Comment is free, sense is sacred
BY FAROOQ NOMANI
ON 03 21ST, 2011
Heres to Australias bitterness because without it, this victory probably wouldnt taste as sweet. As it happened, Ian Chappells cantankerous ramblings endowed this triumph with a wholesomely saccharine flavour it may otherwise have been devoid of.
There is no doubting that this Australian side does not stack up to those who have dominated this tournament for the last decade. Hence, this victory was in danger of losing some of its rightful appeal. However, Chappell reminded us that it is not just a team we overcame; it is a sickeningly superior attitude that has defined all contests with the Australians. And it is this sanctimonious arrogance that we prevailed against.
Anyone, partial or neutral, listening to the match commentary must have jerked their head in disbelief at some of the fairly provocative comments emanating from Chappell. During our first innings Chappell expressed his philosophical reservations against the signature Shahid Afridi pose. Apparently, Chappell detects an element of selfishness in Afridis gesture and fears that it detracts from the achievements of the team.
You know what else Chappell had problems with? Team huddles, of course. This excuse for recreational mingling was considered by Chappell, as a waste of time which is why, during his reign as captain, he would simply write notes on scraps of paper and expect his team-mates to pass it around, always maintaining arms-length distance from one another.
Finally, Chappell also chose to invoke some righteous imagery when he opined that Ricky Ponting would be looking to set the record straight in light of the cloud of scandal circling over the Sydney test match. In Chappells eyes, Ponting was the living embodiment of an Arthurian knight riding through the sinister countryside and drawing his fiery Sword of Morality and Shield of Integrity against the depraved humanity which populates his lands. Today, that Sword would be raised against the villainous Pakistanis who had dared sully the name of Australian cricket.
Chappells comments were utterly preposterous, bordering on maniacally defensive and bitter.
Afridis gesture is emblematic of a broader team ethos. It serves as a rally cry for his charges channeling and facilitating their ascendancy. Afridi is no dummy, despite what his shot selection on the day might suggest. He is fundamentally aware of his aura within the team. They view him as a talisman and when they sense his exhilaration, when they see his energy, it infects them in turn. Afridis celebration is not posturing or preening. It is mobilising and empowering.
Besides, give Shahid a break. So what if he strikes a pose? At least his arms and legs outstretched in an X looks cool, which is more than I can say for the ballerina-inspired jump by Brett Lee. I thought only cats in cartoons jump in the air sideways and click their heels. In the annals of cheesiness, that could only be topped by a white guy trying to sing a Hindi song alongside an Indian singer. Oh wait.
I fail to see how a huddle during the break is a time-wasting exercise. Is Chappell upset that the Pakistan team isnt constructively utilising all of the 45 minutes they are given between innings? Is our mid-innings assembly somehow threatening to disrupt the space-time continuum and unleash a wave of destructive energy through a quirk of physics only Chappell is privy to? Team huddles are a historical feature of the game and characterised the conquering Australian side under Steve Waugh. However, in Chappells defense, his aversion to the huddle can be traced back to his days in the Australian team post-1977, when all his team-mates ever spoke about in a huddle was the brawl between Ian Chappell and Ian Botham. Twice, mind you.
As for Ponting, I think his recent altercation with umpire Aleem Dar (together with a host of other on-field unpleasantness) hardly qualifies him for the mantle of Defender of All That is Good and Holy that Chappell might want to bestow upon him.
Furthermore, Chappell has no right to attempt to appropriate for the Australians alone the indignity suffered by the match-fixing saga. It is an affront to sportsmanship felt by all Pakistanis everywhere. We are keenly aware of the disgrace our players have brought upon the game and it is our hope to one day come to terms with this ordeal and feel genuinely proud of a team which is worthy of honourably representing our nation. Chappells implicit attempt to paint Australians as the only victims of that tragedy, is symptomatic of the self-indulgent imperiousness which typifies Australian cricket.
It is this conceit which has helped elevate a league victory into a defining triumph.
Look, there is no arguing that qualitatively this is not the Australia of 1999, 2003 and 2007. The Aussies are no longer the superpower of our sport and, in a sense, this victory may not carry the meaning it would have a couple of years ago. However, I for one feel that this holds true more for other teams and less so for Pakistan.
The challenges a team like Pakistan faces in every game is hardly limited to the 11 players in the opposing team. More often than not, they are also locked in a continuous struggle against their fragile psyches and the demons of their past. It is this emotional baggage that Pakistan contends with in every game in addition to the more tangible challenges on the field. And it is these hang-ups which elevate a game which should have been a cakewalk for a more composed side into a feat of astronomical proportions for our batsmen.
For all intents and purposes, Pakistan were not playing the Australian side as it currently stands with a miserably out-of-form middle order and a one-dimensional attack. In our minds, we were confronting the notion of Australia which has haunted us and the cricketing world for the past decade. And we conquered that perception which still manifests itself in the attitudes of Chappell, Ponting and Brad Haddin.
So when Umar Akmal accepted his Man-of-the-Match award, it was telling that he referenced the Sydney test match, a specter that has haunted Pakistan for almost two years. He admitted his own complicity in that crime and perhaps this was his apology for the trauma inflicted upon the nation as a consequence of his teams past actions.
It is this humility which will allow us to come to terms with the pain of the last 12 months. It is this humility which runs in perfect opposition to the arrogance of the Australians.
