Pakistan vs India- Let's keep our calm.

 

With Pakistan-India series around the corner, much hype has already been created both in the media and the social world. But if you don’t want your blood pressure to mount during the matches, take my advice, and stay away from over-confident media reports on Pakistan team’s performance. And if you happen to be on Twitter, do not log in until the series starts, because I’m sure you would not want your timeline to be flooded with over-confident tweets. This time, keeping your expectations high would be the most foolish thing to do, because our squad for this series is weaker than the giant Indians. But we can expect the unexpected from our ‘unpredictable’ boys, can we not?

Talking about the ODI squad, I have full confidence in Nasir Jamshed. He has shone whenever given a chance. M. Hafeez will be a good opener to start with. Need I say anything about him? They call him ‘Professor’, I ask why? Mr. Professor, forget about the captaincy equations and concentrate on your batting. We need you for your batting, not your captaincy.

Azhar Ali and Younis Khan are expected to steer the innings the usual way. YK at least doesn’t need to be told about what he has to do, he knows it already. You just have to give him some space and time. Also making their way into the national side, would be debutants Haris Sohail and Zulfiqar Babar. Both have performed well on the domestic front but what to be seen is that will they be able to muddle through the pressure of an international match, that too of one against India? Spearheaded by Umar Gul and with the ‘jaadugar’ Saeed Ajmal in it, the bowling line up seems strong enough.

Now to the T20 squad. You would be joking if you say you didn’t feel someone’s absence in the above paragraphs. Yes, I’m talking about Shahid Afridi, who couldn’t make it to the ODI squad, but is a member of the T20 team for the tour. Afridi, however, can play the ODI series too, if he manages to perform well in the T20s. With Afridi giving consistent poor performances over the past months, the selectors’ decision to exclude him from the ODI squad did not come much of a surprise to most of the people.


But, oh well, he’s Afridi and statistics and performances fail against him. He can silent his critics with just one stupendous knock. One match-winning show and all his poor performances would be forgotten. That’s how we Pakistani fans are.

Umar Akmal is the man we expect would outshine everyone else at the event. He never lets his country down and that’s what we love about him. He keeps our hopes alive till the very end. Remember World Twenty20 semifinal against Sri Lanka this year?

Ahmed Shahzad performed tremendously well for the Lahore Lions during the recent Faysal Bank T20 but what needs to be seen is that will he able to continue with his incredible form in India? Let’s hope for the affirmative.

Just as I’m about to end this article, the frenzy and tension regarding the series has already embraced me. Whatever may the result of the series be, one thing is definite that we’ll get to see some nail-biting encounters, exciting cricket and action packed performances that we have longed for, for quite some time now. May the best team win? NO! Let’s hope and pray Pakistan wins! Come on Pakistan, let’s paint the Indian soil green.

Also published here: http://blogs.thenews.com.pk/blogs/2012/12/pakistan-vs-india-lets-keep-our-calm/

We still bleed GREEN!

 
Why are we always overconfident and dead sure we’ll win when we have a match against India? Despite our past record of not winning any match against India in world cups, our nation always takes a match against India like it’s our cup of tea. Pumped up, overconfident & with hum tou jeetay gai type attitude, we gather to watch a match that we hope shall leave us dancing & hooting in the end. But no, that never happens. We are left heartbroken, shedding tears & arguing we wasted our day on a match that could not be ours.


Yes, our youth gets too much involved in cricket. For them, a match against India is like the biggest encounter ever, as some say
“Pakistan-India ka match final ka bhi baap hota hai” (Pakistan-India’s match is mightier than the final). I have noticed recently that our attitude towards our team has changed. We have become more optimistic. In the past, whenever the team lost a match, we used to disown them. That does not happen anymore. After a match you log in to sites like Facebook and Twitter, and you find messages
full of hope. The nation still backs the team. There are messages of love for the team. Now, we have started to understand that blaming our team for every loss is not going to do any good, but standing by their side, supporting them in times like these, shall surely boost up their morale for the upcoming matches.

Some would argue that we lost a match that we didn’t even try to win. If that’s the case, did India try to win their match against Australia? From Australia’s winning margin of 9 wickets, it is obvious that the answer is ‘No’. So, winning by a large margin does not mean that the other team never wanted to win. Winning is probably the only thing that everyone loves. When WE get so saddened
by our defeat, think what our players would be going through. Sitting in your TV lounge and commenting like a cricket expert is easy but going down there in the ground & performing is all a new level. So, it’s good our nation has started using their brains & supports their team no matter if they win or lose. If you cannot support them when they lose, don’t support them when they win.

