Wounded Tiger: The History of Cricket in Pakistan

The nation of Pakistan was born out of the trauma of Partition from India in 1947. Its cricket team evolved in the aftermath, in chaotic and desperate circumstances. Initially dispersed, unrecognized, underfund-ed and weak, Pakistan ‘s team grew to become a major force in world cricket. Since the early days of the Raj, cricket has been entwined with national identity and Pakistan ‘s successes helped to define its status in the world. Defiant in defence, irresistible in attack, players such as A H Kardar, Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Majid Khan, Javed Mian-dad, Abdul Qadir, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan awed their contem-poraries and inspired their successors. The story of Pakistan cricket is filled with both triumph and tragedy. In recent years, its cricketers have been a prey to problems which have threatened Pakistan ‘s very existence: fallout from the “war on terror”, sectarian violence, gang-sterism and corruption, deep-seated crises in education, health and the environment and a shortage of effective leaders. For twenty years, Pa-kistan cricket has been stained by the scandalous behaviour of the play-ers involved in matchfixing. Since 2009, the fear of violence has driven Pakistan ‘s international cricket into exile. No one knows when it will return home.