Razaullah’s welcome is not a celebration of Pakistan’s failure but a celebration of a new hope

Pakistan’s 3-0 Test series defeat against England is undoubtedly embarrassing. There is no escaping that reality. England completed a clean sweep, Pakistan failed to win a single Test, and the team has once again found itself under serious scrutiny. The situation worsened when Pakistan was docked 11 World Test Championship points for a slow over-rate in the final Test.

Yet, while Pakistan’s Test cricket deserves criticism, the criticism being directed at the welcome given to 21-year-old Razaullah feels misplaced.

Some Indian social-media users have mocked Pakistanis for celebrating Razaullah’s return home after such a humiliating series defeat. The argument is essentially: How can Pakistan lose 3-0 and then give a hero’s welcome to one player?

But why should these two things be mutually exclusive?

Pakistan can be disappointed with the team and celebrate the emergence of an exciting young cricketer. Razaullah did not return home after claiming that Pakistan had won the series. He returned after producing one of the most encouraging individual Test debuts Pakistan has seen in recent times. He took four wickets and then walked in at No. 9 and smashed 81 runs from just 63 balls, including nine sixes.

His innings helped Pakistan fight back and delay England’s attempt to finish the match inside three days.

That is worth celebrating.

Why shouldn’t Pakistan celebrate him?

Razaullah is only 21. He has barely begun his international career.

Imagine being 21 years old, making your Test debut in England having played only a total of 8 FC games previously, facing one of the world’s strongest Test sides, and producing a performance that immediately makes people believe you could have a future at international level.

A young player needs encouragement.

He needs to feel that his country appreciates his effort.

And most importantly, he needs confidence.

A grand welcome does not mean Pakistanis have forgotten the 3-0 defeat. It simply means that, in an otherwise disappointing tour, they have found one reason to be excited about the future.

In fact, that may be exactly what Pakistan cricket needs right now. The country has spent far too much time discussing failures, selection controversies, captaincy problems and declining standards. When a 21-year-old arrives and shows the kind of courage Razaullah showed, the last thing Pakistan should do is tell him: Sorry, we can’t celebrate you because the team lost.

That would be completely unfair.

The bigger problem is not Razaullah’s welcome

If there is something Indians and Pakistanis themselves should question, it is why Pakistan reached this position in the first place.

Why did the team lose 3-0?

Why was the performance so poor?

Why has Pakistan struggled to compete consistently in Test cricket?

Why is the team suffering from disciplinary and over-rate issues?

Those are legitimate questions.

But Razaullah is not responsible for any of them.

He did his job.

And he did it spectacularly.

Pakistan’s Test campaign can be a failure while Razaullah’s debut can be a success. Both statements can exist at the same time.

That was a completely different situation.

Razaullah’s welcome was about a 21-year-old making an extraordinary Test debut and giving Pakistani cricket something to look forward to.

Not every celebration needs to become a comparison with another player or another controversy.

Pakistan cricket needs to learn how to separate team failure from individual achievement.

If a player performs brilliantly, acknowledge him.

If the team fails, hold the team and management accountable.

Don’t punish the youngster because the senior structure failed.

Pakistan needs more Razaullahs, not less celebration

Perhaps the most important thing about Razaullah’s welcome is what it tells the youngster: Your country believes in you.

Now the responsibility is on Razaullah himself.

One excellent Test does not make a career. He will face difficult days, failures, injuries and pressure. The real challenge will be whether he can turn this remarkable debut into a long and successful international career.

But every great career needs a beginning.

And if Pakistan’s 3-0 defeat against England produced one genuinely exciting positive, Razaullah’s emergence was it.

So let Pakistan celebrate its young star.

The 3-0 defeat can be criticised tomorrow, today and for as long as necessary. But a 21-year-old who has given Pakistan a glimpse of hope deserves his moment too.

Because celebrating Razaullah isn’t celebrating Pakistan’s failure.

It is celebrating the possibility that Pakistan’s next success story may have just begun.