Fittingly, it is this humility which silenced Ian Chappell and the Australian machine.
http://blog.dawn.com/2011/03/21/comment-is-free-sense-is-sacred/
BY FAROOQ NOMANI
ON 03 21ST, 2011
Heres to Australias bitterness because without it, this victory probably wouldnt taste as sweet. As it happened, Ian Chappells cantankerous ramblings endowed this triumph with a wholesomely saccharine flavour it may otherwise have been devoid of.
There is no doubting that this Australian side does not stack up to those who have dominated this tournament for the last decade. Hence, this victory was in danger of losing some of its rightful appeal. However, Chappell reminded us that it is not just a team we overcame; it is a sickeningly superior attitude that has defined all contests with the Australians. And it is this sanctimonious arrogance that we prevailed against.
Anyone, partial or neutral, listening to the match commentary must have jerked their head in disbelief at some of the fairly provocative comments emanating from Chappell. During our first innings Chappell expressed his philosophical reservations against the signature Shahid Afridi pose. Apparently, Chappell detects an element of selfishness in Afridis gesture and fears that it detracts from the achievements of the team.
You know what else Chappell had problems with? Team huddles, of course. This excuse for recreational mingling was considered by Chappell, as a waste of time which is why, during his reign as captain, he would simply write notes on scraps of paper and expect his team-mates to pass it around, always maintaining arms-length distance from one another.
Finally, Chappell also chose to invoke some righteous imagery when he opined that Ricky Ponting would be looking to set the record straight in light of the cloud of scandal circling over the Sydney test match. In Chappells eyes, Ponting was the living embodiment of an Arthurian knight riding through the sinister countryside and drawing his fiery Sword of Morality and Shield of Integrity against the depraved humanity which populates his lands. Today, that Sword would be raised against the villainous Pakistanis who had dared sully the name of Australian cricket.
Chappells comments were utterly preposterous, bordering on maniacally defensive and bitter.
Afridis gesture is emblematic of a broader team ethos. It serves as a rally cry for his charges channeling and facilitating their ascendancy. Afridi is no dummy, despite what his shot selection on the day might suggest. He is fundamentally aware of his aura within the team. They view him as a talisman and when they sense his exhilaration, when they see his energy, it infects them in turn. Afridis celebration is not posturing or preening. It is mobilising and empowering.
Besides, give Shahid a break. So what if he strikes a pose? At least his arms and legs outstretched in an X looks cool, which is more than I can say for the ballerina-inspired jump by Brett Lee. I thought only cats in cartoons jump in the air sideways and click their heels. In the annals of cheesiness, that could only be topped by a white guy trying to sing a Hindi song alongside an Indian singer. Oh wait.
I fail to see how a huddle during the break is a time-wasting exercise. Is Chappell upset that the Pakistan team isnt constructively utilising all of the 45 minutes they are given between innings? Is our mid-innings assembly somehow threatening to disrupt the space-time continuum and unleash a wave of destructive energy through a quirk of physics only Chappell is privy to? Team huddles are a historical feature of the game and characterised the conquering Australian side under Steve Waugh. However, in Chappells defense, his aversion to the huddle can be traced back to his days in the Australian team post-1977, when all his team-mates ever spoke about in a huddle was the brawl between Ian Chappell and Ian Botham. Twice, mind you.
As for Ponting, I think his recent altercation with umpire Aleem Dar (together with a host of other on-field unpleasantness) hardly qualifies him for the mantle of Defender of All That is Good and Holy that Chappell might want to bestow upon him.
Furthermore, Chappell has no right to attempt to appropriate for the Australians alone the indignity suffered by the match-fixing saga. It is an affront to sportsmanship felt by all Pakistanis everywhere. We are keenly aware of the disgrace our players have brought upon the game and it is our hope to one day come to terms with this ordeal and feel genuinely proud of a team which is worthy of honourably representing our nation. Chappells implicit attempt to paint Australians as the only victims of that tragedy, is symptomatic of the self-indulgent imperiousness which typifies Australian cricket.
It is this conceit which has helped elevate a league victory into a defining triumph.
Look, there is no arguing that qualitatively this is not the Australia of 1999, 2003 and 2007. The Aussies are no longer the superpower of our sport and, in a sense, this victory may not carry the meaning it would have a couple of years ago. However, I for one feel that this holds true more for other teams and less so for Pakistan.
The challenges a team like Pakistan faces in every game is hardly limited to the 11 players in the opposing team. More often than not, they are also locked in a continuous struggle against their fragile psyches and the demons of their past. It is this emotional baggage that Pakistan contends with in every game in addition to the more tangible challenges on the field. And it is these hang-ups which elevate a game which should have been a cakewalk for a more composed side into a feat of astronomical proportions for our batsmen.
For all intents and purposes, Pakistan were not playing the Australian side as it currently stands with a miserably out-of-form middle order and a one-dimensional attack. In our minds, we were confronting the notion of Australia which has haunted us and the cricketing world for the past decade. And we conquered that perception which still manifests itself in the attitudes of Chappell, Ponting and Brad Haddin.
So when Umar Akmal accepted his Man-of-the-Match award, it was telling that he referenced the Sydney test match, a specter that has haunted Pakistan for almost two years. He admitted his own complicity in that crime and perhaps this was his apology for the trauma inflicted upon the nation as a consequence of his teams past actions.
It is this humility which will allow us to come to terms with the pain of the last 12 months. It is this humility which runs in perfect opposition to the arrogance of the Australians.
Fittingly, it is this humility which silenced Ian Chappell and the Australian machine.
http://blog.dawn.com/2011/03/21/comment-is-free-sense-is-sacred/
