An Open Letter to the Men in Green
10-year-old me playing in Karachi Gymkhana’s playground and watching Pakistan vs. Ireland on the side. We lost that match. We were out of the world cup. It was a bad, bad year. India lost to Bangladesh as well and was out of the world cup too. That made it fathomable for us to survive, another game of Cricket. Unfortunately, the world cup woes weren’t over, and the great Bob Woolmer died.
But our men were in the finals of the first-ever T-20 world cup that year. Misbah scoops Joginder Sharma over fine leg, and Srisanth catches it. I ended up breaking a plastic chair that night.
As if things could get even worse. I was 12 getting ready for school when on a Tuesday morning, the first week of springy March, some bad people attacked the Siri Lankan team near Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, and that was the end of world cricket for our country, at least for the foreseeable future.
But our folks won the T-20 world cup that year and told the world what we stood for.
I am close to hitting puberty a year later, and Saeed Ajmal gets thrashed for 18 by Mike Hussey in the last over of the 2010 world cup semi-final.
We are very much in the game, It’s 2011, and we are playing against India at Mohali. But, unfortunately, YRG is in the crowd with the Indian Prime Minister, and we lose again.
The following six years are:
- Average Cricket.
- Crisis.
- No games back home.
- Misbah was doing what the poor chap can do best.
I had people to cheer, cry, laugh, and suffer almost heart attacks with me all these years.
Today, while sitting at a Starbucks in a remote corner of the Netherlands, I was as emotional as one could be, didn’t care what others would think of me screaming, gushing, and adjusting myself again and again.
To the men in green who have been with us from little boys to strong men, from shy supporters to fanatic fans, from clueless spectator to opinionated audience.
We owe you our laughter, joy, and happiness in an otherwise sad state of affairs.
Stay strong, stay united. The country needs you.
