To Celebrate or Not Celebrate?

[Dhondy]

Pakistan have been humiliated again, and are probably out of the cup. Do you feel happy, sad, slightly bemused? Maybe you feel delighted, but feel embarassed to bring out the dhol? Or do you feel some diffidence at seeing their cricket plumb such depths? After all, we share a common culture, don't we? Does the constant breast beating and wailing coming across the yonder actually sound like music to your ears? Or do you just feel sadness at the crumbling edifice that was once Pakistani cricket? After all, this is a side that is reeling from drug scandals, from rejection of its right to host cricket matches by nation after western nation, from a breakdown of its hitherto talunt-churning domestic structure, from losing almost all its admittedly second rate players to a rival cricket league, from the crushing burden of defeat after soul destroying defeat, but above all, from the chagrin of seeing its much despised neighbour's fortunes wax as theirs waned. While India stand second in the Test tables, Pakistan flounder at 7th. India are on the cusp of going 3rd in the ODI rankings. Pakistan plummets towards the bottom at sixth. There's no greater blow to the ordinary Joe Ahmad on the potholed streets of Lahore. How do you regard these vicissitudes? With unbridled joy? With indifference? Or sadness?

[DomainK]

Well, Dhondy, I would confess. I am feeling a little guilty for the fact that I am indeed delighted. I wanted this to happen. I am happy that this happened.

[Dhondy]

Domaink, do you know, you voiced my exact thoughts. That's exactly how I feel. How weird is that!

[THX_1138]

Neither... its tedious to be sympathetic towards a fool who stumbles into the same mistakes as before: selecting the likes of Afridi, Iftikar Anjum and Yousuf when there is abundant evidence that these three and a few others are sum zero cricketers: their benefit to the team is matched by their futility and their lack of skill. And at the same time it is difficult to be joyful in the agony of an adversary beyond a certain junction. I can rejoice in Australia's failures (how so ever few and far inbetween they are) simply because they are not a helpless opposition are strong enough to win any day of the week; however, Pakistan is just minor echelon above the genuine minows such as Hong Kong, Kenya, and Bangladesh, and thus their failure is well... inevitable. I do hope they grow up a bit and eject Afridi once and for all after this last disaster!

[Ram]

Definitely no unbridled joy for me. The only thing that affects my emotions are the fortunes of the Indian cricket team. If our team wins, I am elated, if it loses, I am muted( not depressed, mind you. Sports isnt something that you should allow to sadden you). I couldnt bother more about what other teams are doing. Why waste time thinking about someone elses' rise and ebbs? But for Pakistan however, its more of disbelief coz of how that team can play so badly, especially against India. I spent all my formative 'cricket watching years' ( from the mid-90s onwards) getting used to images of the ruthless, talented Pakistani team, putting it past the Indian team, often. Players like Saeed Anwar, Ijaz Ahmed, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis etc evoked nightmarish sentiments inside of me, given how often they would help their team to win from almost impossible situations. Pakistan, then, was famous for its fighting qualities. But now, I am almost amazed to see how toothless their team is. Its like they step on the field with zero belief and confidence. Sure, they may still win the odd one here and there against us coz of the brutal probabilities of sport, but its an acknowledged fact that since WC 2003 onwards, we have been the comprehensively better team, beating them in one big stage after another, which is remarkable, given India's tendencies to choke in big stages against Pakistan. Right now, an India-Pakistan encounter doesnt even carry a fifth of the hype/intensity that it carried even 10 years ago.

[PaiN_KiLLeR]

I am happy. I hope to see Pakistan lose whenver they take to the field. But having said that, I do miss the individual brilliance of some Pakistani players like Imran, Wasim & Waqar who redifined cricket in the subcontinent.

[Predator_05]

I pity their fans. The way they delude themselves into thinking that Afridi is a good player, that they are a better team than India, that they have an assembly line of phaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasht bowlers that can replace Wasim, Waqar, etc. An entire generation of pakis hasn't even seen Wasim and Waqar, knowing them only through the vast collection of videos that they have uploaded onto youtube to console themselves - they know nothing but defeat against India and feel confused trying to ape their elders in their berating of the far superior Indians, failing to understand how they can do so when it's clear to anyone with a semblance of sanity that India are a far better team. I really pity them.

