With Afridi’s precision-guided missiles shining through stumps after stumps, there really was little Blue Tigers could do on Sunday. Azam was just as sharpened of a dagger. His immaculate timing and flawless footwork shepherded Pakistan to a perfect scorecard. 152 with all ten wickets in the arsenal. What an inning! What a night! And after a long, long spell of 29 years, what a splendid gift for the grief-stricken nation! As cricket fans poured into streets, blaring car horns and setting off firecrackers to blazon the perfect winning knock, streets in Pakistan thumped with a rare display of patriotic pride. Social media was abuzz with bursts of brilliant memes and catchy hashtags. 19 decisive balls had made the whole country stand in unison to celebrate their moment in the whirlwind of the so-called gentlemen’s game. And why shouldn’t it? Cricket is never just a game when it comes to India and Pakistan. No matter how steadfastly the big bosses try to keep the political faultlines away, the moment Greenshirts walk into a stadium to compete against the Blues, air becomes dense with an eerie enthusiasm. Those in any doubt would do better to ask millions glued to televisions screens (or the screens that dash to grounds on either side, every single time) during the blockbuster encounter. Still grimacing at the heartaches of this season (Kiwis’ abrupt cancellation with England following suit), a win against India could not have come at a better time. Colourful headlines had made round over several changes in the World Cup Squad. Add that to our modest preparations upon the bonus layer of the pressure of competing against an unwinnable rival (for 12 years straight)! Like always, antagonistic flair ran on full steam. The fact that Sunday’s match went on was nothing short of a miracle in the wake of intense boycott calls from New Delhi. Quite surprisingly, political leadership in Pakistan was similarly upset, if not at the game going ahead then at a candid shot of the PM enjoying the stunning drubbing. The rather distasteful tit-for-tat between Maryam Nawaz and Fawad Chaudhry reflects an unfortunate microcosm of our society. Our ride on the dreary highway has been so long-drawn-out that we have (for the lack of a better word) forgotten how to deal with triumphs. So insistent are we to beat the drum about our shortcomings that it becomes a crime to enjoy these fleeting moments of joy. Don’t you lose a goodnight’s sleep, Mr Prime Minister, you were well within your rights to push your boat out. After all, a team that has enjoyed an underdog reputation for far too long brought you a laurel that would be remembered for generations. However, following the lead of Azam’s dressing room speech, “enjoy but (not) get(ting) overexcited,” is the key mantra. Now that you’ve had your frolic, get back to steering your country out of its perpetually-mired stalemates. *