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November 17, 2009
Administrators blunder make laughing stock of cricket
Posted 3 days, 21 hours ago in Pakistan cricket
Pakistan cricket is not alien to crisis. From time to time we have experienced it in every era and the present one is not any different to others. Already a year in the office, the administrators have neither managed to have a constitution nor have been able to convince their critics about the irregularities in maintaining accounts, writes Qamar Ahmed in Dawn.
This is a huge scam and even the governing body of the PCB, which is supposed to bring some sort of transparency in the working of the board, has so far failed to make their presence felt. The few voices of dissent from a couple of members from time to time in the meetings did little but not enough to go past the deaf ears of the PCB chairman who could have done the game some service had he not so far resorted to arbitrary decisions.
November 14, 2009
History repeats itselt, thanks to hidden hands
Posted 6 days, 20 hours ago in Pakistan cricket
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After the World Twenty20 it all went downhill for Younis Khan
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Whatever happened lately with Younis Khan is not a new thing in Pakistan cricket. This tussle between the players, the officials and the cricket board is an ongoing process, writes Rashid Latif in the Pakistan daily Dawn. Sometimes a captain bears the brunt, at other times an official comes in the line of fire.
The big question is how long will these hidden quarters be allowed to make or break the team in Pakistan? They throw their weight when a makeshift opener is accommodated but when specialist openers are picked, these very forces take a U-turn and slight the captain for the move. The same is the case with playing the younger players or resting the experienced ones. When the younger players are provided with an opportunity, these forces jump to the defence of seniors and question their omission? And when the younger players are given the backseat to accommodate the stalwarts, these very forces make life hell for the selectors and the captain?
November 13, 2009
Will Yousuf succeed where Younis 'failed'?
Posted 1 week ago in Pakistan cricket
The rumpus created by Younis Khan’s decision to abdicate the reins of leadership for the sake of ‘taking time off from the sport’ is simply too hard to digest, writes Khalid H Khan in the Pakistan daily Dawn. Younis was never really allowed to settle down into the job by a group of players with vested interests, but is Yousuf the best replacement?
Without being disrespectful to Yousuf, it’s a point worth noting that probably the most lethargic fielder in the current national team will lead the country while his deputy Kamran Akmal is a man who is known for ruining Pakistan’s victory hopes by crucial mistakes behind the timber. Where will Yousuf hide himself on the field will make compelling viewing on TV sets during the coming Tests in New Zealand? There is no guarantee that Yousuf will continue to lead Pakistan if the results of New Zealand Tests are not favourable enough.
An editorial in the same newspaper says it isn’t surprising that no one is buying the official line. Younis 'asked for a rest’ and that is why Yousuf was appointed captain of the Test team for the series against New Zealand. That explanation, not so cunningly, glosses over a key point: what compelled Younis to go into hibernation?
November 1, 2009
Where does Misbah go from here?
Posted 2 weeks, 5 days ago in Pakistan cricket
The emergence of Umar Akmal as an exciting middle order batsman has all but bolted the door on Misbah-ul-Haq. After being dropped once, he showed resolve to make a comeback, but the past has come back to haunt him. He may have responded with a double-century in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, but his response may have come too late in the day, writes Saad Shafqat in Dawn.
With captain Younis Khan at number three, Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan’s best batsman) at number four, and now Umar Akmal in the side, Pakistan’s Test middle-order is packed. In ODI and Twenty20 cricket, the batting line-up has to accommodate all-rounders too, which leaves even less room. The only scenario in which Misbah forces his way back is if someone gets injured or loses form. No one knows the future, but the odds are against it.
The PCB hasn’t learnt from the way squash and hockey has gone awry in Pakistan. The organisation has run into disarray and failure despite having the world’s top-notch cricketing talent at its disposal. Iftikhar U Hyder presents a grim picture in Dawn, the Pakistan daily.
Pakistan cricket’s Achilles’ heel is not its ability to produce good openers, reliable middle-order batsmen or good fielders. The real Achilles’ heel is the inability to build a cricket structure in which only competent managers could survive.
October 26, 2009
Remembering Huma
Posted 3 weeks, 4 days ago in Pakistan cricket
Huma had a calming influence on Wasim Akram and his career and for 16 glorious years she redefined his life giving it the much-needed stability. Ajay Naidu remembers her, in his obituary in the Times of India.
Amir Mir offers his condolences as well in Daily News & Analysis.
October 18, 2009
Butt in a catch-22 situation over Younis
Posted on 10/18/2009 in Pakistan cricket
On Monday the Pakistan board is expected to take a decision on the future Younis Khan's captaincy after he offered to resign following speculations over the team's exit from the Champions Trophy. In the Pakistan daily News, Khalid Hussain writes that board president Ijaz Butt is in a catch-22 situation since he was the one who had lobbied for Younis to be made captain in the first place.
... it's not easy even for the most powerful man in Pakistan cricket. Even with his sweeping powers, Butt cannot just take this decision and solidify Younis's hold on team captaincy. There are too many other factors involved. Sources told 'The News' that following the Champions Trophy, around nine or ten members of the Pakistan team have met Butt and told him that they are unhappy playing under Younis. A couple of players confided in this correspondent that the atmosphere in the dressing room that was already far from perfect under Inzamam-ul-Haq and then Shoaib Malik, failed to improve much under Younis either. They say that even the title-winning triumph in the World Twenty20 championship in England failed to really unite the players. Some senior players were unhappy with the Board's choice to have Younis as captain and never really supported their new leader right from the outset.
October 12, 2009
The PCB is neglecting youth cricket
Posted on 10/12/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Pakistan's domestic cricket calender for 2009-10 is flawed because it doesn't pay much attention to youth cricket and the sport in the country will only take a backward step. One such example is the scrapping of the inter-region under-19 three-day tournament which has benefited so many youngsters in the past, writes Gulbaz Aafaqi in the Daily Times.
Yet another great miss is PCB Hunt for Heroes Programme. This programme benefited young boys of under-16 age during the last couple of years throughout Pakistan. The selected boys were trained at district level by PCB qualified coaches for a week and the best of them would play inter-region one-day tournament. Our current under-19 three players, Babar Azam, Usman Qadir and Faraz Ali are product of this programme and they are good prospects. This programme has been scrapped although the agreement was valid for the current year.
October 9, 2009
Match-fixing charges an 'undiluted absurdity'
Posted on 10/09/2009 in Pakistan cricket
The chairman of the National Assembly’s standing committee on sports feels that Pakistan deliberately lost to Australia in the Champions Trophy, and the sports minister of Sindh has suggested there was a deal between Indian bookies and the umpires' who stood in Pakistan's semi-final. An editorial in the Dawn rebukes them for levelling charges of match-fixing in the Champions Trophy without any evidence. Maybe the parliamentarian ignored the last 10 overs of the Australia match, which we were poised to lose by a significant margin. Pakistan bowled an immaculate line and length and, fielding with vigour, came excruciatingly close to an improbable victory. That game produced one of the most thrilling finishes in recent ODI history and gave the beleaguered limited-overs format a much-needed shot in the arm. As for the Sindh sports minister, he needs to be reminded that a team that plays badly is unlikely to win the match.
Also in the paper, SM Ibrahim Farooqi writes that blind optimism undid Pakistan in the Champions Trophy.
October 8, 2009
The low tolerance levels in Pakistan
Posted on 10/08/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Heroes one day, villains the next. That's the plight of a Pakistan cricketer. Their showing in the ICC Champions Trophy ought to have pleased the cricket-starved nation, but the latest allegations of match-fixing have clouded their efforts. The way certain sections of the Indian media reacted to that story was just as sorry as the episode itself, writes Dileep Premachandran in the Guardian.
On Tuesday morning, just a few hours after Australia had clinched the trophy, Osman Samiuddin, Cricinfo's Pakistan editor, was repeatedly woken up by calls from various reporters asking for a "reaction to the sacking of Younis Khan and Intikhab Alam [the coach]". We had shared an apartment during the fortnight, and in my early-morning stupor, I could hear Osman asking what their sources were. Frantic calls were made to journalists in Pakistan, and others in South Africa. No one had a clue. By then, the Times of India and others that should know better had already run the "sack" story. No credible source, no confirmation. But why let that come in the way of a good yarn?
September 14, 2009
'Imran always backed his team-mates'
Posted on 09/14/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Former Pakistan batsman Mudassar Nazar talks to Pakpassion.net on his playing days, playing under Imran Khan, his stint as a coach with the ICC and the NCA in Lahore and gives his opinions on the upcoming stars in Pakistan cricket.
I came across Sohail Tanvir in 2005/06 at the Academy. He was offered some league cricket in England and I advised him to stay at the Academy so we could work with him in areas that we felt he needed to improve upon. Unfortunately and in no way would I criticise him, Sohail opted to go to England and earn some money there. Sajid, you know I would never criticise any cricketer from earning money as some of the boys are the sole breadwinners and there are some very sad stories out there. I feel that Sohail needs to work on his fitness. If I was still at the academy I would have him there with a strict fitness regime and I would be working on his batting, as he has the ability to bat properly, but he doesnt seem to be batting that way these days. I think Sohail is someone who should be part of the T20 squad.
September 9, 2009
The PCB's sorry saga
Posted on 09/09/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Given the testing times that Pakistan cricket is facing, the current flux in the PCB is remarkable even by the board’s standards. This editorial piece in Dawn, the Pakistan daily, claims chairman Ijaz Butt is not the man to provide stability and that he must be shown the door.
September 6, 2009
Ijaz Butt's failed reign
Posted on 09/06/2009 in Pakistan cricket
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Ijaz Butt has come under severe criticism as chairman of the PCB
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Saad Shafqat, writing in Dawn, tracks Ijaz Butt's tenure as chairman of the PCB from the time of his appointment to the resolution of the dispute with the ICC over the staging of the 2011 World Cup. Butt's chairmanship, he says, was welcomed initially but hopes began to sour with his failure to resolve differences with the likes of Javed Miandad, Aamer Sohail and Abdul Qadir, who quit their positions within the PCB on unfavourable terms. The biggest letdown, Shafqat writes, was the "organisational negligence" during the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore followed by the "farcical handling" of the 2011 World Cup dispute.
Judging by cricketing standards, Ejaz Butt is a failed captain. He selected some highly talented players for his management team at the PCB but was unable to get the best out of them, with the result that his best people have either left or been marginalised. Insiders report that the atmosphere within the Board has become very fractious and dispiriting. Pre-occupied with self-preservation, Butt has surrounded himself with loyalists and cronies while the larger goal of preserving and promoting Pakistan cricket remains adrift.
August 30, 2009
The problems with Pakistan cricket
Posted on 08/30/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Irfan Husain, writing in the Dawn, examines some of the problems plaguing the game in Pakistan. The incompetence of the PCB, the concerns associated with coaching, be it local or foreign, the constant feuds between players and the board and the inconsistency of the team are some of the issues he explores.
To begin with, PCB, the cricket board charged with organising the sport, is largely composed of government nominees whose basic interest is to enjoy the perks as long as they can. Few of them have the expertise and the dedication required to lift standards and provide the infrastructure needed for the development of the sport at the grassroots.
Qamar Ahmed, writing in the same newspaper, says that the PCB's initial decision to take legal action against the ICC for moving the World Cup out of Pakistan was an exercise in futility. He adds that the board should consider itself lucky to have sorted out the dispute in an out-of-court settlement. The important thing now, he writes, is to see how the PCB manages the financial returns - which includes its host fees as well as compensation - it is expected to gain after its agreement with the ICC.
One hopes that all that big purse that the PCB is in possession is spent on sensible and cricketing projects from which at least we are able to save our face from people who now believe that we are only a bunch of nincompoops and nothing else.
August 12, 2009
Afridi the unlikely captain
Posted on 08/12/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Shahid Afridi will lead Pakistan in the Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka, and it will mark a remarkable turnaround in the life of the allrounder. Huw Richards, in the New York Times, looks at his career which has seen him transform from the reckless to the responsible.
Afridi, 29, has had a career whose colorfulness is eclipsed among current players only by his turbulent erstwhile Pakistan teammate Shoaib Akhtar. Afridi’s extensive rap sheet includes a four-match ban for insulting opponents and a match umpire; a dressing room dispute with his captain and vice captain over his place in Pakistan’s batting order; sanctions after a girl was found in his room — his explanation that she was seeking his autograph was not accepted — and being fingered as the provocateur two years ago when Akhtar finally lost it and struck a teammate with a bat.
