I had a thought the other day that took me back to a question that I used to ask myself repeatedly since becoming a PCT fan, question being 'Do the fans not deserve better?'
I just couldn't fathom the fact that a strong 225 million extremely passionate fan base was being put through humiliating heartbreak repeatedly by players and a board that we looked up to in particularly difficult times for Pakistani's in general.
I mean, yeah there will be moments where this article will paint a doom and gloom aura, but this is to try and put the point forward as best as my limited creative ability will allow me to.
Before I go forward, of course, I must stress, I don't want us to ignore the many achievements and jubilation our legends have put us through, the 80's was an amazing era where we were the only team that put the GOAT of the era, the West Indies at bay, we won the '92 world cup against all odds, we were treated to the greatness of our terrifying pace battery starting with the Fazal Mahmood era, resulting in the legendary Kaptaan Imran Khan creating and releasing the 2 W's and then Shoaib Akhtar following the pack. We of course celebrated the greatness of our 2009 WC T20 final and an amazing spirited campaign in the 2017 CT, so there is much to celebrate but ....
So "did the fans deserve better?"
I would like to think, the answer would be a resounding yes unless we have someone who wishes to play devil's advocate.
But after 12 years since that 2010 expose that continues to haunt, I feel forced to adapt my question and ask "do the players deserve better?"
Looking at the current set up, we have a genuine captain who wears his heart on his sleeve, he is consistently developing his game and trying his upmost to develop a team alongside the management that will challenge all opponents in all conditions, he is backed by a core group of loyal friends in Mohammed Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan who walk the walk for sure. We have an injection of youth that refuse to take no for an answer which is best personified by Naseem's scintillating spell against India whilst his body was tearing him apart. This group of boys are brothers and share a significant bonhomie that is showcased by the BTS footage uploaded regularly from a now savvy PCB media group.
Did you know, as a bonus, we now have a strong PCB that is working day and night to enhance, maximise and monetise the appeal and future of the PCT not just locally but also globally whilst working on it's relationship with PCT fans.
But yet, we still have this dark cloud hanging over our boys, of doom and despair, we continue to see ex players make extremely disparaging remarks, we see a slew of ethnic media giving a ethnic mix to the team and we see fan clubs forming on social media that engage in verbal fistfights with each other to enhance their agenda.
Why must we do this? Why do we not appreciate what the boys do for us on a regular basis? I am not suggesting, there is no issue, there is and there always will be, but let's be constructive in our criticism, I must confess I am no saint, before cancel culture digs out my previous posts and tweets but may be it is time we reflect on our behaviour?
I am by no means, discouraging fans from celebrating players from their region or ethnic background, I'm suggesting that it be celebrated and used in a positive manner to enhance and improve infrastructure in said regions, I am by no means even discouraging fan clubs, they're a great tool for players to connect with fans and enhance a players appeal globally but let's not denigrate another fan club to further some non-existent agenda which is essentially just us soothing our egos.
I must stress, I am not stating that all fans are the same, there are some brilliant fans out there who go above and beyond for PCT but I do believe it is time to point out and educate the fans who act like the players of the 90's and early 2000's did and refuse to stop their petty ego soothing agendas.
I just couldn't fathom the fact that a strong 225 million extremely passionate fan base was being put through humiliating heartbreak repeatedly by players and a board that we looked up to in particularly difficult times for Pakistani's in general.
I mean, yeah there will be moments where this article will paint a doom and gloom aura, but this is to try and put the point forward as best as my limited creative ability will allow me to.
Before I go forward, of course, I must stress, I don't want us to ignore the many achievements and jubilation our legends have put us through, the 80's was an amazing era where we were the only team that put the GOAT of the era, the West Indies at bay, we won the '92 world cup against all odds, we were treated to the greatness of our terrifying pace battery starting with the Fazal Mahmood era, resulting in the legendary Kaptaan Imran Khan creating and releasing the 2 W's and then Shoaib Akhtar following the pack. We of course celebrated the greatness of our 2009 WC T20 final and an amazing spirited campaign in the 2017 CT, so there is much to celebrate but ....
As always here comes the infamous 'but', these achievements always fell in between multiple controversies that shook and rocked the core of Pakistan cricket on multiple occasions and would ignore the plethora of heartbreaks and controversies.
Generation after generation, were subjected to the ridicule of the soul destroying infighting wasting what should have been Pakistan's cricket greatest era in the 90's, there was the dubious 1999 world cup final, there was the disastrous 2003 and 2007 world cup campaigns, there was the expose of the Justice Qayuum report that painted heroes as villains, there was drug use allegations, the infamous moment a player bit a ball openly only to later claim that he thought it was an apple and then arguably this all culminated in our sins of 20 years catching up to us in 2010 with the devastating and heart wrenching spot fixing expose that rocked the core of not only the Pakistan cricket but also world cricket in general.
We finally hit rock bottom in a spectacular manner, in this moment of great despair, we collectively, maybe innocently looked to the PCB for inspiration, hope and guidance only to receive a spit on the face from the money-pot, politically motivated dictators who oversaw this period of heartbreak with a smirk that would lead to a complete collapse of hope in the heart of the fans.So "did the fans deserve better?"
I would like to think, the answer would be a resounding yes unless we have someone who wishes to play devil's advocate.
But after 12 years since that 2010 expose that continues to haunt, I feel forced to adapt my question and ask "do the players deserve better?"
Did you know, as a bonus, we now have a strong PCB that is working day and night to enhance, maximise and monetise the appeal and future of the PCT not just locally but also globally whilst working on it's relationship with PCT fans.
But yet, we still have this dark cloud hanging over our boys, of doom and despair, we continue to see ex players make extremely disparaging remarks, we see a slew of ethnic media giving a ethnic mix to the team and we see fan clubs forming on social media that engage in verbal fistfights with each other to enhance their agenda.
Why must we do this? Why do we not appreciate what the boys do for us on a regular basis? I am not suggesting, there is no issue, there is and there always will be, but let's be constructive in our criticism, I must confess I am no saint, before cancel culture digs out my previous posts and tweets but may be it is time we reflect on our behaviour?
I am by no means, discouraging fans from celebrating players from their region or ethnic background, I'm suggesting that it be celebrated and used in a positive manner to enhance and improve infrastructure in said regions, I am by no means even discouraging fan clubs, they're a great tool for players to connect with fans and enhance a players appeal globally but let's not denigrate another fan club to further some non-existent agenda which is essentially just us soothing our egos.
I must stress, I am not stating that all fans are the same, there are some brilliant fans out there who go above and beyond for PCT but I do believe it is time to point out and educate the fans who act like the players of the 90's and early 2000's did and refuse to stop their petty ego soothing agendas.
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