Cricket and the rest

This refers to the stunning England victory in the fifth and final test against Australia at the Oval. No doubt, this has been a spectacular summer of cricket witnessed in England. First, the nation hosted the Men’s ODI World Cup in a befitting fashion and then, lo and behold, the team managed to put up a spirited fight to reach the final and then lift the Trophy in a nail-biting finish by edging out New Zealand in the super-over. And now, they have come back from the brink and managed to draw the recently concluded Ashes series in England 2-2 against a team which is perhaps the strongest test cricketing one over the last two decades. For now, Australia retains the Ashes but this is the first time that the Ashes series has ended in a draw since 1972. Undoubtedly, the cricket-frenzied English public has enjoyed the 2019 summer cricketing season to their full hearts content because of these two supremely, well-executed, sporting extravaganzas!

However the UK braves Brexit, a looming recession or an uncertain economic outlook, the credentials of England as a haven for world-class sporting activities remain unparalleled; basically, the UK has superb systems in place whether it be international sports, or matters concerning the judicial, executive, disaster management, aviation & travel, and so forth. Why can’t we do the same here in Pakistan? We can learn much from the Western system of governance. I’m sure if our governance systems for cricket, hockey, squash, and general sports are run strictly on merit (as a start), then our sportsmen and women will surely begin to earn greater laurels for our country.

Abbas R Siddiqi

Lahore