There was a brief, mysterious and never fully explained retirement from test cricket three years ago, and as recently as last year the Indian star Vangipurappu Laxman, his captain in the first Indian Premier League tournament, complained that “Afridi has no team ethics.”
August 10, 2009
The seven stages of a cricket fan
Posted on 08/10/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Pakistan’s famously volatile cricket team repeatedly tests the resolve of even the most committed fans. The euphoria of a world Twenty20 title sandwiched between terrorism in Lahore and embarrassment in Sri Lanka has left supporters spent and exhausted, writes Saad Shafqat in the Dawn. The writer breaks down the various types of Pakistan fan, from fair-weather to die-hard to sceptics and malcontents.
A category closely related to the theorist is the obsessive, whose signature trait is an insatiable appetite for anything to do with the game. Like the theorist, the obsessive too has mastery over the details of cricket. But unlike the theorist, who maintains a healthy interest in the game, the obsessive overdoes it, becoming consumed with cricket to the exclusion of everything else. You know you’re an obsessive when your preoccupation with cricket starts interfering with the course of daily life. A moment eventually comes when you run into trouble, and the excuses you can come up with are all somehow cricket-related.
August 4, 2009
Wasim and Waqar never helped me - Zahid
Posted on 08/04/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Mohammad Zahid, the former Pakistan bowler who was among the fastest in his time, speaks to PakPassion.net about his initiation into cricket, his experience bowling with Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, the current state of fast bowling in Pakistan and his plans for the future.
It saddens me to think that just 10 years ago each domestic team had at least one bowler who was consistently clocking over 90mph. In those days it wasnt a big deal for a Pakistani bowler to clock 90mph nobody would get excited by it. But these days if we see a player clock 140k then 'poore Pakistan mai shor mach jaata hai' (the whole of Pakistan starts shouting his name).
July 21, 2009
Pakistan's Murali aims for the big stage
Posted on 07/21/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Tariq Mahmood was an offspinner who starred for Pakistan in the 2004 Under-19 World Cup before fading from the international spolight. His action was reminiscent of Muttiah Muralitharan's, and came under scrutiny, forcing Mahmood to modify it. Mahmood, who plays for Sialkot in the domestic ciruit, talks to PakPassion about his mentor Aaqib Javed, memories of the 2004 U-19 World Cup, meeting Murali, and the art of offspin. When it comes to bowling actions you just have to remember two main things, you must at all times keep complete control over your wrist and your shoulder/arm. If you can control those two things then the ball always falls where it's supposed to and you keep a good line and length too. However if you cant control those two things then you can have the sharpest brain in the world and the most powerful shoulders and wrists but it won't do you any good.
July 19, 2009
Overweight, overpaid
Posted on 07/19/2009 in Pakistan cricket
The Shoaib Akhtar saga continues with the fast bowler being overlooked for the one-day series in Sri Lanka. If he says he was fit and was denied the chance to make it to the ICC World Twenty20, one wonders if he is suffering from problems that are much more grave than just physical, wonders Humair Ishtiaq in the Pakistan daily Dawn.
Shoaib’s claim that he can play for another five years is another successful attempt to tickle the funny bone, as a look at his statistics shows that his career should have come to an end five years ago. It is his showmanship and the PCB tendency to blow hot and cold over such affairs that has kept him alive off the field.
Accepting harsh realities could end isolation
Posted on 07/19/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Pakistan cricket is at a crossroads. Malik Arshed Gilani in the Pakistan daily Dawn says the PCB's approach, witnessed by its many statements, as one of the main partners in the next World Cup truly reflects the overall competence it has in the management of its affairs.
We have in with our normal brilliance turned this into a legal matter. Let us examine our actions from the beginning; we arrive at a meeting of the ICC totally unprepared to tackle a subject that should have been topmost in our minds.
How weak is the excuse that the topic was not on the agenda. The event is just two years away, the world is talking about the security in Pakistan after the Lahore attack but we, the PCB, have not thought this through and then hide behind the excuse that they are unprepared.
July 5, 2009
Afridi reincarnated
Posted on 07/05/2009 in Pakistan cricket
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Shahid Afridi has somehow tamed himself
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To a nation that is still savouring the victory at the ICC World Twenty20 it may not go down too well, but the fact of the matter is that there is something more important to celebrate and talk about. It was a tournament where Shahid Afridi reinvented himself and that would mean much more to Pakistan than just the victory, provided, of course, he can keep it going, writes Humair Ishtiaq in the Pakistan daily Dawn.
The biggest gain is in his success to curb the irritating tendency to hit everything out of existence. His one-dimension batting technique was simple: close the eyes and hit through the line. But no more. It was truly and simply refreshing to watch Afridi ducking under the short balls and leaving the ones that wobbled around early in his innings. That he chose the shortest version of the game, which is more about the wham-bam stuff that he is known for than the straight-bat niceties, was a bit ironic but refreshing nonetheless.
June 27, 2009
Win does not mean Pakistan can host teams
Posted on 06/27/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Pakistan's win in the World Twenty20 must be celebrated for many reasons, not the least for what it means for cricket. But no one can argue that now that they are world champions, all cricketing nations should tour Pakistan, writes Pradeep Magazine in the Hindustan Times.
Let us celebrate the win for what it is. It just goes to show that Pakistan cricketers despite setbacks, still retain the zest and passion for a game in which they are talented and if they were to vanish from the cricketing tournament, it would be a sad day for the fans.
June 24, 2009
A sense of self-belief
Posted on 06/24/2009 in ICC World Twenty20
Pakistan are resigned to the fact that they will either have to play their ‘home series’ at offshore venues or not play at all. But things are a little different now that they are World Twenty20 champions, according to the editorial in the Dawn. Pakistan’s victory tells the world that they can win wherever they might have to play.
Even in India, which with its deep pockets now virtually controls the ICC. It will take some doing to crush Pakistan’s spirit. We will not simply go away and sulk. We can triumph in the face of adversity. Besides the cup, the best thing this slam-bang version of cricket delivered was a sense of self-belief. Also, this Pakistan side seems to enjoy itself on the field.
June 22, 2009
Cricket vs the Taliban
Posted on 06/22/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Will a glorious sport rescue Pakistan from the Islamists? Thats what Tunku Varadarajan wonders in Forbes magazine. The cricket victory is the best news that Pakistanis have had since the departure from power of their military dictator, Pervez Musharraf, says the writer.
How moving it is that three Pushtun players contributed most to Pakistan's victory: the team's captain, Younis Khan, who is everything this once-proud nation ought to want to be: competitive, yet deeply gracious and good-humored; Umer Gul, their fast-bowling spearhead; and Shahid Afridi, the team's match-winner in the semi-final and final. What a very valuable example these three men provide the young in Pakistan
June 20, 2009
Pakistan team a throwback to the 80s
Posted on 06/20/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Not too many had given Younis Khan's side much of a chance in the World Twenty20, but they are now in the final of the tournament. Kamran Abassi writes in the Dawn that one of the reasons for the success, especially against the favourites South Africa, is that Pakistan have played with passion, pride and fearlessness. This was how it always used to be. When Imran Khan changed the mentality of Pakistan’s cricketers in the early 1980s, he gave them the confidence to risk everything for victory. That philosophy endured under Wasim Akram, Imran’s disciple, but was lost in the introspective days of Inzamam-ul Haq’s leadership.
And in a blog on the Dawn website, Imran Yusuf has a light-hearted piece doling out advice to Pakistan fans. To the die-hard fan with an encyclopedic knowledge of Pakistan cricket who, every match, stares open-mouthed at the selection of Fawad Alam and asks, dumbfounded, ‘What is he doing there?’: Man, just get over it. It’s like the meaning of life, or one of Donald Rumsfeld’s ‘known unknowns’. Just resign yourself to the fact that some things are forever beyond the understanding of us mere mortals.
June 14, 2009
The highs and lows of Pakistan by Geoff Lawson
Posted on 06/14/2009 in Pakistan cricket
The former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson is currently in England as a commentator for BBC and Saj Sadiq of PakPassion.net caught up with him for a chat on his coaching stint and two cents on the more colourful characters in the side. Lawson wasn't very forgiving of Shoaib Akhtar.
"Akhtar was totally unprofessional as a cricketer, he trained when he felt like it, didn't contribute to the team, I couldnt think of a more unprofessional player, which is a pity as he is such a talented player". "Akhtar is using 5% of his natural talent and was being disruptive to the other members of the team".
June 13, 2009
'I like a tough life, you know' - Afridi
Posted on 06/13/2009 in Pakistan cricket
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"I don’t care if I get out. I try and play a positive game"
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The Pakistan management haven’t always known what to do with their maverick entertainer Shahid Afridi over the years. If the men who mattered had given him a chance in Tests when he started instead of stamping him as a one-day players, things might have been a lot different, Afridi tells cricket magazine Spin in a rare and free-wheeling interview. Apart from his career, Afridi talks about his philosophy of batting, the history of bust-ups in the Pakistan dressing-room and his love of guns. Excerpts:
Have you had captains and coaches shout at you over getting out irresponsibly?
In the old days, two or three years ago. When I came off, and I was saying bad things to myself about how I’d got out and I was trying to take my pads off and the coach is standing over me going “What the f**k you doing, what kind of shot was that?”
You retired for a full fortnight back this April. What was that about?
When the India tour finished, I said I’m not playing anymore: you guys are playing too much cricket, you can’t expect me to perform in both times of cricket. It’s not like a sport now, it’s like a business. So I wanted a rest. And some time to spend with my kids. This is the right age to spend time with your kids – when they get older, they just keep themselves in their rooms!
Why has the team got more religious in the last five or ten years?
It’s not five or ten years, it’s only the last two years. One of our religious leaders in Pakistan worked very hard on us, told us that there’s something apart from cricket. When this life ends, was it all about just hitting fours and sixes? They tried to put good things in our heads, to make us good people, to be all-round people. And that’s the type of situation we’re in now. God has changed our lives now. We’re not drinking or going with girls or clubbing. We’re trying to be good Muslims. So our life has become very simple, very good, very down to earth. If we perform or not, we are satisfied from the inside.
June 9, 2009
A defining moment in Pakistan cricket
Posted on 06/09/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Pakistan's game against Netherlands could just be the most important match for the nation since the 1992 World Cup final, writes Imran Yusuf in the Dawn
Younus Khan has said that he has ‘never attached too much importance to Twenty20 cricket.’ Younus, quite simply, you’re wrong. Pakistan are cricket’s outcasts. No team is willing to play in our country. Last month the whole world (including The Netherlands’ Dirk Nannes) apart from us were invited to the biggest party in cricket, the IPL. We need to belong again. We need to prove - again, as much to ourselves as to the world – that Pakistan matters.
June 5, 2009
Brave, new India
Posted on 06/05/2009 in Indian cricket
Rohit Sharma's 53-ball 80 carried India to an emphatic victory in the much-anticipated warm-up game against Pakistan on Wednesday. Harsha Bhogle writes in the Indian Express that Rohit's performance is the sort that the new breed of Indian cricketer, who emerged in 2004, likes to play. "Fearless, confident, willing to live for the day and for whom a shot was a calculated gamble, not a risk-free effort," is how Bhogle describes the new type of Indian player.
With Sharma, as with Raina and Sehwag and Yuvraj and Gambhir, you sit back and enjoy, not get frustrated because they are not playing the way you want them to. It is a different generation; ideas of restraint and conformity and frugality have long been replaced, having a dark side is not worth a sleepless night, the first ball can be hit over mid-wicket from just behind a good length.
May 30, 2009
PCB's shaming of Shoaib
Posted on 05/30/2009 in Pakistan cricket
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Did we really need to know what afflicted Shoaib Akhtar?
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The Pakistan board unnecessarily revealed the nature of Shoaib Akhtar's injury that forced him out of the World Twenty20 but given long‑standing acrimony that exists between Shoaib and the PCB, one imagines the only real dilemma the blazers faced involved deciding whether or not to accompany their announcement with a global billboard campaign, writes Barry Glendenning in the Guardian.
It would be unfair to expect any man to concentrate on line and length while he's preoccupied with the presence of several cauliflower-like florets where no cauliflower-like florets were ever meant to be, so it is heart‑warming to hear that the PCB has at least left its wayward son in no fewer than three pairs of good and presumably gloved hands. In a scene that calls to mind a trio of match umpires inspecting the contents of a box of cricket balls, their three-man medical board has declared that although Shoaib will not be participating in the World Twenty20 his condition should be reassessed. Presumably by all three of them and possibly on prime-time TV.
