FOR the national team, the T20 World Cup started on a high note and the excitement was sustained throughout the group stage during which the team remained undefeated. Things looked promising as the victory against India was so convincing that it was almost surreal. Even in the semi-final, which we lost, we batted and bowled well. We lost to a formidable Australian team that played well on the day. There was no disgrace in losing a well-contested encounter.

In the wake of the loss, however, the nation somehow forgot everything else and just lamented the loss. Gradually the nation recovered and acknowledged that the team had played beyond the expectations of many, and needed to be encouraged to keep the momentum going.

While the nation realised the folly of its knee-jerk reaction, what about the Dawn headline, ‘Heartbroken and bewildered, Pakistan lose by small margin’ (Nov 12)? This is now part of history and anyone looking at it years down the line will only get a sense of mere failure and nothing else. To make matters worse, the headline was accompanied by the photograph showing jubilant Australians and a dejected, almost gutted, Shaheen Shah Afridi. Was it a true depiction of Pakistan’s World Cup campaign?

What was the point of using words like ‘bewildered’ in the headline? The team played like a cohesive unit throughout the tournament. Our captain, batsmen and bowlers did a remarkable job and as a united front. Just a single loss made them ‘bewildered’? Really?

The team gave the nation so much joy throughout the tournament in these otherwise testing, troubling, depressing times. We need to acknowledge their wonderful contribution to our lives.

Shagufta Aamer
Abbottabad

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2021