You probably think that cricket (is) or should be Pakistan’s national sport. Though that honour belongs to hockey, many don’t pay attention to the national sport and certainly not in the way they bestow fanatical attention to cricket. Even when hockey is being played on an international level, it doesn’t have the kind of dedicated following that cricket does. Fans have also learned to embrace the evolving version of the game, which has gone from test cricket and one day internationals (ODIs) to Twenty20 matches between countries, as well as a world cup catering to the latter. Lucrative versions of Twenty20 cricket, designed by various countries featuring local players and international ones, are also very popular, with India’s Indian Premier League (IPL), for instance, being the most well-established competition while Australia’s Big Bash attracts fans and players. However, as the Official International Cricket Council (ICC) Men's Cricket World Cup is currently underway in India, we would like you to juggle your memory, and test your cricket knowledge.

1. The defending champions for this particular ICC World Cup are:

a) India, because it is taking place in India

b) Former colonial masters, England

c) Pakistan, because why not meri jaan

d) Australia, because they’ve already won five times

2. Where there is cricket, there is also music so think back and remember what song works most with the non-national sport compared to the original anthem for the latest ICC ODI World Cup?

a) ‘Dil Jashne Bol’ because ICC forgot to use ‘Apna Time Aayega’, a brilliant rap song performed by Ranveer Singh in Gully Boy

b) ‘Jazba Junoon’ because few Pakistani songs work so well when it comes to celebrating our national spirit

c) ‘Hai Koi Hum Jaisa’ because it was originally created with celebration of cricket in mind and years later, it still has that passion and spirit of cricket embedded in it and as a song ICC should’ve adopted it.

d) ‘Koi Nahi Like Us’ ft. Young Stunners, QB, HYDR, AHSAN

3. Pakistan’s favorite cricket son, at least at the moment, is:

a) Shaheen Shah Afridi

b) Mohammad Rizwan

c) Babar Azam

d) Shadab Khan

4. If not for their current profession, which of these artists would’ve pursued cricket as a profession?

a) Ali Azmat

b) Fahad Mustafa

c) Goher Mumtaz

d) Atif Aslam

e) All of the above

Answers

1. B, but who are we kidding, England could very well lose because they do not have the advantage of playing on home soil, which means India (a) has a solid chance to win its third world cup

2. A, ‘Dil Jashne Bol’ is the official ICC anthem but we’re going with C, because it is unanimously loved and the one song, we chant during every cricket match, that is ‘Hai Koi Hum Jaisa’ by Strings, which has sadly disbanded after 30 years

3. C, you’d think it is Babar Azam but right now Pakistan’s biggest asset in this international tournament is B, Mohammad Rizwan, who is a wicket-keeper and a batsman

4. E, this question was obviously rigged (but we’re also pretty sure D is the most possible because Atif Aslam has said on more than one occasion that he certainly would have tried his luck)