In the meantime, the unfortunate 33-year-old has undergone a course of electrofulguration, a treatment that sounds more like the kind of torture designed to break particularly stubborn prisoners who laugh in the face of waterboarding, but involves nothing more sinister than having an instrument not unlike a cattle-prod held close enough to one's manhood for the sparks it generates to desiccate any "unwanted lesions" (as opposed to all those wanted lesions us chaps like to see down there).
May 18, 2009
Asif targeting Champions Trophy
Posted on 05/18/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Mohammad Asif, currently serving a ban for testing positive for a prohibited substance, in an interview with Pakpassion.net, speaks of Pakistan's chances at the World Twenty20, the country's upcoming talent and his own return to the international fold in September.
I’m hoping we reach the final again, and we get India again and of course this time round we manage to win. We have a strong side, just recently we beat Australia in the 20/20 format and we are due to play a domestic tournament before coming to the UK. This way we get enough practise, only thing is the conditions will be a bit different here so we’ll need to adjust quickly. But I’m hopeful we have the type of batsmen which can adapt their game, they’re definitely mature enough to adapt.
May 10, 2009
A weapon no more
Posted on 05/10/2009 in Pakistan cricket
The Dawn's Humair Ishtiaq looks at Pakistan's series against Australia in the UAE and says the lack of fight was surprising. Pakistan had been desperate for international cricket after being given the cold shoulder even by minnows like Bangladesh, but didn't show it on the field. While the Australians overcame the absence of big names and showed commendable intensity, the Pakistani approach was not clear-headed. And then there was Shoaib Akhtar's flat return.
It was hardly the stuff expected of him, but Shoaib could still bask in glory of some kind; his two wickets in the fourth match of the series was the first time he had taken more than a wicket in the shorter version of the game since his 3/42 against India at Mohali on November 8, 2007. Not that he had been getting one-wicket ‘hauls’ on a consistent basis, but two-wicket ‘bursts’ have been well and truly rare. The one in Abu Dhabi came a mere 539 days after that historic day in Mohali.
May 3, 2009
Ten reasons why Ijaz Butt should be asked to quit
Posted on 05/03/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Times are tough and Pakistan cricket needs a 'wartime consiglieri', who can help it come out of the current crisis, writes Khalid Hussain in the News on Sunday.
In Godfather, Don Corleoni removed Tom Hagen as his chief adviser when it was time to battle against rival mafia gangs because he was not a 'wartime consiglieri'.
President Asif Zardari -- PCB's chief patron -- should also look for a competent individual who is capable of running Pakistan cricket in a professional manner. Butt may be an ex-cricketer, an experienced administrator and a well-connected man, but he is far from the sort of PCB chief Pakistan cricket needs at the moment. In the first seven months of his stint, he has failed on so many fronts to be allowed to continue.
What the PCB needs is a chief who has the will and qualities to pick up the pieces. He should have the sort of vision needed to rejuvenate Pakistan cricket because things cannot be allowed to go on like the way they are. Our cricket is going through a serious turmoil and with Butt at helm, the future seems to be bleaker.
April 21, 2009
A small price to pay for safety
Posted on 04/21/2009 in Pakistan cricket
No normal sport in an abnormal society. This was the rallying cry of the South African Council on Sport over three decades ago. And although it was with reference to apartheid, the slogan can be applied universally. To Zimbabwe, which practices a form of apartheid in reverse in cricket, and to Pakistan, a major cricketing country on the verge of collapse, writes Suresh Menon on ESPNStar.
To argue that the tournament is two years away and therefore the ruling is premature is specious. The venues that will now replace the ones in Pakistan need time to prepare. And it is sensible to decide early enough to avoid endless speculation and lobbying. Lahore busted the myth of the safety of cricket in the subcontinent, the myth that cricket and cricketers would never be harmed by terrorists. And cricket's biggest showpiece cannot afford to take a chance - emotion cannot be allowed to rule over practicality.
March 18, 2009
Playing it unsafe
Posted on 03/18/2009 in Pakistan cricket
With no international cricket to be played in Pakistan in the forseeable future following on from the attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, the Gulf would be the closest thing the team would soon have to a ‘home ground’. Kamila Shamsie, writing in the Indian Express, feels a great sadness as she recalls the particular history of her hometown, Karachi, and international cricket.
I found myself thinking of the status update on a friend’s Facebook page which declared she was “already missing the sound of plastic bottles hitting stadium chairs.” There are, of course, plastic bottles in Dubai, and Pakistanis enough there who will know that the true sound of cricket spectatorship, particularly during the ODIs, is not cheering or applauding but the thwacking of those empty bottles against the backs of chairs. But even so, there is a sadness to outsourcing that noise, that jubilation.
March 6, 2009
Neutral venues a must for Pakistan to survive
Posted on 03/06/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Mike Coward, writing in the Australian, says Pakistan must embrace playing at neutral venues or perish from the consciousness of the international cricket community.
And this must not happen. In the Test match context, in particular, world cricket is fragile and needs Pakistan to be conspicuous and competitive. And, to this end, Australians can assist by supporting the home series with Pakistan later this year. Whether the game can survive in Pakistan, let alone prosper, with the elite players playing all home games out of the country is problematic.
Like Coward, Ron Reed has toured the country with Australia’s team. In the Herald Sun Reed says it is now the duty of the rest of the cricket family to look after their own and make sure Pakistan continues on the international scene.
Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald Peter Roebuck takes a step back and reflects. No other game had as many problems, and no other game has as many possibilities. And the miracle is not that cricket occasionally suffers setbacks, but that any international cricket is played at all.
January 31, 2009
'I played Warne with ease'
Posted on 01/31/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Not much has been heard of Mohammad Wasim, the former Pakistan batsman, since he faded away from the international scene in 2000. In a rare interview on the pakpassion website, Wasim opens up on his domestic and international career, his favourite Test innings, playing for Otago, his inspirations and promising talent he has scene on Pakistan's domestic circuit.
I remember walking out onto the ground before the game [his debut Test] and the crowd were shouting who is this sifarshi to me. It was a big crowd and there was quite a lot of abuse as they didn't know who I was and why I had been selected. It startled me a little in that this was a Pakistani crowd saying this about a young Pakistani debutant, but it also made me feel more determined to do well. I was very young and didn't really feel any pressure.
January 26, 2009
'Fast bowling is the toughest job in cricket'
Posted on 01/26/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Aaqib Javed, the former Pakistan fast bowler, now serving as a senior coach at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), shares his thoughts on the upcoming talent in Pakistan and the role of his institution in grooming young players to play top-level cricket. He spoke to Pakpassion.com in a two-part interview.
On how the NCA functions.
It would be impossible for the NCA to go to every village which is why we have 11 regional academies working under the NCA. The way it works is that these acadamies identify regional talent at a young age and develop it, their job is to groom their local players. They give these youngsters personal development plans and teach them how best to utilise their talent.
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On bowlers struggling to make the transition to hard balls after impressing with tennis balls
You need a really big heart, you have to really want it and you must have a good professional attitude too. Fast bowling is the toughest job in cricket, you wont make it unless you're totally dedicated to your bowling. The tennis ball gives you the basics and it encourages you to bowl fast but there has to come a point where you move on to the hard ball
January 25, 2009
Disunited front
Posted on 01/25/2009 in Pakistan cricket
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The divisions in the Pakistan unit are apparently widening
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Pakistan's embarrassing 234-run defeat against Sri Lanka has sparked questions on the unity of the side under Shoaib Malik, an insecure captain in charge of an equally insecure team, writes Khalid Hussain in the News. He writes that several seniors, including Younis Khan and Umar Gul, feel they are on Malik's hit-list.
According to an insider, Malik has spent the best part of his first two-year tenure as captain trying to convince the PCB top brass and national selectors that the national team will be better off without the services of several senior players.
“Malik used to bring a list of five players, whom he wanted out of the Pakistan team. From day one, he was against Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan and even Umar Gul,” said the insider who was present at the meetings held between the selectors and the national team management during 2007 and 2008.
In the Nation, Nabeel Sabir says the scantiness of Malik's captaincy talent was exposed as he failed to attack when it was required in the middle overs and continued bowling the spinners when the faster bowlers should have been brought in. He also questions Shahid Afridi's presence, as he's barely contributed much of note with the bat of late.
It has to start with selection and harsh decisions have to be taken. Seniors with experience are an asset for any side and you can't just write them off on the basis of a few bad performances. The right way ahead is to have a good balance between youth and experience and learn from the mistakes and not keep on repeating them.
January 15, 2009
One rule for one, one for another
Posted on 01/15/2009 in Pakistan cricket
To fault the PCB, as some have done, for not being able to ‘persuade’ foreign sides to tour Pakistan, is grossly unjust. The assessment and perception of Pakistan is created largely by events that take place inside the country and the reaction of society — consisting of leading politicians, officials and the media — to these events. That is where Pakistan seems to be losing out, writes Asif Iqbal in the News.
January 3, 2009
Mohammad Aamer craves the next level
Posted on 01/03/2009 in Pakistan cricket
Mohammad Aamer is just 16 and has only played two first-class matches but he's not short of confidence. In an in-depth interview with Pakpassion.net, he says he's ready for international cricket, talks about how he considers himself a fast bowler and not a swing bowler, though he can "swing it in both ways with the new ball and then reverse swing with the old ball too", and how Wasim Akram and Aaqib Javed are helping him. Pakpassion.net: Who is the most difficult batsman you've ever faced.
Mohammad Aamer: I've never thought of any batsman as a difficult batsman to face, not to me. That's a negative way of thinking.
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PakPassion.Net: So you dont feel that you could do with some more time getting forged in domestic cricket? Maybe another year?
Mohammad Aamer: When you start playing at the first class level then you quickly mature as a cricketer, you learn far more at the International level than you can in domestic cricket. I feel that I'm ready to play for Pakistan.
December 5, 2008
Why cricket diplomacy works
Posted on 12/05/2008 in Pakistan cricket
Should India tour Pakistan or not? Pakistan may still be at the receiving end of the blame game after the atrocities in Mumbai, but it doesn't necessarily mean that India should snap cricketing ties with them in haste, writes Dileep Premachandran, in the Guardian.
Does the cancellation of a cricket tour make the jihadis go away, or does it merely strengthen the hawks on both sides? What does the average Pakistani have to do with Lashkar-e-Taiba or the Taliban? About as much as the normal Indian has to do with lunatic right-wing groups like the Bajrang Dal. Nothing at all.
He also justifies why Pakistan isn't as dangerous as people think it to be.
I've been kicked in the ribs with Doc Martens as a child growing up in England, been treated like vermin by a thuggish Croatian restaurant owner in fashionable St Kilda in Melbourne and nearly mugged in Johannesburg. Pakistan is the one place I have no bad memories of.
November 30, 2008
Can Miandad shake things up?
Posted on 11/30/2008 in Pakistan cricket
Javed Miandad’s new role [as PCB's director-general] requires walking a fine line. He was always great at tailoring his cricket to suit the situation of the game. If anyone can do it, he can, Saad Shafqat writes in the Dawn's Sunday Magazine.
For someone who has so unquestioningly served his country whenever called upon -- whether as a player, captain, coach, or ordinary citizen -- it is surprising how often Miandad gets mixed reviews. On the one hand, there is a category of Pakistani fans defined by an irrational love for Javed Miandad. On the other hand, more than a few observers of Pakistan cricket feel his name is synonymous with trouble. The reasons for such a polarised reputation are varied but, one way or another, are centred on a personal style and manner that courts controversy.
Nevertheless, certain facts are undisputed. Miandad’s arrival in the Pakistan side shook things up. He became quickly recognised as the best batsman in the team. He hit a six in Sharjah that was heard around the world. He succeeded everywhere, including the proving grounds of the West Indies, where he made unforgettable centuries in epic battles. He anchored Pakistan to a World Cup title. He dominated his opponents’ psyche to the exclusion of almost everything else. He understood the game tactically and psychologically like few others. He was at the forefront of an improbable golden age. It was said of him that so long as he was at the wicket, Pakistan always had a chance, no matter what the circumstances
November 26, 2008
PCB should use ICL card to ensure India tour
Posted on 11/26/2008 in Pakistan cricket
The ICL card is the only pressure tool that Pakistan can use to save its ‘iconic’ home series against India from getting cancelled, postponed or moved to some offshore venues, writes Khalid Hussain in the News.
