Pakistan team road to glory for no.1 side

Pakistan’s love affair with the Arabian venues continued when they yet again returned victorious on their new hunting ground:The Ring of Fire. When Pakistan took the field on 4^th day at the DSC, there was skepticism amid an air of positivism that has engulfed this Pakistan outfit.

Helped by some inauspicious shot selection by England’s batsmen but with conditions not as conducive as expected, the bowlers put in a Herculean effort for Pakistan to make history.

Pakistan’s first series whitewash against England is not just a whitewash. What it meant to a nation stricken by innumerable problems was evident when people took it to the streets, dancing in mirth, exchanging sweets, overwhelmed by the fact that their heroes had beaten an adversary ranked much higher than them, not to mention the No.1 Test side in the world.

The momentous victory has come at, hopefully, an end of a turbulent period for Pakistan cricket. A torment that started in 2010 ended in the most incredible of manner for Pakistan, who have now stretched their unbeaten series run to six.The most perplexing aspect of their upward curve has been their consistency, a rarity in preceding Pakistan outfits.

With this lustrous performance, not only have they exceeded the most optimistic of predictions but have re-enchanted many erstwhile fans. Though, how much this victory serves in bringing cricket back to Pakistan remains to be seen. With the Bangladesh series just around the corner, Pakistan can well afford to dream of a seventh consecutive series without facing a defeat.

Since the team’s inception, it has been classified as unpredictable. Misbah’s men, however, seem to have altered that impression with a string of persistent performances.The spellbinding sight of Pakistani bowlers banging it in short, turning it miles, bamboozling the batsmen with doosras, reversing the ball mercurially, the batsmen grinding in for runs, show glimpses of the past, a past which was erratic yet better in many ways than the horrors of 2010.

They say the night is darkest just before the dawn. Misbah and Co. have proved that an obdurate draw against South Africa wasn’t a false dawn. It has only gotten brighter since then for Pakistan cricket. Moreover, they’ve clung to their title of being the ‘cornered tigers’ of world cricket. Every time an adversity has hit them, they’ve come out roaring.

For people unfamiliar with Pakistan cricket’s peculiar history, this whole scenario is nothing short of madness. Success of this Pakistan team surely supports the notion that Pakistan is back into international cricket as a force to reckon with. They might rise to fall again and fall to rise again but this victory will go down in history as one of cricket’s most epic battles for honor.