'Bhangra' halts the 'The Beatles'

In the 90’’s I used to sleep with a big smile on my face and dreamt of the stunning victories the Pakistanis used to script during that time. Wasim, Waqar, Anwar, Mushtaq, Saqlain or Inzamam just essayed jaw-dropping stuffs to leave the world stunned and certainly those epic wins were so astonishing that they used leave a long lasting memory in the fans minds.

But after the end of that decade such wins were scanty. There had been one Multan saga way back in 2005 and since then the Pakistani cricket’s stories were full of upsetting controversies. Perhaps the magic is back again.

What I witnessed at Abu Dhabi today was similar to that Wellington Test match where chasing a total of 127 the Kiwis, with two more days left, succumbed against the pace and guile of Wasim and Waqar. That was magic and this one at Abu Dhabi is enigmatic.

England just needed 145 runs to win, a total which was suppose to be a cake walk for a team who are the number 1 Test side in the world at present. But they were left stunned by some “Bhangra” scripted by Pakistani spinners.

Suddenly, Abdur Rehman and not Ajmal arrived into the scene as the “Azrail” to ring the death bell for the English batsmen. Suddenly, Rehman started to approach towards the crease with an attacking rhythm, suddenly he started to spun the web of magic around the English batsmen, suddenly he started to vary his length, suddenly the English men started to move their feet towards the pavilion and thus an incredible spell had been scripted to essay one of the most incredible wins in Test cricket’s history.

England’s worry had been Ajmal’s mercurial spin but instead they were sunk by the most unsung spinner of world cricket, Abdur Rehma. This is what Pakistan team is all about. You just never know who will script the death of the opposition, you never who is at you at which moment of the game.   

If any team can beat the best side in the world then it’s them or if any team can blow away an opportunity from the safest of positions then it will be them. They will make you cry one day and the other day they will make you smile. They will astonish everyone with an amazing win leaving you thinking for almost a week "How did they do this?" and the other day they will commit suicide to script fatal heart attacks. They just love whims and madness but when they gel together to play cricket they are the ‘Cornered Tigers.’ 

They love to create dramas till the end. They love to thrill, amaze and excite their fans and the world. They have a cricket board whose works are never understood, they have a team who love petty quarrels, and they are always at the center of many controversies. But despite all these they play cricket in their own style and they are Pakistan, they are Pakistanis.

It’s time to cherish this victory, it’s to rejoice, and it’s time to dance as ‘Bhangra’ has beaten ‘The Beatles.’

Thank You

Faisal Caesar