The BCCI senior officials have been saying that their hands are tied and it would their government’s call over whether the cricket team should tour Pakistan. It may be true, but the BCCI has a lot of clout in India and if it wants the tour to go ahead, a government clearance shouldn’t be a problem. After all, India came here for the Asia Cup this summer when the security situation here wasn’t worse than its now. Like Pakistan, India itself has been a target of terrorism and should identify with their neighbour’s problem. If not, then Butt should raise the ICL issue.
November 24, 2008
The agent for change
Posted on 11/24/2008 in Pakistan cricket
During his playing days Abdul Qadir was not only a master of his craft, but the champion legspinner was also a team-man to the core. In an interview to Sumit Mukherjee in the Times of India, Pakistan's newly-appointed chief selector says he hopes to inculcate some of that quality into the current bunch of players as he kickstarts an arduous rebuilding process with an eye on the 2011 World Cup.
No one is indispensable. There will always be someone to fill the void. When Fazal Mahmood ended his playing career, we didn’t expect someone of his calibre to come along, but in came Imran Khan and changed the face of Pakistan cricket. After Imran, we got Wasim Akram. No one goes on forever, but life does.
November 22, 2008
Damned if you do, damned if you don't
Posted on 11/22/2008 in Pakistan cricket
One can imagine the nervousness that the Pakistan cricketing authorities must be feeling over the issue of the India tour, supposed to take place in less than two months’ time. That India should tour is a matter of fundamental importance for Pakistan cricket, writes Asif Iqbal in the News.
If the Indians refuse to come, the prospects of any Test side other than Bangladesh and maybe Sri Lanka visiting Pakistan in the foreseeable future may be classified as remote; one of the almost certain fallouts of it would be the cancellation of the Champions Trophy to be held in September-October 2009 and, unless the law and order situation improves noticeably over the next couple of years, the future of the Pakistan leg of the World Cup could also have a serious question mark hanging over it. One has every sympathy for the position in which the Pakistan Cricket Board finds itself, for this is not a situation of its making, but one with which it has nevertheless to try and come to terms with although the means of rectifying it are also not in its control either.
November 18, 2008
Is Yousuf greedy?
Posted on 11/18/2008 in Pakistan cricket
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Unlike others, Mohammad Yousuf didn't pick the patently smarter option
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Mohammad Yousuf is peeved. Thats not new. Yesterday, after returning to Pakistan following the Lahore Badshahs' win in the ICL finals, Yousuf warned that the national side will suffer without him, saying that the country doesn't have anybody good enough to replace him in the middle-order at the moment. In the Karachi-based Dawn, Saad Shafqat says that by even accepting the ICL offer, Yousuf showed everyone that he had placed greed above the country. It’s been great for the Badshahs and for the fans who are once again enjoying the rarefied pleasure of Yousuf’s silken batting. But in a more obvious sense, says Shafqat, Yousuf is back where he started, accomplishing little and inviting ridicule in the process.
It was the princely sum of $1million that started it. This is the amount that the Indian Cricket League offered Yousuf through former Pakistan captain Moin Khan, who had become the manager of the Lahore Badshahs and was recruiting for them.
Naturally, Yousuf was tempted. Who wouldn’t be? Around the world, leading contracted players from many national teams were made similar offers to join one of the ICL teams and add their stardust to the league. Yet while everyone else resisted, Yousuf caved in.
October 29, 2008
Give Intikhab the right job
Posted on 10/29/2008 in Pakistan cricket
Asif Iqbal, in his column for the News has backed the PCB's decision to appoint Intikhab Alam as the coach of Pakistan but cautioned that his role needs to be specified clearly before he takes over. Given Alam's seniority, Iqbal feels Alam would be better off with a mentoring role with specialist coaches to assist him. He also wonders why the board didn't consider Mudassar Nazar.
It would also be pertinent to highlight the fact that Mudassar Nazar, a very experienced former Test player and still in the age zone for a traditional coaching assignment, has only recently been appointed as a coach by the ICC for its academy in Dubai. If he is good enough to be a coach for the ICC — as I am certain he is — should he not have been good enough as a coach for Pakistan? And going on from there, as a Pakistani, should not the PCB have made the first move to acquire his services?
October 23, 2008
'I've never been overawed by any batsman'
Posted on 10/23/2008 in Pakistan cricket
In a freewheeling interview with PakPassion, Sohail Tanvir talks about how he got selected to the Pakistan side, how tape-ball cricket helped hone his skills, the importance of a good captain, and also what makes him angry on the cricket field.
If I'm out there bowling my heart out and trying to force the batsman into a false stroke by drying up the runs, then why can't the fielder put as much effort into his job? When I'm bowling I count the runs I'm conceding after each delivery and in each over, I enjoy studying my analysis and I hate being hit around. Anytime that I end up conceding a lot of runs I'm furious with myself and I work even harder to make sure that it won't happen again.
October 14, 2008
Professionalism needed in Pakistan cricket
Posted on 10/14/2008 in Pakistan cricket
Imran Khan, in an extensive interview with PakPassion.net, talks of the turmoil within Pakistan cricket. He discusses issues such as political intervention in the PCB, the board’s inconsistent discipline policy, allegations of ball tampering, the Champions Trophy debacle, and his political career.
We need to separate politics and sport, it's unacceptable for the head of state to appoint the PCB Chairman. This ad hoc system needs to stop, we need a full time salaried head of the PCB who is selected solely on merit and not because of his connections. I mean it's not rocket science, it's the same system in place elsewhere.
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If you don't have discipline in the team then you would have the chaos that Pakistan cricket is going through right now. The reason Pakistan cricket has so many issues right now is because of their inconsistent discipline policy. If a player is performing well then he can get away with anything, he can break all of the rules without censure but if he's doing badly or on his way out then he gets punished.
October 12, 2008
What it takes to be a PCB chairman
Posted on 10/12/2008 in Pakistan cricket
Shortly after the appointment of Ijaz Butt as the PCB chairman, Asif Iqbal, the former Pakistan captain, is puzzled at the number of calls from different quarters to have a prominent former cricketer head the board. Writing for the News, he justifies why a board chairman should ideally have administrative experience and be capable of handling the behind-the-scenes affairs. He clearly spells out the role of the PCB chairman and says that many in the past have misunderstood their brief.
Unfortunately, since so many of the appointments of late have been political appointments of people who are cricket buffs and long to be seen rubbing shoulders with the big names in the sport, their identification of what their job demands has been immature, sometimes to the point of being childish; one former chairman was so excited with his appointment that he asked a leading cricketer to accompany him as he did the rounds of men’s stores in central London buying clothes; he just could not resist the temptation of showing off the cricketer who, rather than the Chairman, was instantly recognised wherever he went.
In the same paper, Masood Hasan explains where the former chairman Nasim Ashraf went wrong, and welcomes Butt to the post.
The chief executives of other cricket boards are hardly heard and seen even less. Mr Butt should roll up his sleeves and get to work and give interviews when there is something tangible to report and where he can talk not in the future tense but in the present.
October 10, 2008
Coaching in the sub-continent an impossible job
Posted on 10/10/2008 in Indian cricket
Michael Atherton, writing in the Times, feels the unpredictable nature of Pakistan cricket and the Indian cricketing establishment's resistance to change have made coaching enormously difficult in the two countries.
Pybus could not cope with the irrationality and the uncertainty of Pakistan cricket. Using an unfortunate analogy, given the present situation, he said this of his time there: “They have an amazing capacity to ambush themselves ... you're always sitting there waiting for someone to lob a hand grenade and waiting for it to go off. You can never plan with such a team because you don't know what is happening tomorrow.” Dismissed twice, Pybus urged Pakistan to take a more scientific - meaning Western - approach to their cricket.
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India presents different problems, in so much as it is not the unpredictability that challenges a coach, but the lack of it. Chappell wanted to modernise Indian ways and challenge what he saw as a cosy club of ageing, unathletic stars. But anyone who wants to challenge the status quo must remember that it is the players in India who call the shots. Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly are icons, wealthy and revered beyond measure, and used to playing on their terms or not at all.
October 3, 2008
'I want to pay my country back for all that it's given me'- Mushtaq Ahmed
Posted on 10/03/2008 in Pakistan cricket
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Mushtaq Ahmed believes Pakistan's ex-players have a big role to play in nurturing future talent
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PakPassion.net’s extensive interview with legspinner Mushtaq Ahmed covers various aspects of his long career, starting with his initiation into international cricket to his current stint with the Lahore Badshahs in the ICL. Ahmed also speaks of the problems with the current Pakistan team, his differences with the PCB, and his future.
If you stop investment into anything, then it will die. The PCB needs to invest at the grass roots level, ex-players should play a big part in going to small towns to hold camps and scout for talent. Why am I getting offers to work with spinners in England despite not having any formal coaching qualifications? There are lots of qualified coaches in England that could do the job, why ask me? It's because experience counts for something. The PCB need to learn from that and start to tap into the wealth of experience that they have in Pakistan in the form of all our talented ex-players.
September 24, 2008
A 'top' draw for Pakistan
Posted on 09/24/2008 in Pakistan cricket
Pakistan cricket which has been going through a crisis requires an able administrator to bring cricket back on track after the resignation of Dr Nasim Ashraf. Shahid Hashmi in his column for Cricketnirvana.com feels appointing a cricket boss in the country will be no easy task as he takes a look at the long list of possible candidates.
Ironically, PCB's post also defies democratic system, just like governments in Pakistan. The country is ruled more by army than by politicians. The same is the case of the appointment of the PCB chairman. Unlike other countries where there is an elected president in the cricket boards, PCB chairman is appointed by President of Pakistan.
September 21, 2008
The decline of Pakistan cricket
Posted on 09/21/2008 in Pakistan cricket
Pakistan’s status in the cricketing world has declined precipitously. The reasons for this, according to some of the leading figures of Pakistan cricket, range from security issues to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s internal problems, a change in players’ attitudes and the ICC’s “shoddy handling of various issues”. Daily News and Analysis’ Ankita Pandey talks to Asif Iqbal and Javed Miandad about the sorry state of the game in their country.
Asif Iqbal, former captain and now an ICC match referee, agrees that change in Pakistan cricketers’ attitude has affected the game.
“The 80s and the 90s were certainly the best years of Pakistan cricket… Even early 2000. Somewhere between early 2002 and 2003 we saw a tremendous change in the players’ attitude towards the game,” he says.
“By this I mean that cricket took backstage and senior players in particular led the decline in team ethics and discipline. The juniors lacked proper encouragement and opportunities as the old brigade clung to each other and kept a tight hold on the reigns.
Not necessarily for cricketing reasons. Sporting culture was no longer a part of the dressing room.”
Meanwhile, Pradeep Magazine, in his article in the Hindustan Times, attributes Pakistan’s lack of money-power as the main reason for cricket’s regression in the country.
Poor Pakistan! What does it have to offer to the cricketing world? Neither sponsors flush with money, or mouthwatering prospects to play in a league like IPL and no social life which can tempt the young, fit hulks.
September 10, 2008
Mohammad Akram interview
Posted on 09/10/2008 in Pakistan cricket
In a very candid interview with PakPassion.net, Mohammad Akram looks back on his career, talks frankly about the two Ws and speaks out on the demerits of the cricketing system in Pakistan.
So which one of them [Wasim Akram or Waqar Younis] was more helpful to you?
Mohammad Akram: Neither of them, they didnt do anything for youngsters. It was part of their policy to not let youngsters in.
This isn't the first time I've heard this, about Wasim and Waqar blocking the progress of youngsters...
Mohammad Akram: (interrupts) ...no I wouldn't call it blocking, they didn't block anyone. It was more a case of the fact that they didn't like to see anyone coming near them or reaching them. That was part of the reason they didnt like Shoaib, they were well against him.
...The final straw was in 2001 when Aaqib Javed (who was then a selector) came into my hotel room to tell me that with both Wasim and Waqar being fit I was not needed in the squad for the upcoming Asian Test Championship. I had a contract with a club here in England and so I took the next flight out of Pakistan and came to England to play some cricket. Then suddenly I got a phone call from another selector, Zakir Khan, telling me that not only was I in the Test match squad but I was also going to be playing in the final XI vs Bangladesh at Multan. He also stressed that the game was taking place the day after tomorrow and that I needed to come back, so against my better judgement I tried to get a flight back to Pakistan. Unfortunately it was too short notice and I was unable to get back in time, so they banned me for two years for not turning up to play
What's your opinion on Shoaib? Is he as arrogant and aggressive as we are led to believe?
