The year in sports

2014 was a bittersweet year for Pakistan sports as the country experienced both success and failure in a variety of events. During 2014, Pakistan remained a sporting pariah as international teams continued to avoid it like the plague because of security concerns. Pakistan’s cricketing nomads flopped in the ICC World Twenty20 championship in Bangladesh. They did reach the final of the Asia Cup, also in Bangladesh, thanks to back-to-back match-winning knocks by flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi. But Pakistan fell to Sri Lanka in the title clash. The cricket team’s high point of the year came in the UAE when it crushed mighty Australia 2-0 in a brief Test series. But in the very next series, New Zealand brought Pakistan down to earth by drawing against us in all three formats. During the year, Misbah-ul-Haq became the most successful Pakistani captain in Tests, leapfrogging the legendary duo of Imran Khan and Javed Miandad. Veteran batsman Younis Khan transformed himself into a run-machine and was the star performer for Pakistan in Tests. Sarfraz Ahmed also sizzled and in the process cemented his place in the national team. Most of 2014 was spent finding the right combination for the World Cup but Pakistan remained miles away from achieving that target. One of the primary reasons was the suspension of spin duo Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez because of illegal bowling actions. With the start of 2015, Pakistan announced a final 15-man squad for the World Cup but not many expect it to go all the way in the quadrennial spectacle.
Internationally, cricket’s biggest and saddest story was the death of Australia’s Phil Hughes who succumbed to a regulation bouncer during a Sheffield Shield match. In the boardroom, India finally succeeded in taking over world cricket with the help of England and Australia. The so-called Big Three wrested control of major powers in the International Cricket Council and will now enjoy a greater slice of cricket’s revenue pie. In hockey, Pakistan came agonisingly close to winning two major titles – Asian Games and Champions Trophy. But it lost in the final matches of both. Many hailed 2014 as the year of the revival of Pakistan hockey even though the green-shirts continued to lag far behind the top-tier teams. In squash, Pakistan celebrated minor victories during a year when its new-found minnow status was further cemented because of a below-par performance by the country’s players. There were some laurels won in sports like snooker and kabaddi but overall Pakistan sports’ stock remained bearish during the year. Elsewhere in the world, the biggest spectacle of the year was the Fifa World Cup where a young German team gave a stunning performance to win the coveted title. Host Brazil also earned accolades for staging an event that exceeded all expectations.