Javagal Srinath
Most successful people are dreamers, for that is where it all starts. Younis Khan too had a dream, right from the beginning of the World T20, that of giving something back to the troubled people back home, somewhat like Imran Khan in 1992 when he dedicated Pakistans World Cup triumph to a cancer hospital he intended to then build. When these dreams extend beyond cricket, maybe there is some sort of divine intervention that takes place.
Of course, this is not to say that it was kindness from up above that alone led to Pakistans success. Whenever we see a team do really well, as Pakistan certainly did in England, there has to be case of a good blend of seniors with at least a couple of youngsters. In this case it has to be Mohammad Aamir, the 17-year-old left-arm quick and Shazaid Hasan, the opening bat, who solved the Ajantha Mendis mystery clobbering him for two fours in the bowlers second over in the final.
Aamir, for his part, may have been bowling to a plan but it was the execution that was vital. His first over dismissal of Dilshan as also the subsequent fall of four more wickets in the first ten overs were blows the Lankans had no hope of recovering from. Aamirs rise is just another example of Pakistan having this unique ability to produce quicks out of thin air almost.
Any player who comes through a World Cup takes a lot of confidence going forward, with the foundation for greater things to come having been laid. In that sense Pakistan can look forward to more heroics from the likes of Aamir and Shazaid.
They cannot depend on their inspirational skipper Younis though for any more contributions in the T20 format. It takes a lot for someone from the sub-continent to call it a day as there are so many more factors involved than say for someone from outside the sub-continent but Younis has always been different. He has repeatedly expressed his reluctance to lead Pakistan, his inherent honesty enabling him to tell it like it is. Younis has actually been refreshingly honest in his dealings with the media, the selectors and the establishment, showing what a confident man he is, confident about his abilities and his standing.
That he also made it a point throughout to remember Bob Woolmer, his late mentor and coach, shows what a tremendous character Younis is and will be. His retirement from T20 even if he is yet to be 32, could not be better timed, for there is no better a time to go than when you are on top of the world. It is something not totally unexpected of a man like Younis and hes set a tremendous example, an apt precedent for others to follow.
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