Mohammad Akram: If you know Shoaib then he's a lovely chap to be around, you'll really enjoy his company and you'll certainly never be bored (laughs). However if you dont know him then it's a different story, he's that sort of character. To understand Shoaib you have to get to know him, once you get to know him, you can understand where he's coming from and what he's talking about. When it come to Shoaib as a cricketer, I always think 'what a waste'.
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September 1, 2008
Pakistan needs to relive glory days — Part II
Posted on 09/01/2008 in Pakistan cricket
In Part 2 of Ehsan Mani's observations on Pakistan cricket in Dawn, he talks about the security situation in Pakistan and feels the PCB should have anticipated a mass pull-out from the Champions Trophy and swapped the tournament for the 2010 or 2012 ICC tournaments. However, he strongly feels it's a misconception that Pakistan is largely unsafe to tour. On the functioning of the PCB, he says it's important all cricketing matters be handled by former players, and that it isn't always necessary to appoint a former national player as the chairman.
While I was President of the ICC, before an ICC Board meeting in Lahore in 2004, I took a number of directors including the then Chairmen of the Boards from Australia, West Indies, South Africa and Zimbabwe to Gilgit and Hunza. We drove up the KKH and flew back. It was an eye opener for them. It showed them a Pakistan very different from the perception they had. To this day they all consider it the highlight of their cricketing travels anywhere in the world. Each one of them would come back to Pakistan at the first opportunity.
For Part 1, click here.
August 31, 2008
Pakistan needs to get its prioirities right
Posted on 08/31/2008 in Pakistan cricket
Ehsan Mani, the former president of the ICC, writes in the Dawn that the frequent changes at the helm of the Pakistan Cricket Board has contributed to damaging the fundamental structure of cricket in the country. He laments the decline of the Wazir Ali league in Lahore, calls for increased wages for domestic players and wants the PCB to spend more money on the personal development of players in the national team.
Rawalpindi had a number of grounds apart from the Pindi Club Ground on the Mall Road. Gradually these grounds have disappeared. The Army ground is now the parking lot for the GHQ, the T&T ground is now a housing estate; others have simply disappeared as commercial and residential developments took over the vacant spaces where children could just turn up and play. Regretfully, this has been the case throughout Pakistan ... Without investment in playing facilities a large pool of talent will be lost.
August 18, 2008
Once upon a star
Posted on 08/18/2008 in Pakistan cricket
The cricket forum PakPassion, has interviewed Yasir Hameed, the middle-order batsman who has slipped off the international radar after a spectacular Test debut, against Bangladesh in 2003, when he scored two centuries to become only the second player to do so.
I'm grateful to Allah that I got a century in each innings on my debut but I agree with you that it does end up creating an unrealistic expectation. To be truthful, I'm very disappointed in my performance in international cricket so far as I've missed out on 12 international centuries. I feel that if a player gets past 50 runs in an innings then it's a crime for him not to convert that score into a century. If you're in good enough form to score 50 runs, then you owe it to your team and to yourself to make your form count and get a really big score.
July 16, 2008
Poor captains, poor Razzaq
Posted on 07/16/2008 in Pakistan cricket
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Abdul Razzaq now plays for the Indian Cricket League
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In an interview to PakPassion, a cricket forum, Pakistan allrounder Abdul Razzaq says he was handled poorly in the later stages of his international career, and that led to a decline in his performance. Razzaq explains why he couldn't replicate his form during Wasim Akram's tenure under other Pakistan captains:
There's only so much a player can do by himself, the captain's backing and his correct utilization of each players skills is also critical to a players success. Imagine if you've spent the whole day practising your batting and you've got yourself worked up to go out there the next day and bat, then when the next day comes you are slotted in at number 7 or 8 and you either dont get a chance to bat or you only face a dozen balls. How disheartened would you feel? Wouldnt it get you down mentally to know that you were fully fit and mentally ready but you didnt get a chance because you are batting too low in the order?
In the same way if you're confident about your bowling ability but you dont get a proper chance to show your skills then what can you do about it? Fast bowling in cricket is about the new ball, the best time to pick up wickets in an ODI match is within the first 15 overs. That's when the batsmen are unsettled, the ball is new and the batting team is willing to take risks off your bowling. The first 15 overs is when bowlers can either take a bad beating or pick up some crucial wickets, it's the best time to bowl. What's the use of introducing one of your most experienced bowlers between the 20th and 40th overs?
June 26, 2008
Imran disagrees with Malik's two-year tenure
Posted on 06/26/2008 in Pakistan cricket
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Shoaib Malik should be handed the captaincy on a series-by-series basis, insists Imran Khan
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While impressed with the 'young and fearless' Indian side under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Imran Khan, the former Pakistan captain, is not too pleased with the state of affairs across the border. He writes in the Hindustan Times:
The same optimism cannot be shown as far as Pakistan is concerned. Right from the moment Inzamam-ul Haq forfeited the Test match in England, Pakistan cricket has gone from one crises to another — World Cup exit, drug scandals, Shoaib Akhtar’s ban and now Mohammad Asif’s detention.
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At a time when talent is hard to find in Pakistan, Asif’s case has been a serious blow to the team. I am also not in favour of Shoaib Malik being given a two-year tenure as captain. Even when I was established as captain, I was always made captain only for the series ahead. Such long-term planning is another example of how high-handed and arbitrarily cricket is run in Pakistan.
June 5, 2008
A criminal waste?
Posted on 06/05/2008 in Pakistan cricket
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Mohammad Asif: what lies in store?
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The latest scandal has little to do with the ones Mohammad Asif has been involved in before, but what's annoying is that it will still be stacked together with all the others, writes Anand Vasu in the Hindustan Times.
Asif, 25 by his own estimation, will know now that even his best-case scenario — being found not guilty on a technicality or for lack of conclusive evidence, and there’s nothing to suggest that so far — his life will never be the same again.
An editorial in the Pakistan-based Dawn terms the latest scandal as 'Yet another embarrassment'.
Another editorial, this time in the Daily Times, blames the establishment for the Asif scandal.
Because there is no proper first-class cricketing structure in Pakistan, highly talented boys get into the team without any mental or other strategic grooming.
Also read Osman Samiuddin's views on the same topic in Cricinfo.
June 4, 2008
Board to blame for Asif incident
Posted on 06/04/2008 in Pakistan cricket
Mohammad Asif was detained in Dubai on suspicion of possessing drugs and Khalid Hussain believes the Pakistan board has only itself to blame for his latest misadventure. He writes in the Karachi-based News:
Asif’s latest episode involving drugs is by no means an isolated incident. Less than two years back, the fast bowler tested positive for banned anabolic steroid nandrolone along with Shoaib Akhtar. But while Shoaib — the ‘bad boy’ of Pakistan cricket — was relegated to the role of a villain, Asif was treated by our cricket bosses as an innocent kid ‘who didn’t know what he was doing’.
It is this patronising attitude of the PCB that is indirectly responsible for the latest embarrassment Pakistan has been forced to suffer courtesy one of its cricketer stars. Asif’s detention in Dubai for possession of drugs was flashed by TV channels and websites worldwide on Tuesday. Hardly the sort of publicity, Pakistan or Pakistan cricket needs after all that has happened in recent times.
May 28, 2008
'People have a xenophobic view of places like Pakistan'
Posted on 05/28/2008 in Pakistan cricket
Monica Attard speaks to Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson on ABC Sydney.
Monica Attard: If you had been a player now would you have gone [to Pakistan]?
Geoff Lawson: In 1980 the Australian cricket team was sent to Pakistan for the first tour since 1956. Russia had just invaded Afghanistan, the neighbouring country. There were tanks, fighter plans, troops. I would have considered it a thousand times more dangerous than it is now and yet we went off and played no problems. I would have thought security was minimal. We went and played our cricket, did what we had to do in conditions, and I'm talking hotels, cricket grounds, the whole lot, considerably worse than what these players go through. So having been there in those circumstances, having been sent there and not even one consideration of not going.
Monica Attard: You don't think the situation is different now that cricket has such momentum in the subcontinent that perhaps they would target - terrorists might think to target cricketers?
Geoff Lawson: Well, you can never say never. But that has not been - there has been no history of even random terrorism in Pakistan. We're talking about, as it happened in Jaipur the other day, bombs in market places. The targets have always 100% of the time been military, political or security forces.
Monica Attard: You feel quite safe there?
Geoff Lawson: Quite safe.
May 25, 2008
An interview with Miandad
Posted on 05/25/2008 in Pakistan cricket
The Dawn's M Wasim meets Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan captain, and seeks his views on a range of cricketing issues. In the interview, Miandad minces no words when asked about his opinions about the Pakistan board.
There is not a single person in the board who knows [about] cricket. None of them have even played first class cricket. That’s why they are only ‘yes-men’, and authorities always look for such people. It’s a one-man-show in the team. The chairman of the board is there because he has the backing of higher authorities. You can easily evaluate his tenure. For the last nine or 10 years, ad-hocism has always prevailed in the country.
May 18, 2008
Run Nasim Ashraf out
Posted on 05/18/2008 in Pakistan cricket
"On April 26 Dr Nasim Ashraf told the Senate’s Standing Committee on Sports that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had “nothing to hide.” The truth is that it has a lot to hide," writes Masood Hasan in The News. "No single chairman of the board has created controversies like Dr Ashraf, who has been around for just 18 months. The stories, the details are different, but through it all, there is one common strand. Dr Nasim Ashraf. He sails on, despite open and proven evidence of incompetence and fiscal waywardness."
April 27, 2008
'I still am the only girl that plays at Karachi GymKhana'
Posted on 04/27/2008 in Pakistan cricket
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"I've never tried to copy anyone so I don't think my action matches anyone else's"
© International Cricket Council
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Ahead of the Women's Asia Cup, scheduled to begin in Sri Lanka on May 2, Pakistan captain Urooj Mumtaz spoke to PakPassion.Net about cricket, her life, fitness, legspin, Jonty Rhodes, why she thinks the Pakistan women's team is a committed unit, and a whole lot more.
Sample some snippets from the exclusive interview:
Even now a lot of the girls still have a lot of problems stemming from society (not from their immediate families), where people talk and this causes complications for them. It's very sad actually because it's such a beautiful sport to play. I think a lot of girls will understand when I say that even if the immediate family are willing, they often get influenced by society and that causes them to object to the girl playing cricket. Hopefully if the media give us more coverage and people get to see women playing cricket all the time, then it will become more acceptable to everyone.
or this:
The Shahid Afridi [of our team] is Kanta Jalil who's also a fast bowler but she loves to strike the ball out of the ground and she does hit it a very, very long way. When she gets it in the middle of the bat, the only place you'll find the ball is outside the ground! The Shoaib Akhtar is Asmavia Iqbal, she's the fastest bowler in our team and her favourite player is Shoaib Akhtar. She copies everything he does. The only difference between him and her is that she's completely fit, sticks to her game and does the job she's asked to do.
April 5, 2008
Right in appeal, wrong in outburst
Posted on 04/05/2008 in Pakistan cricket
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Asif Iqbal feels the act of criticising the board does certainly not merit anything as drastic as what is for all practical purposes, a life ban
© AFP
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Pakistan’s fast bowling superstar Shoaib Akhtar seems to have timed his protest against his five-year ban imposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board just right, says former Pakistan captain Asif Iqbal in the News.
I agree with the majority of opinion that seems to think that a five-year ban on Shoaib is excessive and out of proportion for the offence that he was hauled up for on this occasion. True, that his record has a lot more than this or any one offence, but since the ban has come following the last offence, which was of criticising the board, the perception inevitably is that this is the offence for which he has been punished.
To that extent, the punishment is draconian; the act of criticising the Board does certainly not merit anything as drastic as what is for all practical purposes, a life ban. In fact, such a punishment may have been considered befitting if it was imposed after the drugs scandal or after the incident in which Shoaib was alleged to hit teammate Mohammad Asif with a bat in the dressing room.
These were much bigger misdemeanours and a ban, if imposed following these offences, would be more difficult to agitate against. But this was not the right time for such a drastic punishment; the crime simply did not fit it.
That said, Shoaib’s outburst against the Board and its Chairman is equally wrong. His claim that he is being punished for being a loyal Pakistani only qualifies as an utter load of rubbish, for by insinuation all those who are not punished — which includes the overwhelming majority of cricketers — are not loyal Pakistanis, and those who have inflicted the punishment on him are not either.
