Editorial Victory and loss Friday, April 01, 2011

Source : http://thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=39294&Cat=8

Pakistan’s brave cricketing performance at the World Cup should make us all proud. The maturity with which most people have accepted the loss suggests this has already happened and that the team will be warmly received as it returns. This is how things should be. Winning and losing are simply part of every sport. But even though the loss has been taken well, we should consider the impact of the initial hype – especially on the very young. They must not be denied excitement, but it is also important that they learn that defeating India is not a matter of life and death.

It is, in cricketing terms, time also to think about the future. Despite the absence of three key players due to match fixing bans, our team has shown it has huge potential. Shahid Afridi’s skills as a leader were also on display. But we need to review our fielding efforts, at a time when this aspect of the game has become vital - and also the wicket-keeping arena. The PCB, guilty of much mismanagement in the past, needs to set itself up on more professional lines and give our boys in the field the kind of backing they deserve. An objective analysis of why the team manager, coach and others failed to give proper timely instructions to the captain and players during the match should also be done. For now, the frenzy we saw in the build-up to what turned out to be a wonderful game at Mohali may have faded. But the degree of anticipation demonstrated just how deep the love for the sport runs. It is time to put on our thinking caps and find ways to build on our success. Much can be achieved by placing merit above all else and introducing the greater professionalism that more and more teams have been able to adopt, enabling them to put in better preparation, more planning, and consequently, deliver improved performances. 

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