THERE could not be a better start of the ICC T-Twenty world cup for the Greenshirts than completely outclassing the arch rival India in the opening match.
The way Pakistani players especially Babar Azam, Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi performed, really brought smiles on the face of the entire nation and reminded us of our old glory.
The win was also special because Pakistan has never beaten India in the ICC T-Twenty World Cup before.
The country’s top civilian and military leadership also joined the nation to commend the par excellence performance of Pakistani team.
The fact of the matter is that over the last decade or so, Pakistan cricket team has seen many ups and downs.
But it is the first time that our players genuinely look like a potent force to reckon with – the one like when greats like Saeed Anwar, Inzamam ul Haq, Muhammad Yousaf, Waseem Akram and Waqar Younis used to be part of the team.
Ours have been notorious of being bad chasers but under the captaincy of Babar Azam whose presence himself has given strength to the batting line-up, this tag is also fast shedding.
We now have a better combination of both batters and bowlers who can secure wins against top ranking teams.
The win against team like India would have further given the confidence to the Greenshirts and we are confident that they will keep this winning momentum in the days ahead.
Especially the next match against New Zealand, which recently called off its tour to Pakistan, at the last moment, is also very important, and must be played with the same spirit and zeal shown in the match against India.
The cancellation of tour had disappointed the entire nation including our cricketers.
Hence, it is the best time to show the real face of Pakistani cricket to the Kiwis as well. Apart from Babar Azam and Rizwan, other senior players will also have to stay ready and demonstrate their performance in critical matches.
A strong team securing wins will also help fully bring the international cricket back to the Pakistani grounds.
Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja had very rightly had pointed out that once we become the world class team, people will start lining up to play against us.
We believe the day is not far under the captaincy of Babar Azam as the first glimpse was seen in the match against India.