April 3, 2008
British Pakistanis to protest at Shoaib ban
Posted on 04/03/2008 in Pakistan cricket
The British Pakistani cricket fraternity are to voice their anger at the banning of Shoaib Akhtar in a Southall curry house this evening. The Times’ Patrick Kidd has the full story at Line and Length:
Tonight at 7pm, members of the British Pakistani community will be gathering in Chaudhry's TKC, a restaurant in Southall that has been catering for Pakistani touring teams to Britain for more than 30 years, to air their displeasure at the five-year ban handed down to Shoaib Akhtar for criticising the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Dalawar Chaudhry said that more than 100 guests were expected to attend the protest meeting - "everyone who is important in the Pakistani cricket fraternity in England" - and that they want to air their displeasure at the PCB's actions. "The PCB should support their players," Mr Chaudhry said. "The penalty really does not fit the crime. Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif can be forgiven after criticising the Pakistani government, but Shoaib, who has some of the best Test statistics by any fast bowler, is not forgiven. It is very harsh when you consider that far more sacrilegious crimes, such as match-fixing, get lesser penalties."
In the Age Alex Brown looks at the fall – and excuses – of Shoaib.
He has never learned his lesson. He has chosen to wound those who have defended him and act without a shred of remorse or accountability. And, this time, he intends to take the game's reputation with him.
April 2, 2008
Serial offender
Posted on 04/02/2008 in Pakistan cricket
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Shoaib Akhtar could be out of international cricket for five years
© AFP
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Shoaib Akhtar has been banned from international cricket for five years and the Times' Richard Hobson believes the Pakistan board have saved themselves many hours of disciplinary hearings in the year ahead.
The only surprise in the PCB losing confidence in Shoaib is that it took them so long. Yes, at a time when bat is dominating ball his record of 178 Test wickets at little more than 25 apiece places him among the leading pace bowlers in the world. He was indulged by captains and coaches because he was special.
In his blog for the Times, Dileep Premachandran writes that by banning Shoaib, the Pakistan board has taken another step on the road to oblivion.
The Guardian's Andy Bull recalls watching Shoaib bowl for Worcestershire on a hot September afternoon three years ago:
Sitting up in my seat, squinting into the sunshine, I'd see him run in, I'd see his arms describe an arc and the ball leave his hand. And by the time the batsman began his stroke the bails would already be hitting the turf somewhere beyond second slip.
He took three wickets in four balls, and went on to record the best limited overs figures (7.2-2-16-6) in Worcestershire's history. It didn't stop the club moaning about what a poor signing he'd been, but it did give their supporters something to remember him by.
Pakistan daily, the Dawn's Khalid Khan feels the board should be applauded for making a bold move to curb probably the worst case of indiscipline committed by an individual in the chequered history of Pakistan cricket.
March 21, 2008
Rauf rejects ICL offer
Posted on 03/21/2008 in Pakistan cricket
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Abdur Rauf is intent on becoming a regular in the Pakistan team
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| The cricket forum, pakpassion.net, has conducted a detailed interview with Pakistan seamer Abdur Rauf, who reveals that he rejected an offer from the ICL.
Of course it was [to turn down the offer]. Imagine you or your members turning down the equivalent rise in your own salaries. Could you do it? I had to say no because the only reason I started playing cricket was to represent Pakistan. It's been my lifelong dream to wear our national colours and help Pakistan to win matches. I don't think you can put a price on that. I'll see how it goes over the next few years, I don't want to give up on my dream of playing for Pakistan but if at some point in the future it becomes clear that there's no place for me in the Pakistan team then I'll have to re-evaluate where I stand. I hope that day never comes because every wicket I've ever taken, I've seen as another step in my journey towards playing for the national team.
Rauf also talks about the change in his action and his decision to shorten his run-up.
It's true that I did slow my pace down by altering my run-up and action but it wasn't something I was made to do. It was my own choice, nobody told me to do it. What you have to understand is that it's senseless to continue with such a demanding action for years and years at domestic level. If as a fast bowler you don't get into the national team at an early age, then your chances for making it into the team become very limited. You never stop trying but you need to be honest with yourself about what sort of beating your body can keep taking everyday. You have to economize with your run-up and your action and concentrate on out thinking batsmen rather than just blasting them out.
March 12, 2008
Handing terrorists victory
Posted on 03/12/2008 in Pakistan cricket
Australia's decision to postpone their tour to Pakistan has drawn a sharp reaction from Khalid Hussain of the Times.
Cutting a long story short, one has to say that Australia’s decision to stay away from Pakistan is another huge loss for a country where cricket is perhaps the biggest passion. It might sound like a cliche but by chickening out of what was a challenging assignment, the Aussies have handed the terrorists operating in this unfortunate country a major victory.
That said, Cricket Australia’s decision to hold back its cricketers came as no surprise. All the wrong signals had been coming from Down Under for quite a few months. The Australians, it is believed, made up their mind against touring Pakistan after the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto last December but players like Andrew Symonds had been cribbing about the visit much before that tragedy.
March 9, 2008
No dearth of talent
Posted on 03/09/2008 in Pakistan cricket
Having won the Under-19 World Cup two editions in a row, Pakistan's young heroes returned empty-handed from Kuala Lumpur this year. While the side failed to defend its title, the Dawn's M Wasim says the overall performance was quite praiseworthy.
February 27, 2008
Why are Australia reluctant to tour Pakistan?
Posted on 02/27/2008 in Pakistan cricket
Saad Shafqat writes in the Pakistan daily, Dawn that it makes no sense for Australia to single out Pakistan as a country they are unwilling to tour for security reasons. Since 9/11 Australia are the only team not to visit Pakistan.
The reality behind the canard of safety and security is that Australia have never liked coming here to begin with. Cricket may be a global family, but Pakistan is its poor relative, living in a poor, rough neighbourhood. As with any poor neighbourhood, the place struggles with its reputation. So rich relatives like Australia, nestled in material comforts and stable circumstances, have been loath to visit.
Pick any cricket autobiography from Australia, New Zealand or England, and it will make a point to complain about the drudgery of touring Pakistan. The playing conditions are alien, and there are no bars or nightlife to liven up the evenings. That the cricket can provide intense and satisfying competition doesn’t seem to enter the equation.
January 24, 2008
Another rift in Pakistan cricket
Posted on 01/24/2008 in Pakistan cricket
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Nasir Jamshed enjoyed a fine debut in Karachi but did Shoaib Malik really want him in the team?
© AFP
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It's a new year, but there appear to be the same old problems for Pakistan as talk of disagreements between selectors and team management grow stronger. Ahead of the current Zimbabwe series, Shoaib Malik said he preferred Kamran Akmal as opener, but the selectors wanted to try Nasir Jamshed. The Dawn explains further.
Malik’s insistence on playing the struggling wicket-keeper-batsman Kamran Akmal as opener against the Zimbabweans and his unflinching loyalty with a rather expensive Rao Iftikhar are among the few issues that are being constantly debated over by the selectors.
Also, the skipper’s reluctance to try out newer, younger players against Prosper Utseya’s men and his obvious disregard for seasoned all-rounder Shahid Afridi and pacer Umar Gul has also irked the selectors no end.
Now there are also questions being raised as to whether Geoff Lawson is the right man to haul Pakistan out of their slump. Although they reached the World Twenty20 final in September, results have been poor during his short spell in charge. The News says that time is running short for Lawson.
Another charge against Lawson is that he loses his temper too quickly. Sports scribes witnessed it themselves after Pakistan lost the Karachi Test against South Africa last October when Lawson became rude while answering to queries — not an appropriate thing to do considering the fact that it was his first post-match press conference since taking over as national coach. He was also quite unconvincing.
The selectors also got a taste of Lawson’s temper during a few meetings to discuss the team combination ahead and during the ongoing series against Zimbabwe. According to one selector, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Lawson actually becomes ‘unreasonable and rude’ while arguing with the selectors.
November 24, 2007
Malik's rise from a humble background
Posted on 11/24/2007 in Pakistan cricket
Shoaib Malik's appointment as captain of Pakistan, that too at the sprightly age of 25, was a proud moment for a family of seven from Sialkot. Imran Malik, brother of Shoaib, now in Delhi to watch the first Test between India and Pakiatan, talks about the family's humble origins and how his brother benefitted from their father's constant support. Read the full piece at Indiatimes.
"Our father owned a small shop of electronic goods. He always encouraged us to take up the sport. He used to tell Shoaib not to be too serious about studies and play cricket."
November 15, 2007
Imran Khan: still headline news
Posted on 11/15/2007 in Pakistan cricket
The arrest of former Pakistan captain Imran Khan has attracted widespread global interest. Even though his political career has not really taken off, he remains a high-profile figure and one that remains a thorn in the side of the ruling regime.
In the UK The Independent devotes its front page to the news, with claims that Imran’s life is in danger, and it also outlines the British government’s role in events which Imran claims have led to his arrest.
In The Daily Telegraph, Simon Briggs looks at what Imran has been up to since he quit cricket.
When Imran launched his party, it was initially seen as a whimsical vehicle for a man who could not bear to be out of the public eye. But after a false start in the 1997 elections, he kept battling away and eventually claimed a seat in Pakistan's National Assembly in 2004.
October 17, 2007
Spin folly
Posted on 10/17/2007 in Pakistan cricket
There was really never a moment in the entire series when Pakistan could have claimed to have put the South Africans under anything even remotely resembling pressure, writes former Pakistan captain Asif Iqbal in News while revewing the recent series.
It is a sad commentary on Pakistan’s batting that its real strength, its fast bowling, has to be neutralised in order to protect the poor batting. Pakistan, it seems to me, has been forced to shy away from fast wickets and rely on spin for fear of what the opposition pace bowlers may do with our batting. That has meant a reliance on spin which, regrettably, has just not delivered.
Also read views on the same topic from Osman Samiuddin and Kamran Abbasi .
Meanwhile an unknown 13-year-old legspinner has caught the attention of the touring South African team, according to a PTI report.
October 14, 2007
A legacy stained
Posted on 10/14/2007 in Pakistan cricket
The manner of Inzamam-ul-Haq’s exit has somewhat tainted what otherwise would have been a truly rich and sublime legacy, writes Humair Ishtiaq in the Dawn magazine.
Regardless of what the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the man himself say in public, the manufactured sendoff, especially the financial part of it, has only tarnished the very image that the so-called ‘deal’ tried to salvage
Though the PCB has categorically denied having offered Rs 10 million to Inzamam to bring down the curtain on his career, those close to the happenings insist otherwise, citing former Pakistan captain Saeed Anwar as the man who made it all happen after he was approached by the PCB bosses in view of his close association with Inzamam. More than that, the way the episode unfolded itself clearly tells a tale that is much different from the official version.
October 7, 2007
A cricketer from the pre-tracksuit era
Posted on 10/07/2007 in Pakistan cricket
The Sunday Telegraph's Scyld Berry bids adieu to Inzamam-ul-Haq:
For all the comic appearance of his Falstaffian exterior, he was a serious batsman. A rare few, at their peak, have an answer to every ball that is bowled at them: Allan Border was one, at least when England were bowling, Steve Waugh another, and Brian Lara. On England's last tour of Pakistan in 2005, Inzamam was the same, a barrier, a mountain preventing travellers reaching the plains.
Nadeem F. Paracha offers a contrarian view in Dawn's weekly magazine.
Inzamam's Raiwind regime may have turned the Pakistan cricket team into a (seemingly) well-knit unit, but its many critics accused the captain of operating at the expense of ostracising talent that refused to bend to the religious dictates of his regime. Many also believe that Inzi's religious zeal actually softened the team's innovative and competitive nature, a nature that was rigorously nourished and encouraged by the likes of former captains like Imran Khan, Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram.
October 5, 2007
Farewell to Inzy
Posted on 10/05/2007 in Pakistan cricket
The retirement of Inzamam-ul-Haq marks the end of an era and the game will miss his larger-than-life character, writes Lawrence Booth in the Guardian.
He gave new meaning to the phrase "economy of movement", mainly because he wasn't fussed about using his foot, either at the crease or between the wickets ... His attitude to practice would have driven Duncan Fletcher to distraction. His press conferences were tedious (Vic Marks called them "much Urdu about nothing"). Yet few could match him. He was the lumbering antithesis of modern sport's obsession with bleep tests, energising drinks and fat-free diets. Perhaps he encouraged us to think we had a chance too.
