Wednesday 24 June 2009

Stand Up For The Champions !


I was proud to have the opportunity to witness it. The climate was scorching , the venue was first class, the line ups were an idealist script for this unique occasion especially when taking into consideration all the troublesome times the county has faced, the teams arrival in the final had brought back a spark of patriotism and unity.

Anyhow let’s progress to the match and moments of the day itself. The atmosphere was electrifying. The crowd was largely populated by energetic Pakistani supporters, here with a determined desire of getting across the line and repeating that magical day in 1992. “ Afridi Afridi” they chanted away and oh boy he didn’t fail to live up to the expectations as Pakistan clinched glory to the pleasure of the entire nation. This is a cause of celebration and acknowledgement. The reaction back home has been fulfilled with happiness. Certainly this is a moment one shall cherish for a long time to come.

A few reasons why we emerged as champions !

Captaincy determination – He looked so strict in the field towards the latter half of the competition. This showed desire and fighting spirit. We could see that this was a pumped up unit.

Effective combinations – We found the winning formula in the New Zealand match such as when to turn to Gul and when to utilise Afridi in the batting line up. We were able to maintain this winning strategy from that game onwards.

Spinners – Enable to apply or restrict a “squeeze” on the opposition with their guile in the middle period. They consistently performed, claiming a handful of wickets and bowling economically

Akmal’s cameo - Set the tone and momentum for further consolidation. Utilised the fielding restrictions and played freely. Really put the opposition on the back foot frequently.

A good blend of experience and youth- Builds a good team morale.

19 comments:

Abdullah said...

Must Watch :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsbHOApd8-Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glTV-EOGdRc

Stani Army said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Stani Army said...

By far we had the best fans at the World Cup! It makes a change from the hooligans of the past! I was well impressed that none of the Stanis ran on the field at the conclusion of play.

Younis' captaincy improved as the tournament went on. Everything kind of fell into place as if it was written.

Maz, when you blog on Stani Army, be sure to leave your URL with a lowercase "m" (maza786.blogspot.com) so people can link to your site. Capital "M" makes it a dead link. I'll try to change the older ones. Cheers

Stani Army said...

Nope, it's not that Maz. You didn't enter your URL at all!

You should leave it in the "website" field when you post comment on Stani Army so people can click on your name to go straight to your site.

Q said...

U were there Maza! Awesome!!

U got to witness probably the most memorable moment in Pakstan's history since 1992!

Abdullah said...

Oh right thanks for informing and clearing up on the URL system. Greatly appreciated.

"By far we had the best fans at the World Cup! It makes a change from the hooligans of the past! I was well impressed that none of the Stanis ran on the field at the conclusion of play".

Yes in fact they did whilst the lap of honour was taking place but the passionate brainwashed individuals were immediately sent into prosecution. Painful sight.

As Regards the team morale we certainly peaked at the right time !

Abdullah said...

Yh Q it's a moment none of us shall forget. I met Wasim Bari.

Q said...

Must have been some moment Maza.. i remember when I met Wasim Akram, i was jittering!

Abdullah said...

I have also in the past met Younis Khan while he was playing for Nottinghamshire and my favourite player Mushtaq Ahmed aka Mushy when he was playing for Sussex.

When I went for a visit in Lahore I met the entire Pakistan team due to some family friendship relation with the Gaddafi stadium grounds man.

Abdullah said...

Q must must watch the links . One of the biggest hits on youtube on Monday. U can really feel the passion !

Abdullah said...

PS share any feedback !

Stani Army said...

No worries Maz.

I met the great man Inzi back in '92 I think it was. We were playing Middlesex....the days when we used to have Ata-ur-Rehman in our side!

I got the big man's autograph though...still have it stashed away somewhere.

Abdullah said...

WOW STANI !

Stani Army said...

Those were the days when you could approach a cricketer!

I'll scan it some day and put it up on Stani Army.

My folks tell me Inzi's got a big long beard now. Anyone seen him on tv lately?

Abdullah said...

Unfortunately I haven't Stani

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Abdullah said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Abdullah said...

This victory and T20 triumph was significant because:

- It rejuvenated the nation. Previously it was in a state of political and social turmoil and the centre face of terrorist threats. The triumph finally provided the people with happiness to savour upon and united the country again with patriotism. This showed there was “light at the end of the tunnel” in a difficult period for the troubled nation. It was a dedication to the people of Pakistan.

- It was a long time since Pakistan won a major world competition. In fact a gap of 17 years.

Abdullah said...

Golden moments+ Performances.

1)Akmal’s flourish of boundaries in his cameo of 23 of 13 balls in the semi. This set the tone for the game, seized the initiative and sent the intent.

2) 4 consecutive boundaries for Afridi of Botha. Excellent tactics.

3)Afridi getting the wickets of Gibbs and De Villiers in quick succession. These were crucial scalps which turned around the game when it was just going in RSA’S direction.

4)Aamer’s intelligent plan of bowling short to Dilshan, the inform dangerous player in the final. This resulted in him departing for zilch. He was out undone by a technical weakness and again seized the initiative in a big game.

5)Afridi’s catch against New Zealand. This transformed Pakistan’s fortune in the competition: “fortune is with the skilful and hard workers “

6)Ajmal’s doosra’s against Ireland ensured there was no Irish upset. He got that ball to "bite" in a well disguised manner.They appeared to be clueless against him as Pak progressed to the knockout stages.

7) Gul's 5-6 . Outstanding figures which say it all. Consistency and accuracy of that "Yorker" was a wonderful exhibition! He rattled those stumps on numerous occasions. A skill which is needed in T20 .

8) Razzaq's return. His experience came a handful. He bowled superbly with his persistent medium pacers in the final.

9) Abdul Qadir's resignation brought a change of hope ! (just for humour)

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