Think Beyond Cricket

The unjust cancellation of tours to Pakistan by New Zealand and English cricket teams has taken the Pakistani nation by surprise. In holistic perspectives, however, the unseen picture behind the abrupt tour cancellation does not pertain to cricket only. Oblivious to a plain understanding, the invisible hand of geopolitics is once again back to the grind and in the recent ebb and flow of events, a lot more lies between the lines that has yet to be discerned by most of us. Not a long while ago, for instance, the fall of Kabul at the hands of the Taliban was not merely the end of a decades-long war in Afghanistan. Taken in its totality, that was perhaps one of the rare moments in modern history when the United States, the global superpower, was forced for the most disgraceful exit in the dead of night that too from a country, which is still ranked as one of the world’s poorest nations.

Floundering to accept the grim reality of abject defeat since then, the United States together with its war cronies all hailing from the well-heeled West, is exerting every effort to turn the accumulated bitterness of failure in Afghanistan into a justifiable retreat. For its alleged support to the Taliban during the 20-year war on the Afghan soil, Pakistan is the only country which could be made a scapegoat for a humiliating failure thrust upon the U.S., not to exclude the Allied and NATO forces, despite their military vanities, robust economies and mind-boggling technology advancements. As things stand at present, the cancellation of the cricket tours to a sports-loving nation like Pakistan is in fact the tip of the iceberg. Hell-bent on boasting of its vehement assertion of authority, the West seems to be on the rampage now and is thus resorting to numerous face-saving measures to put the squeeze on Pakistan to the extent of bringing it down to its knees, politically, diplomatically and economically. Other than a litany of political coercion and rampant diplomatic offensives backed by economic blackmailing, what could be more frustrating than denying a cricket-crazy nation of its most cherished sport on home soil?

However, since a solitary isolation is better than errant humiliation meted out in the guise of depriving international cricket at home, Pakistan needs to stay the course and hedge its bets carefully. No game cannot and should not be played at the cost of sacrificing self-respect and national pride at the altar of toeing the others’ line. In place of pandering to the inflated ego of the global powers that be, the need of the hour is to turn the vicissitudes of fortune in our favour. This could be best done by correctly foreseeing the emerging geopolitical landscape and by forming new alliances and coalitions comprising neighbouring countries and regional states. Cricket or no cricket, Pakistan needs to get its house in order both politically and economically. For Pakistan, the war is definitely not over. You can lead a horse to take water, but you cannot make it drink. Having gone extra miles to revive international cricket at home, Pakistan must think beyond cricket this time.

Syed Jawaid Iqbal
President & Editor in Chief