Also read Osman Samiuddin's tribute in Cricinfo.
Rangers, machine guns, and Zed's dinner
Posted on 10/05/2007 in Pakistan cricket
Neil Manthorp, in Karachi for the Pakistan-South Africa Test and writing for the Supercricket website, finds the people friendly, but also notices the security officers with their machine guns lurking everywhere.
On the roof there were two snipers with extremely powerful weapons and telescopic sights, one permanently trained on the road leading to the main gate and the other towards the field of play. There were 10 more Rangers with them on the roof and they were not slacking. All were armed. Reality kicked in once again.
A more pleasant aspect of the stay in Karachi was a dinner party hosted by former Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas.
Zaheer Abbas and his wonderful, equally gracious wife Samina ("call me Sam, everyone does") live in a house so elegant, so cleverly designed to beat the heat, and so stylishly decorated that one could rightly call it a small palace. He is revered in Pakistan, and rightly so.
October 2, 2007
A redux of Shoaib's faux pas
Posted on 10/02/2007 in Pakistan cricket
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A beleaguered Shoaib Akhtar will now face a disciplinary hearing on October 6
© AFP
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| Neil Manthorp, writing in Super Cricket, gives his take on Shoaib Akhtar's suspension from the Pakistan team for hitting Mohammad Asif with a bat. But before that, he provides an account of the incident.
The script went something like this:
Shoaib and Shahid Afridi sitting alone in the Pakistan change room.
Shoaib: "I have the same status in Pakistan cricket as Imran Khan..."
Afridi: [convulsive laughter]
Enter Mohammed Asif
Afridi: "Listen to this [laughter] he says he has the same status as Imran Khan!"
Asif: [muffled giggle].
Shoaib chases after Asif and swings his bat as hard as possible hitting Asif on the thigh.
Pakistan's administrators deserve no criticism for the action they have taken now.
They deserve criticism for ever allowing Shoaib's ego to become so hopelessly out of control, for allowing him to make his own rules for so many years and to get away with serial misbehaviour before it ever came to this.
If they couldn't control him, or didn't want to, they should have delegated that responsibility for the sake of Pakistani cricket. And if he really was uncontrollable at least they would have known six or seven years ago.
October 1, 2007
On a new pitch, softly
Posted on 10/01/2007 in Pakistan cricket
After the cataclysms of the year just gone, Pakistan are still celebrating and berating equally, writes Osman Samiuddin in the Indian Express.
... what else is there in this nation if not cricket, politics and cricket’s politics? Hockey dies anew each year, only to keep people vaguely interested, it does so spectacularly. (“Lost to China? No worries, we’ll lose to Japan this time.”) Squash is less sport, more memory, a glory long gone. (“Isn’t that a drink?” I heard a child say recently). Cricket survives because nothing else did.
September 18, 2007
Lawson and Pakistan a good fit
Posted on 09/18/2007 in Pakistan cricket
In the Age, Peter Roebuck analyses Geoff Lawson's first few games as a national coach and decides that perhaps Lawson was just what Pakistan needed.
He did not have much to lose, a steady but peripheral media career and a tangential involvement in the game. Why not go for broke? From the Pakistan perspective, Lawson was the right choice. Proven candidates had not applied. At least he wanted the job and was prepared to look past current complications. Moreover, he was an outsider and came with a clean plate.
September 9, 2007
Former Pakistan players slam Shoaib
Posted on 09/09/2007 in Pakistan cricket
Shoaib Akthar isn't getting much sympathy after the latest in a long list of misdemeanours. In an editorial in the News, a Pakistani daily, Asif Iqbal calls for Shoaib to be banned for life and poses this dramatic question:
The line has to be drawn somewhere and if it is not drawn here, the question has to be asked — are we waiting till he commits mass murder?
Former Pakistan captains Javed Miandad, in Rediff, and Rameez Raja, in the Telegraph, take potshots at the Pakistan Cricket Board while criticising Shoaib.
Imran Khan tells the Dawn that Shoaib failed to handle the fame.
"He has such great potential [as a fast bowler] he could have done wonders but he has let himself down for being in the news for the wrong reasons."
An editorial in the Dawn categorically demands that Shoaib should not be picked for the national team again.
Shoaib Akhtar has to be shown the door — permanently. Irrespective of the provocation, hitting a team member (with a bat no less) is simply inexcusable. It is now abundantly clear that Shoaib comes equipped with a self-destruct button that is always within reach and could be pressed at a moment’s notice.
And according to Geo TV, a Pakistani television channel, even General Pervez Musharraf, the patron-in-chief of the Pakistan board, wants no leniency shown towards Shoaib.
August 22, 2007
Butchering Pakistan cricket?
Posted on 08/22/2007 in Pakistan cricket
The folks at Pakistan's the Post newspaper don't seem to be particularly fond of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Here's an editorial lambasting the PCB.
PCB seems to be jinxed. The long and tragic history associated with it speaks volumes of how things have been working over many years. The current state of affairs therefore is no surprise.
And their daily cartoon says much the same
August 5, 2007
Why worry about the outback when in Sydney?
Posted on 08/05/2007 in Pakistan cricket
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Geoff Lawson: "There are less concerns than I'd have going to London or New York"
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| Geoff Lawson indicates in the Sunday Telegraph how one letter stood out among all the congratulatory messages he received after being appointed coach of Pakistan.
The letter came from Gill Woolmer, the wife of the late Bob Woolmer.
"It's a lovely letter about how he loved coaching Pakistan, loved the people and she wished me all the best,'' Lawson said. "It comforted me in the fact [Woolmer's family] gave me their support and they don't have any concerns whatsoever.''
Lawson also shrugged off the concerns over security.
"There are less concerns than I'd have going to London or New York. I was in England in 2005 when all the bombs went off, and that was scary. [People] see the Red Mosque shootout there and hear about bin Laden hiding in the hills of Pakistan. But it's like if you're hiding in outback Australia and you live in Sydney.
Lawson has learnt a few tricks of the trade too, marking each point he made when he met the players in June with the Urdu phrase Inshallah, meaning God willing.
July 12, 2007
Saqlain Mushtaq hopes to play again
Posted on 07/12/2007 in Pakistan cricket
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Saqlain Mushtaq last played a Test match in 2004
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| Saqlain Mushtaq was once Pakistan's first-choice spinner. He was also perhaps the first offspinner to master the doosra. But he soon lost his place after a knee injury and competition from the likes of Shoaib Malik and Danish Kaneria. His two-year absence from first-class cricket ended when he played for Sussex against the touring Indians.
Rohit Mahajan of The Hindustan Times caught up with Saqlain, who left some hints that his cricketing future lies in England.
So much has changed in his life in the last eight years: the mastery of the doosra, acclaim and ignominy, injury and insult — and now a new British passport. Monty Panesar should soon have competition.
Saqlain, though, wishes to play down this talk. He is in his 31st year, a stage in life when spinners peak, but injury troubles have made him prudent, and he's not looking too far ahead — or at least not speaking about it.
“If I start saying that I want to play for England, and my body doesn't allow me to play, it would be very embarrassing,” he says. “Yes, if my body is okay, if all goes well, then I'll see what happens…”
July 6, 2007
Is there more to sport in South Asia than cricket?
Posted on 07/06/2007 in Commentary
Himalmag finds out.
Boria Mazumdar believes cricket has transformed India, as much as India has transformed the sport.
Cricket today provides India a feel-good space, where nearly all differences can be overcome. The assertion of an Indian ‘identity’, the expression of cultural nationalism or the feeling of a common emotion – these are no longer confined to the stadium and post-match activities. For instance, a poll conducted a few years back found that more than 50 percent of India’s youth would prefer to live in another country. However, as journalist Sandipan Deb has observed: “Even when they do go away to some other country, they have a live cricket scorecard open surreptitiously on their computer monitors throughout their working day, and they turn out in daunting numbers at the stadium whenever India’s playing in their adopted country.” The global Indian wants simultaneously to escape his country and to embrace it. Clearly, cricket is no longer a mere ‘national’ obsession.
Michael Roberts looks at the ceylonese origins of cricket in Sri Lanka.
Amber Rahim Shamsi writes on the journey of women's cricket in Pakistan.
July 2, 2007
Inzamam's poor timing
Posted on 07/02/2007 in Pakistan cricket
If there is one art Pakistan's cricketers have never been able to master, it is that of the well-timed farewell. From Hanif Mohammad to the two Ws, Pakistan's superstars have exited less than gracefully. Inzamam-ul-Haq, argues Saad Shafqat in Dawn, is likely to be another addition to that list.
It is an affliction with which we are all too familiar. When the time comes for our cricketing heroes to retire from the game, they make a mash of it. The signs will all be there, but they either cannot read them or choose not to.
June 24, 2007
The last moments of this man's life
Posted on 06/24/2007 in Pakistan cricket
Bob Woolmer's death sparked off a storm of speculation and rumour unlike any seen in cricket before. Mushtaq Ahmed, former Pakistan legspinner and assistant coach, was one of those at the centre of the episode. He was close to Woolmer and one of the first to his room when the news broke. In an exclusive interview with Sue Mott, which you can read in the Sydney Morning Herald, Mushtaq recounts the shocking circumstances of Woolmer's death and the hell the team went through in its aftermath.
"These were the saddest days of my cricketing life. We lost a great man who spent 3 years with us. It was a bad blow. Sad and shocking. Dark days. The players spent 24 hours a day together in groups. We hardly spoke."
June 8, 2007
'Come on, lift yourselves'
Posted on 06/08/2007 in Pakistan cricket
Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf remembers his last few moments with Bob Woolmer in a chat with the Kolkata Telegraph:
Yousuf, in fact, took the same elevator as Woolmer when the devastated team returned to the Jamaica Pegasus. “Shoaib Malik and a couple of other players were also there and when it stopped on my floor (third), Bob quipped ‘ladies first’... We laughed... I didn’t get to see him after that...”
March 24, 2007
In the grip of the Asian betting mafia
Posted on 03/24/2007 in Betting/Corruption
In The Daily Telegraph, Peter Foster looks at the bookmakers who still stalk cricket, seven years after the ICC set about rooting corruption out of the game.
From the back-streets of Karachi and Mumbai to the gleaming towers of Hong Kong and Dubai, cricket's bookmaking underworld is still operating. Chief among those nations are the sub-continental rivals of India and Pakistan where, despite betting on cricket being illegal, millions of pounds regularly change hands over a single game. Annually, the profits can be counted in billions.
But the nature of gambling has changed, forced to adapt from the brash efforts to influence entire teams to a far more subtle approach.
It makes grim reading. In the same paper, Simon Hughes gives a first-hand report from the subcontinent.
On a trip to Pakistan some years ago, I stopped by an anonymous club match one afternoon. Two batsmen were slowly playing themselves in. After one apparently featureless over, a gaggle of spectators suddenly engaged in an unseemly scuffle. When some time had elapsed and peace was restored, I ventured over to investigate what had happened. It emerged that one man had bet another the over would be a maiden. When a leg-bye was run off the last ball of the over, they couldn't agree who had won the wager (despite the extra it still constituted a maiden) and fists flew.
Cricket never was the English Eden
Posted on 03/24/2007 in World Cup 2007
Michael Henderson, never one to take the safe option, writes a long article in The Daily Telegraph on Pakistan cricket and its place in the modern game.
“While India have the money to confront the old order, the Pakistanis like to portray themselves as maligned outsiders, an image their players have reinforced in the past three years by favouring a hard-line Islamic faith.”
And he finishes with a swipe at the ICC and its reaction to calls for the tournament to be scrapped.
“The ICC will disregard him, of course, arguing that the show must always go on, if only to avoid shelling out millions to compensate the television companies covering this bloated tournament.”
March 7, 2007
Hail Holland, world cricket’s unlikely lads
Posted on 03/07/2007 in Pakistan cricket
Simon Kuper gives the inside dope on Netherlands cricket. Its origins, characters and the life of a minnow cricketer.
Cricket only ever penetrated a few pockets of Dutch society. In The Hague, it’s played by posh types who regard it as a sort of magical rite with the power to transform them into English gentlemen. The game somehow also took root in Schiedam, a tough town just outside Rotterdam, known as the only place in the Netherlands where boys play cricket on the street. Schiedam once even produced a rare case of Dutch cricket hooliganism, when thousands of fans watched two local teams contest the national title. Van Troost, Holland’s captain, is from Schiedam. And increasingly since about 1990, Dutch cricket has been played by poor Asian immigrants. When these dockworkers and cleaners meet Hague bankers, both sides presume (often correctly) that the other is cheating.
