Tense faces all across the country watched their screens intently as Pakistan battled it out in the ICC T20 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand and won by the widest of margins in a historic seven-wicket win. Pakistani cricket is alive again, even if only accidentally. Morale was down after an agonizing loss against India and Zimbabwe earlier in the series, but things turned around pretty quickly. If it wasn’t for South Africa’s fortuitous defeat at the hands of the Netherlands, the team may have never gained the confidence to play with such precision. Mohammed Rizwan and Babar Azam stunned on the field with a match-winning 105-run partnership; outperforming New Zealand and securing a spot in the World Cup finals against either India or England. The men in green have been in this position before-it wasn’t too long ago that Pakistan brought home the World Cup after a comprehensive win against New Zealand in the 1992 semi-finals before facing off against England in the final. Pakistan’s win comes at a crucial time. The team defied the odds amid rising political tensions and fears of civil unrest back home. Right now, all anyone can talk about is the country’s upcoming match in the T20 World Cup, which has lowered our collective defenses as we come together to celebrate our love of a sport that has united the country many times before. It is certainly a welcome distraction from PTI’s volatile long march and the chaos that was created in its wake. But the country needs many such moments of togetherness before it is able to stand united on other fronts. In just five days, Pakistan will face its biggest challenge yet. The team has been known to lose its mojo around India before, perhaps because of all the anticipation that comes with an Indo-Pak match-off. In the past, Pakistan’s erratic performance on the field has overshadowed its moments of brilliance which have been few and far in between. The team is definitely the underdog right now but with the country’s support, our boys could be headed for another historic victory. Will they succumb to the pressure, or will the famed events of 1992 repeat themselves again? *