Who are the Champions?

What else could a Pakistani have wished for on 23rd March eve!
Pakistan brings Asia Cup home! When the 11th edition of the Asia Cup
kicked off in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 11th March 2012, little did anyone
know that ten days later, on 22nd March, the whole Pakistani nation
would be celebrating with joy that would have no limit. The final of
Asia Cup 2012 crowned Pakistan as the Asian Champions.


A failed batting unit, a moderate total on the board, bowlers striving
to get wickets, but failing, and still Pakistan managed to hold the
trophy aloft. Last night’s game proved that if you have the
determination, you succeed in achieving your goal no matter what comes
in between. A nail-biting encounter that was decided on the last ball
of the match saw both the teams, Pakistan & Bangladesh, fight for the
glory. In the end one had to win & one had to lose. And this time,
Pakistan wrote its name in the book of winners. All those who watched
the match (I’m sure everyone did) would agree when I say, that it
was one match during which you could not have left your seat even for
a second. There was action on every ball! This match saw everything-
run outs, some spectacular catches, Afridi’s SIX and the list goes
on and on..


Pakistan’s victory would not have been possible without the
noteworthy performances of some players. Sarfaraz Ahmed’s knock of
46 runs made it possible for the Pakistan team to set up a respectable
total. A vital role was played by the ‘man of the crowd’ Shahid
Afridi who not only used the bat but also the ball to steer his team
to the title. He scored 32 runs and took one wicket. And this list
would be incomplete without the mention of the ‘Hero of the last
over’ AIZAZ CHEEMA. This guy knows how to bowl under pressure
situations. Four runs were required by Bangladesh off the last
delivery, Bangladeshi batsman Shahadat Hossain was unable to connect
Cheema’s yorker & Misbah-ul-Haq and his boys were celebrating!


But then who can forget the tears of the Bangladeshi team? We have won
the trophy but Bangladesh has won millions of hearts. Bangladesh’s
awesome performance changed the course of what was expected to be a
not-so-exciting and one-sided affair. Kudos to Bangladesh! Not taking
anything from the winners here, yes you guys have proven once again
that if there is unity, victory will come at your doorstep
automatically. So, stay united, keep practicing, keep winning & keep
bringing laurels home! PAKISTAN ZINDABAD!

Also published here: http://blogs.thenews.com.pk/blogs/2012/03/who-are-the-champions/

 

And the Stardust award for “Superstar of Tomorrow” goes to……………. ALI ZAFAR! Yes ladies & gentlemen, boys & girls and
peeps, our Channo boy has made us proud across the border!

It was not very long back when this handsome stud was adored by millions of girls in Pakistan because of his oh-so-attractive looks.
Who could have even imagined at that time that the guy spotting a grey t-shirt and a red cap in Abrar-ul-Haq’s Preeto, would one day become the heartthrob of billions of girls across the GLOBE! The Lahore-born singer is now an international figure. He has earned himself the repute that one must have in order to be recognized.

Be it music or drama or film, this guy knows what he has to do and how he has to do it. He is not carried away by fame or money or anything else for that matter. From his debut album ‘Huqa Paani’ to his latest movie ‘London, Paris, New York’, Ali Zafar has climbed way up the ladder & it doesn’t seem like he is ever going to look back.

For him, sky is certainly not the limit. One thing that I, being a Pakistani, take immense pride in is that he has not sidelined his
values & has not let down his country at any occasion. Unlike so many other Pakistanis who forget the value of the ethics and customs that their country has given them, Ali upholds all his morals even in an alien land. For instance, he refused to kiss his female lead in the
movie ‘London, Paris, New York’ because he had the values of his home country in mind & he did not want to disappoint his fans.

Ali Zafar seems to be playing his cards right. So here is to the man who has not changed even a bit despite crossing the border & climbing up the ladder of success, “WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!” You might be the Luv Agnihotri of many Indian girls but you’ll always be the Channo boy of the many divas on this side of the border. Keep making us proud, Ali!

Also published here: http://blogs.thenews.com.pk/blogs/2012/02/ali-zafar-for-us/