Exciting victory

The win came when we needed it so badly. It should enliven our cricket benumbed by a string of defeats. The players had got accustomed to losing rather one-sided matches and even the staunchest optimists did not know what to say. All this happened despite the fact that cricket is extremely popular in this country.

The fine showing against India should act as a booster as it will give the boys the confidence that they need to beat much better sides. Our cricketers have the talent to compete at that level of the game, but they lack consistency and, above all, the killer instinct to subdue a strong challenge. Even though the Indians did not field at least three star players, they had a team that could by no means be dismissed lightly. Our boys batted reasonably well to reach a modest 229. They bowled even better with good support from the fielders.

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As for the Indians, they perhaps never thought of losing and it was too late when their batsmen tried to recover from a bad start. Of course, they had players who could have saved the day even when the local boys were smelling victory, but then cricket is a game where luck often plays more than its due share of role. An unbelievable catch or a straight hit from the boundary line can suddenly change the course of a match. Things went right for our team at the crucial junctures.

Now they must not get carried away by the highly creditable outing. The boys, as most experts have said, need to play more first class matches against quality opponents and develop the skill and fighting spirit to face strong teams. We cannot, of course, win every game, but the important thing is to continue to give hard-fought and consistent performances.

We are proud of the victory and hope that the players will repeat the glorious feat many times in future.