What.a.match.
Although between 14.30 hours and 15.35 hours (PST) I felt my heart Usain Bolt its way to my throat every few minutes, in the end, it was all worth it. It’s not to say that Pakistan should win all Test matches like Headingley 2010, but merely to describe how big a moment this was for every Pakistani cricket fan.
The flashbacks of Sydney made our knees shake despite being comfortably on top throughout most of the match at Headingley. As Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting started rebuilding the Australian innings, the overwhelming feeling of “now we’re gone” started drowning the joy of “88 all out.” So when play resumed on the third morning it was evident that the first session – the first hour, even – would go a long way in deciding the outcome of the match. This is where belief kicked in. Not for the fans, not yet at least, but for Mohammad Aamer…because he had plans. More importantly, he had the ability and the belief to carry out those plans. Not only did he get rid of the Australian captain, he kept thinking and planning about the rest of the Australian batsmen. When Aamer dismissed Michael Hussey, one of the world’s finest fast bowlers (Michael Holding) was left bewildered at the genius of this 18-year-old. Of the scrambled seam and the movement off it, Holding kept saying “to actually plan for this delivery and then get it right is amazing.”
It’s funny when you think that an entire nation’s hopes were resting on the frail shoulders of this young man from Gujjar Khan. But then, the rest of the team is not too old either. The average age of the Pakistan team at Headingley was barely 25. For this bunch of 20-somethings to beat Australia in a Test match at Headingley and do-away with a 15-year jinx is reason enough to believe. To believe that if given the time and opportunity, this bunch can make Pakistan count in the toughest format of the game and do away with the tag of “only good at Twenty20 cricket.” We need to be patient and we need forget about the past. There have been calls to bring Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan back into the Test squad and while I agreed with the idea until the Lord’s Test, I do believe it’s time to move on now. This I say despite being a big Younis Khan fan. While he may bring unmatched experience and strength to the middle order, if his presence in the side translates into an air of unease in the dressing room given his history, I’d say thank you very much for the memories and for being an honest man, but no thanks. I also believe Shoaib Malik should be shown the door if not for cricketing reasons, then purely for his nickname. Yes, Umar Amin’s dismissal in the first innings wreaked of inexperience (and bad luck) and yes, Azhar Ali’s dismissal in the second innings showed a lapse of concentration after reaching his maiden Test half-century. But these are mistakes that Amin and Azhar can be forgiven for, after all, it was only their second Test match and in between them they did score 198 runs and take two vital wickets. And yes, Salman Butt’s field-placing on the third morning was defensive and showed his nervousness but come on, it was Test captaincy baptism at its best. His post-match speech and subsequent press conference were not touching Kumar Sangakkara standards but he was honest and intelligent.
The point is, even if Pakistan lose the Test series against England, we must keep believing in them – because boy do we know the importance of belief. Call it the turning tide, the dawn of a new era, or the end of a hoodoo but believe we must.
Hafsa Adil is a sports editor at Dawn.com.
The views expressed by this blogger and in the comments that follow do not necessarily reflect the views of the Dawn Media Group.
