when they defeated dangerously looking Ireland.
Those who are witness to the occasional glimpses of brilliance by individuals, both in batting and bowling, never lost hopes of winning the tournament. They are of the view that the malady of one step forward and two or more steps backward is very much in vogue, but none in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), bothered to look into the real causes of this menace.
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