IT was not at all a disappointed end of the first Cricket Test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Though the match, the first on Pakistani soil in ten years, ended in a draw but the record performance by opener Abid Ali really returned the smiles on the cricket frenzy nation.
By scoring the century on the final day, the opener became the only player to score hundreds on both test and one day debuts. With his performance Abid Ali has made every Pakistani proud and we expect that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will celebrate it in the best possible manner in order to encourage the budding talent. Such a feat was also important to give much needed confidence to the Greenshirts who returned from a poor show at the Australian grounds where Kangaroos outsmarted them both in T-20 and the test series. Anyway this performance by Abid Ali has once again proved that Pakistan has the talent and it is up to the Cricket Board as to how it hunts and uses it appropriately to revive our old glory in cricket. It is also upon the players that they maintain consistency in their performance and are not distracted by the glamour and glory which in fact is one of the major reasons of the fall of cricket in our country today. It has been seen that our bowlers and batsmen make brilliant performances in their initial stages as has been shown by Abid Ali but then they lose the focus and discipline and are taken away by other things. It is important that the PCB arranges such training programs for the players that further strengthen their sportsmanship and promote discipline in them. Our players must understand that it is because of their performance that the nation loves and adores them. As the new blood has been included in the team, we expect that they will be given sufficient opportunities to prove their mettle. Those not performing must be shown the doors. Merit must be ensured if we want to take forward our cricket in all the formats.
