iSport | For the Fans, by the Fans

A finale that healed many a wounds not only saw the game triumph but also victory of the human spirit, writes Amit Panhale.

The power of sport to unite and to divide is countervailing. During Iraq’s Asian Cup triumph, the people, donned national colours to support and cheer for their team forgetting for once the hate, grief and financial hardships. The players most of who had been touched by death and pain revealed how much that victory meant to them personally and nationally. A super power – USA - had struggled with all its might – financial and military - to find a solution to Iraq’s problem and sport had provided it, even though fleetingly. Aisamul Haq Qureshi’s march to the third round in Wimbledon in 2002 though wasn’t as emphatically celebrated for his nation – Pakistan – condemned him for playing with an Israeli Amir Hadad. No Pakistani had gone this far in a Grand Slam before, but the dishonour he brought to the nation by partnering an old foe almost put in doubt his place in national Davis Cup team.

When Pakistan and Sri Lanka took field yesterday at cricket’s Mecca, their teams had a role to play beyond the field. The Islanders have been at war for 26 years and only recently peace has resulted. The wounds are still fresh and the grief recent and so when most of them had gathered yesterday in front of their TV sets to watch their men play, the heartache was forgotten. In Pakistan, though the war has been going on for years, it has only now achieved the intensity capable of positive success. The people live under a constant fear hoping each day that the man next to them on the bus, train, cab or road is not a fidayeen. For one day yesterday they were hoping for sporting triumph.

The pitch was expected to aid the fast bowlers, as had been the trend at Lords so far in the tournament, and when the coin fell right, Kumara had no hesitation in opting to make first use of what looked like a flat wicket. Dilshan had in the semi-finals single handedly taken the game away as the hapless West Indians watched his strokeplay and Pakistan knew exactly how much a threat he posed. Working on a plan the Pakistani bowlers chose to keep the line on middle and the length tempting enough for him to attempt the pull. His discomfort was immediately evident as on two occasions he played the rising ball awkwardly. With the fifth delivery, Aamer had his man, unable to exercise sufficient restraint, Dilshan top edged one he could very well have treated with more respect. The early wicket acted as tremendous motivator, as Pakistan for the rest of the match never took a step back. Wickets fell again in overs two, four and six as Sri Lanka failed to unlock a backup plan.

Razzaq who till a couple of months back was languishing in an outlawed league and whose return to the squad was only made possible by Arafat’s injury, couldn’t have chosen a better occasion to announce his return to top form. Picking three of the first four wickets to fall, he celebrated his comeback appropriately. A partnership between the skipper and Silva then started to form and just when stability appeared to have returned and acceleration was necessary; Silva’s resistance was ended by Umar Gul. Then Udana too fell, to Afridi’s final delivery, who bowled a spell less rewarding than his previous ones in the tournament but with the ball he had played his part. Then came an assault from the skipper - who had played a lonely hand – and his new aide Mathews, which threatened at times to undo Pakistan’s good work so far. In last seven overs the momentum had swung and Sri Lanka would have hoped to unleash their three Ms.