An Australian’s tears

KARACHI:

The match ended, and the players began celebrating the victory. Amidst the celebrations, someone asked, “Where is the captain?” When they looked around, they saw him covering his eyes with his arm, shedding tears. Shortly after, he joined the team in celebration. This scene took place after Hyderabad Kingsmen’s victory over Islamabad United in the PSL.

Throughout the match, the winning team remained dominant. They had to defend 28 runs in the last two overs. The ball was handed to their most reliable bowler, Mohammad Ali, who had bowled impressively throughout the tournament. He was performing well in this match too, but in cricket, composure is just as important as passion. One must control emotions.

During the match, Mohammad Ali had a heated exchange with Mark Chapman. Other players intervened and separated them, but the fast bowler became overwhelmed by emotion. When he came to bowl at the death, he had lost his line and length. Chris Green and Faheem Ashraf capitalized on this and scored 22 runs.

Now, 22-year-old Hunain Shah had to defend just 6 runs in the final over. Everyone knows that in T20 cricket, even 20 runs can be scored in an over. Out of those 6 runs, even 4 could easily come from an edge to the boundary. I’m sure many Kingsmen fans must have switched off their TVs at that moment and started criticizing Mohammad Ali.

But Hunain did something remarkable. The same two batters who had scored 22 runs in the previous over suddenly seemed frozen. Their bats had no life. Due to a slow over rate, Kingsmen had to keep an extra fielder inside the circle, yet the opposition couldn’t take advantage. The yorkers were spot on and didn’t turn into full tosses.

When Imad Wasim came in to bat, he struck a powerful shot that would normally have gone for four, but luck was on Kingsmen’s side,the ball went straight into a fielder’s hands. When the final ball didn’t go to the boundary, the ground erupted in celebration.

In that moment, Labuschagne’s tears were unforgettable. We often think that Western players are devoid of emotion, that they come here only to make money. But this Australian had nothing to lose financially if the team had lost. Despite that, his deep involvement showed how PSL’s environment makes foreign players feel at home. In just a few days, he had begun to treat the team as his own.

This is the true success of our league.

Not just Kingsmen,if we look at Karachi Kings, we see the example of David Warner, who also gave his all on the field. Take Lahore Qalandars,any foreign player who joins them always speaks highly of the experience. This is not limited to one franchise. When these foreign players return to their countries and praise Pakistan, it helps build our soft image globally.

During this PSL, I attended a team dinner and saw how big international superstars were joking and mingling with young, relatively unknown Pakistani cricketers. These players go back home and still remember Pakistan’s chicken karahi and malai boti.

Back in their own countries, when they land at the airport, hardly anyone comes to receive them,they might have to take an Uber ride for going home. But in Pakistan, they are treated like royalty upon arrival till departure.

Kingsmen’s journey in this PSL is like a fairy tale. Fawad Sarwar is one of the wealthiest American Pakistani  personalities. Though originally from Hyderabad, he moved to the U.S. but never forgot his roots. A passionate cricket lover, he built teams and stadiums there and helped shape the lives of many Pakistani cricketers. Many players holding green cards today owe part of that to him.

One Kingsmen player told me that just like wealthy people here have garages for their cars, Fawad has a garage for his private jets. He often flies to Pakistan for just a day or two on his jet, yet he has no arrogance,he treats everyone equally.

By purchasing a PSL team for 1.75 billion, he showed remarkable courage, which helped the PCB cross the 2 billion mark.

When Kingsmen was formed, there was heavy criticism,Labuschagne was made captain despite having played only one T20 International, American-based Pakistani players were included, an out-of-form Saim Ayub was picked for millions, and several other decisions were questioned.

After losing their first four matches, critics targeted them even more. Mohammad Rizwan, captain of Rawalpindiz (a team that had won only one out of ten matches), even said, “I don’t want Kingsmen to reach the playoffs,they don’t deserve it.”

But what happened next, the world saw.

The team has now reached the final, winning 7 of their last 8 matches. Bowlers like Mohammad Ali, Hunain Shah, and Akif Javed played a major role,no other team’s pacers have taken more wickets this season than Kingsmen’s.

Usman Khan is the fourth-highest run-scorer with 381 runs. Labuschagne has also contributed well with the bat. Though Saim hasn’t regained form, Maxwell’s arrival has injected new life into the team.

On the other hand, Peshawar Zalmi, led by Babar Azam, has been almost unbeatable, losing only one match. Kusal Mendis has been outstanding with the bat, while Sufyan Muqeem leads with 21 wickets.

A thrilling contest awaits fans on Sunday. Whoever wins the trophy, the real victory will be for Pakistani cricket.

Once again, through our hospitality, we have won hearts.