[Dhondy]

Wow! Those are a very good read, THX and Sriram, and the one above by Domaink, so succint, yet pregnant with meaning. You fellas can write, that's for sure.

[Guest BossBhai]

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[Dravid]

this was bound to happen once a camera was aimed at the pitch at all times, ball was chked after every over, and dope testing was done more often....pak is out of options right now :D as for celebrations... i am a little bit , but will go all out once they r not counted as a test playing nation :D

[Gambit]

Pakistan losing always brings a smile to my face but nothing compared to the joy I get when India win. Pak used to be my second fav team in the 90s but after interacting with Pak fans, Pak were quickly displaced from my favourites and now, I love it when they lose. Something which they do quite often these days. Atleast during our dark days of the 90s, we put across some amazing wins over them in the big tournaments. Something that kept us fans going. But Pak fans have nothing. After all, nothing can be more soul crushing than a world cup final loss to your arch rivals.

[Lurker]

I would like to say I am indifferent to Pakistan's loss but that would be partially correct. The truth is while I am indifferent for the most part if/when Pakistan suffers a loss, I do feel a sharp pinch, even so momentary, when they win. It is kinda hard to put in words. I dont get any happiness by their loss but I do suffer some angst by their win.

[sandtest]

Well expressed OP...for the first time I liked "lekh" of Dr. Dhondy. The reason to feel happy, yet guilty of how neighboring Cricket nation is going down the drain and their is no hope of resurrection are many. Why we feel happy, well, look in past, Pakistani fans in particular and society in general had developed this vague chest thumping about it's 'Mardaangi" (the manhood), about it's meat eating, more arabized than arab superiority complex. Islamic republic of pakistan is the only society which believes in Martian race theory, Taller and Fairer than Dravidian Bhindians is the social engineering peddled among paki society. Their inevitable downfall will serve a good lesson among human kind. Why feel guilty, coz obviously now we won't have an arch rival and their Cricket board, conmpetent enough to stand on their own. Living on Khairat and mercy of Indian board, our guilt feeling in Cricket can be justified.

[Ram]

I honestly think that one masterful innings by Sachin against 'em in WC 2003, was the beginning of new era of domination for us. Till then, Pakistan won more than they lost against us, but since that match, the baton has decisively changed hands. If that started the slide, then Sehwag's triple in Multan nailed a few more nails into the coffin and the T20 triumph paid the final tributes by laying a few more wreath on the burial site.

[Guest BossBhai]

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[sandtest]

We share the same DNA marker thats about where the similarities end ...

Well said, as always.

[riya]

I never feel any sympathy for the pakistani people for their arrogance such as ''Eating meat will make any Abdullah into an Imran khan or wasim Akram ''.

[riya]

I honestly think that one masterful innings by Sachin against 'em in WC 2003, was the beginning of new era of domination for us. Till then, Pakistan won more than they lost against us, but since that match, the baton has decisively changed hands. If that started the slide, then Sehwag's triple in Multan nailed a few more nails into the coffin and the T20 triumph paid the final tributes by laying a few more wreath on the burial site.

They never give credit to Sehwag's knock claiming that he was lucky with dropped catches :giggle: However the great Khan has called him the ''boogey man '',thats enough for me.

[Guest dada_rocks]

I honestly believe a real contest sans ball-tampering umpiring fixing India was always as good as any pakistani team ever all along the history.. all that skewed overall numbers in head to head contest are thanks to too many shady dealing on their part.. these days ICC is not allowing that to happen hence the lull.. To answer the original question.. the gulf between two teams is so huge that i don't get worked up even when they win once in a while against us , let alone their win or loss against other teams..

[sandtest]

I never feel any sympathy for the pakistani people for their arrogance such as ''Eating meat will make any Abdullah into an Imran khan or wasim Akram ''.

This superiority complex is not just limited till Cricket. It reflects a carefully done social engineering to prove Islamic superiority over the rest -- the very reason for seperation. If anyone followed their media after Kargil incident and gone through reader comments in Daily Times of Pakistan, there were many readers commenting -- One Pakistani Soldier = Ten Veggie Indian Soldier. And now in 2008, those same very tall and fair, meat eating "Mards" are unable to protect themselves from their fellow Talibunnies and every second day are taken to hostage. karma is such a thing, my dear pakis.!!