A Victory through a Loss......

23^rd March 2011, was the day when all the anticipation and excitement got started. When Pakistan won its Quarter Final from Zimbabwe and reached to SEMI- FINAL on 30^th March 2011, which was from none other than our historical foe, India.

Historically speaking, the Pakistanis can never accept and bear any cricket defeat to India, as the two neighboring states are archrival teams. All Pakistanis including me got surprisingly crazy by hearing this news. TV channels turned to tarot card readers and soothsayers to predict the outcome of the crucial Indo-Pak match.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced that all government offices would close at noon that day so that people could watch the Indian and Pakistani teams facing off at Mohali in a game that will showcase one of the world's most intense sporting rivalries. Pakistan was firmly in the grip of cricket fever those days, with people offering special prayers for the success of their national team against arch-rival India in the World Cup semi-final in Mohali. It was declared a FINAL before a FINAL. Across Pakistan, people offered special prayers for the success of the Pakistani team led by Shahid Afridi. Prayers were also organized by the minority Hindu and Sikh communities.

As the ubiquitous talk shows and news channels shifted their focus to the semi-final and the cricket diplomacy initiated by the Prime Ministers of the two countries, tarot card readers, soothsayers and 'malangs' at Sufi shrines were roped in to predict the outcome of the game that is expected to be fiercely contested by the South Asian rivals. In short we all nation were in this thought that "It's time to put the pedal to the metal and counter extremism with culture."

In Lahore, thousands of fans are expected to watch the game on big screens at Gaddafi Stadium. Large screens have also been erected at the sprawling Fatima Jinnah Park and the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad. But how can we Karachians stay behind when all these amusements going all over Pakistan and not in Karachi. Large LED screens were arranged at different elegant places like The Pearl and Beach view. And all other unaffordable fans could also watch it on big screens arranged at different universities, colleges and parks near-by, where entry to these venues will be free.

In all these anticipation, we all cousins also planned to watch it at Beach view. We were very excited to reach there and made our preparation fully enthusiastic by putting on everything Green and White including our dresses and face paintings by drawing our PAK flag on it. We decided to be there an hour before the match starts. The match had to be started at 14:00 PSt and we left home at 12.

The adventure started when we dropped out feet near its gate. There was too much rush out there. Thousands of postulants were seeking to get in with dozens of tickets in their hands but unfortunately the venue was completely full. It was only a wish to accomplish the distance between WE and the Gate. But we did not lose our hopes and decided to wait there till the last hope left.

It was the time the match had to be started and we were still waiting out to accomplish our target. At last we decided to get back from there. When we were thinking for it, suddenly a Loud discord was heard from inside. When investigated, we knew some of the boys messed up being violent and broken the LED screen inside. Everything became a mess at every which way within a moment. We without thinking anymore seek our way back. 

After getting finally hopelessness and after wasting our first half of the match by just watching through mobile radio and sms's, we got way back to home side park, where a smaller but big enough screen was set up. All our relatives and family members were enjoying there. We too joined there.

We initially continued watching the second inning when Pak batting started. Prayed, when any player out and shouted with excitement when there was any boundary. The chances were going against Pakistani team, but our hopes were still alive and our belief on prayers was still there till the last ball of the innings.

But We lost........:( with all our hopes..........

It was great upset for me. I ended watching it with shedding buckets of tears and lot of grieves. The upset became more upset when our captain Shahid Afridi apologized to his nation for the great loss.

We prayed, prayed and prayed, but did not realize that DID WE EVER PRAYED REGULARLY WITH THIS DEVOTION BEFORE? 

In media words, we lost the match but, in my words we won it leaving deep love and emotions for our Pakistan and our team. This match brought those loving expressions for our country which we had left many years before. This match made us forget all those mishaps from which our nation is been going through. Since before it, our nation only knew how to discourage but the encouragement from the nation even after getting lost, is worthless.

This loss and greatest sorrow taught us that, in Cricket, passion and pressure are two sides of a coin.