Liverpool is Pakistan
Pakistan cricket team is Liverpool FC. Or is it the other way round? I’m entirely convinced of this thesis and I shall explain.
Before the season/competition begins, there is optimism in the air, a renowned belief that THIS is the year legends will be made, that records will be broken and that potential will be fulfilled. All for it to be eradicated within 90 minutes or 6 hours, depending on what sport you prefer of course.
I’m not the most avid cricketing fan, I see myself as a fan only on the high holidays or, as on this occasion, whenever a tournament happens to arrive. I order my Pakistan shirt from back home (it may be fake, but who cares), get my cup of chai, gather round the television at a stupendous time and share light banter with my dad regarding our countries current misery within the competition.
Let’s rewrite that paragraph.
I’m the most avid footballing fan, I see myself as a fan all year round, even when the season is finished. I order my Liverpool shirt online (it probably is fake, no one spots the difference), get my can of red bull, turn on Sky Sports after I rush home from work and share light banter with my brother regarding our clubs difficulty to actually be consistent throughout the season.
It’s a similar tale, is it not?
Both also happen to be filled with corruption, so they say. In Pakistan’s case, the squad selection whereas with Liverpool, it’s the transfers brought in *cough* by the Transfer Committee. The fans aren’t happy, some suspect the players aren’t either and because of it, the respective beginnings aren’t as smooth as they should be considering how the last campaign ended.
Legends are retiring, well, moving on. In Pakistan’s case, it’s the legendary Afridi, the once world-renowned batsmen who struggles to hit boundaries against the likes of Zimbabwe and West Indies. For Liverpool, it’s Steven Gerrard, the talisman who lifts the club out of despair but these days plays an authoritative role behind the scenes. Both will bid farewell after the campaign is complete; the struggle to replace the talent is real.
But both teams manage to turn it around, somehow.
Many are claiming that Pakistan will do the wonders they exhibited back in 1992, where they lost the first two games yet went on to win the World Cup. They are following suit thus far, with losses against India & West Indies, they have bounced back by defeating Zimbabwe, UAE & South Africa. Even with Liverpool, all recent campaigns have endured a slightly woeful start to proceedings though in the latter stages they recuperate world class form. Weirdly amazing.
The star man goes missing. Saeed Ajmal, his bowling style banned from Cricket World Cup and is nowhere to be seen for Pakistan. Due to no fault of his own, this in some fashion is similar to Daniel Sturridge, the man who looked set to rise to the big occasion and be the star player, only to get injured for five months. They play with pride when on the pitch, and are eager to play when off it.
Winning in late fashion, this is a trademark for Liverpool FC, one only has to look back to the late heroics against Bolton in the FA Cup to see the evidence. Philippe Coutinho scores a wonder goal in the dying minutes to take the reds through to the next round, Sterling chimes in with a goal a minute or so before. This is similar to Pakistan, whereby the wickets were left late against South Africa, the dismissal of AB De Villiers was a shocking one, 30 odd runs with 80 odd balls left, South Africa looked a shoe in to win. Then, Sohail Khan emphatically bowled out the star man which led to smooth sailing for the Pakistani team as they recorded a shock victory… 2-1 against Manchester City anyone? With star men such as Coutinho and Henderson coming to age, just like the likes of Sarfaraz Ahmed and Wahab Riaz who put in stellar performances against the Goliath that is South Africa.
The most startling similarity however, is the fact that the fans go through thick and then to provide their relentless support to the teams they admire. The Anfield faithful applaud, sing their hearts out and encourage the Reds through the ups and the downs, let’s face it, there are a lot of them! And with Pakistan, from England all the way back home to Islamabad, whilst we curse the players during the match as emotions are sky high, we can’t help but support them when arguing with rival fans, or sing their plaudits when they fulfil their potential. We know how to celebrate.
Pakistan are Liverpool, Liverpool are Pakistan… either way, both teams are filled with star potential and have the character to reach unforeseen heights in their respective sports.