February 23, 2007
Three logos and a principle
Posted on 02/23/2007 in Pakistan cricket
Neil Manthorp argues for the inclusion of the 'minnows' in the World Cup. His point? It helps in spreading the game and improves quality of cricket in these countries. How? Click here to read.
What does cricket want for itself in the future? To remain a game in which just eight teams can compete? It's not a very broadminded outlook.In order to grow the game in any country, money is required. And the easiest way to gather money in sport is to put it on television. So Ireland, Scotland, Holland and Bermuda can offer their sponsors television coverage and, consequently, command a far greater sum of cash.
... And for those who haven't noticed, the ICC has gone to a great deal of trouble and expense trying to make the minnow nations competitive and to guard against the humiliating thrashings which are so harmful to the image and reputation of the game.
February 18, 2007
Pakistan lost...maybe found?
Posted on 02/18/2007 in Pakistan cricket
The World Cup is closer than round the corner and Pakistan are in disarray. Morale is down, players unfit, the doping issue still lurks, threatening to rear its head any moment; what better time than now, then, for a few words from the straightest of straight talkers, Rashid Latif, to put things in perspective? In a guest column for Dawn, Latif says that though it looks bad, all may not be lost just yet.
All this talk of World Cup ‘pressure’ is also getting to me now. What pressure are they talking about? In my opinion , all these people have fairly mixed-up notions about ‘pressure’ and ‘reality’. Pressure is what the poor people are facing for their survival, for their do-or-die efforts in trying to feed their families. There is no pressure in cricket compared to that. Yes, I know a victory in any big tournament can be tremendously difficult to pull off for any team or coach, even for those who are considered favourites. But that, in short, is their job; a reality that they know they will be facing in due course of time and they must prepare themselves well for it.
February 6, 2007
Have Pakistan got a plan in mind?
Posted on 02/06/2007 in Pakistan cricket
No openers, no fit fast bowlers, an out-of-sorts keeper, too many allrounders, not enough in form, two crushing defeats; with the World Cup just over a month away does anyone in Pakistan know what their ideal XI will be, asks former captain Asif Iqbal in The News.
The worst aspect of Pakistan’s almost humiliating defeats has been that barely a month away from the World Cup, the team does not have what anyone would described as a settled look to it. It seems that all the questions that were raised four years ago during the last World Cup and to which the management has been struggling to find answers, today remain as unanswered as they ever were.
January 27, 2007
Should Pakistan be chucked out of the World Cup?
Posted on 01/27/2007 in Pakistan cricket
An English journalist, Ian Wooldridge, suggests there may be calls for Pakistan to be chucked out of the World Cup. Writing in the Daily Mail, in London, he says:
Cricket's World Cup opens next month in the West Indies. I may just be alone in anticipating its start with a violent political explosion — a demand for the expulsion of Pakistan.
If you recall, two of Pakistan's most volatile fast bowlers were found guilty of drug abuse in October. Shoaib Akhtar was banned for two years, Mohammad Asif for one.
Both appealed. Their appeals were heard by Pakistan's Cricket Board without external influence.
Both were exonerated. Both were immediately chosen to play again. Don't tell me this is going to pass unnoticed.
Read more of his thoughts on other topics here.
November 29, 2006
Conversion rate gains
Posted on 11/29/2006 in Pakistan cricket
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Mohammad Yousuf stands now having broken one record and on the verge of another two
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Much in the manner of the previous seven hundreds he has constructed this calendar year, so too was Mohammad Yousuf's record-breaking eighth century a thing of some beauty, writes Osman Samiuddin in The Age.
Yousuf Youhana averaged nearly 48 in his 59 Tests. He crossed himself for each of his 13 hundreds and couldn't quite shake off the tag that he was a rascally drifter, capable of composing dreams (such as his hundred at Melbourne in December 2004: "my best innings as you have to score against the best to prove yourself") but also prone to flimsiness and gifting wickets.
Mohammad Yousuf averages nearly 92 from 14 Tests, he has performed the sajda (act of kneeling in Islamic prayer) for each of his nine hundreds and, at no expense to his artistry, has acquired the skills of graft and run-gathering. His hundreds are bigger (two doubles and three 190s) and his conversion rate, since his conversion, is remarkable (only four 50s to his nine 100s).
Click here to read more.
November 19, 2006
Seminar on cricket
Posted on 11/19/2006 in Pakistan cricket
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'Revive school cricket, university cricket and club cricket... that is where the strength is'
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The Pakistan board organised a seminar of ex-players, board officials and regional administrators to discuss the path the cricket must take in the country to achieve long-term success. Qamar Ahmed writing in The Dawn wasn't too impressed.
It has never come to fruition and it may never yet come off any better. These summits summoned by every new chairman taking over the reins of the PCB have so far turned out to be an absolute waste of time, money and energy and nothing more than an exercise to announce that they exist and know better than their predecessors.
In good times no one cares. I, however, find it glaringly distasteful that every time the graph goes downhill of a Pakistan team they become a laughing stock. The players, the officials and those responsible for it are then summoned for explanation.
I think the most comical of all is the Senate Standing Committee on Sports which I feel is no more than a bunch of publicity seeking individuals, hungry for seeking attention and spotlight without much to show for.
Scroll further down the page and read Sohaib Alvi's account of the Multan Test of 1980 where Sylvester Clarke, hit by an orange thrown by spectators, replied with a brick.
November 12, 2006
'A bit of pressure doesn’t hurt anybody'
Posted on 11/12/2006 in Pakistan cricket
There's been no honeymoon period for Nasim Ashraf, the new chairman of the Pakistan board. Hardly did he settle into his seat than a number of hard decisions had to be taken. In an interview to the Kolkata Telegraph, he speaks to Lokendra Pratap Sahi on his appointment, the controversy over the Pakistan captaincy, the drugs scandal and much more.
I know I’m in a high profile seat, but I want the powers and perks of the PCB chairman to be reduced. I’ve already delegated responsibility to colleagues and I want corporate governance. I’ve assigned a leading head-hunting firm to help get us the best possible chief executive.
October 21, 2006
Punish the drug offenders: Parore
Posted on 10/21/2006 in
Adam Parore, the former New Zealand wicketkeeper, looks back at his experience of playing against Pakistan and wonders how their bowlers managed to bowl "25 overs on a searing hot day and seem to get faster as the day wears on".
I remember thinking more than once in the subcontinent, "something's not right here". I prided myself on being pretty fit during my career. I'd look at some of these guys and think "you can't do that".
Read the full piece in The New Zealand Herald.
October 18, 2006
Akhtar the actor
Posted on 10/18/2006 in Pakistan cricket
While speculation is rife about Shoaib Akhtar’s future after he failed a drugs test, the Sydney Morning Herald says that as one door closes, another one might be opening, suggesting that he might be heading into films.
Some may suggest Akhtar's cricketing career has been one long dress rehearsal for an entry into the acting world … not noted for his devotion to training, Akhtar seems to be an outside chance, at best, of resuming his career beyond the World Cup, especially considering his creaky back and troublesome hamstring.
On the surface, a move into acting does not seem a major leap for Akhtar, who has made as many headlines for his activities off the field as his performances on it. On his latest tour of Australia with the Pakistan team, Akhtar was spotted in nightclubs across the country, invariably in glamorous company, while he was said to be battling back and hamstring injuries.
Last year, it was much the same in England, when injury ruled Akhtar out of Worcestershire's tour match against Australia, only for the fast bowler to show up in several of Worcester's premier nightspots. Again, no guesses as to the aesthetic calibre of the company he was keeping
October 2, 2006
ICC ... the real villains
Posted on 10/02/2006 in ICC
The ICC has come under fire at the weekend for its handling of the row that followed the Oval Test.
The weekend newspapers were almost universally critical of the way the whole episode was dealt with, and while there was not much sympathy for Darrell Hair’s on-field actions, there was concern about the way the ICC has treated him.
Leading the assault was Michael Atherton in The Sunday Telegraph. he wrote that the affair:
Showed the ICC at their worst: prevaricating, in that a judgment which should have been handed out on the fourth evening of the game was allowed to fester for a month; callous, when it revealed confidential e-mails from an employee; and ultimately fudging a verdict so as not to upset the key players in this very political game – the Asian bloc.
When the big issue arose, the ICC official froze. Woe-betide anyone who walks out to bat with a logo half an inch too big, mind you. Moreover, shortly after the ICC announced that Hair had been withdrawn from the Champions Trophy because of security concerns, India, the host country, flatly contradicted the game's chiefs. Who is being open and honest?
Continue reading " ICC ... the real villains"
Defiant Inzi's done cricket a great service
Posted on 10/02/2006 in Pakistan cricket
Inzamam-ul-Haq's actions are also forcing the ICC to reconsider its laws regarding umpiring protocols, particularly in regard to accusations of ball-tampering and the decisions involving forfeitures, writes Richard Boock in The New Zealand Herald.
But more than anything else, Inzamam showed that despite all the opposition and outrage, there is still a place in sport for protest.
September 29, 2006
'The state of the ball surprised me'
Posted on 09/29/2006 in Pakistan cricket
In the aftermath of the Code of Conduct hearing at The Oval, the media has gone into overdrive. While the decision came too late for the Australian papers, and most in Asia took agency reports, in the UK, there was no shortage of comment.
In The Independent, Angus Fraser reveals that he has actually seen the ball at the heart of the whole row:
The state of the ball surprised me. It was protected in bubble wrap and treated as though it was part of a murder investigation. My first impression was that there was not a great deal wrong with it. I expected there to be more. This was not a ball that was about to reverse swing - the phenomenon created by the type of ball-tampering the Pakistan side had been accused of - extravagantly. The seam and quarter seam were in as good a condition as you would expect from a ball that was 56 overs old. They had definitely not been tampered with. There was a contrast between the two sides of the ball, as there always is. This is because one side has sweat and spit put on to it and is polished, while the other is left alone. The darker side is the one that has been polished and it generally looks tidier, while the other side always appears rougher.
Continue reading "'The state of the ball surprised me'"
September 28, 2006
Lawyers put umpires to the test
Posted on 09/28/2006 in Pakistan cricket
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Ranjan Madugalle and David Pannick QC prepare for the hearing yesterday
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| Although the ICC Code of Conduct hearing was conducted behind locked doors at The Oval, that has not stopped a couple of reports appearing offering insights into what happened.
In The Daily Telegraph, Simon Briggs claims that the Pakistan Cricket Board’s legal team are ahead on points:
In the course of the hearing, it became clear that Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove — the umpires at the centre of last month's ball-tampering storm — had not fully followed protocol during the emotional and chaotic afternoon of Aug 20. Insiders say this has weakened their case substantially.
Continue reading " Lawyers put umpires to the test"
September 27, 2006
ICC facing recipe for anarchy
Posted on 09/27/2006 in Pakistan in England
As the cricket world’s attention heads back to The Oval – and not even with the badly-scheduled 2004 Champions Trophy was the old ground in the headlines so late in the year – the speculation and rumour surrounding events five weeks ago continues to keep the media busy.
Today, a report by Christopher Martin-Jenkins in The Times claims that Inzamam did not act on his own in refusing to resume play after tea but was persuaded by others.
The refusal to take the field may not have been his idea but that of Waqar Younis, the touring team’s bowling coach, or one of the other senior figures in or around the Pakistan dressing-room at the time, The source said that Waqar, who was suspended and fined in 2000 when found guilty of changing the condition of the ball by a referee in Colombo, took Inzamam into the lavatory for a secret discussion at the start of the tea interval, from which point the situation spiralled out of control.
Continue reading "ICC facing recipe for anarchy"
September 18, 2006
Wrong 'un who has turned out to be spun gold
Posted on 09/18/2006 in Pakistan cricket
James Root in The Observer carries out an in-depth interview with Mushtaq Ahmed where he talks about the importance that religion has in his life.
My religion has helped me big time It makes me disciplined. Now I don't think of tomorrow, I think for today. I used to take five wickets in a day and worry about tomorrow rather than enjoy it. I don't feel under pressure to perform any more.
People have no idea what Islam is about because of the media's negativity. If people read the Koran they would see a different message. If I do something wrong it doesn't mean Islam is wrong. Don't believe that Islam is the religion that makes people do these things. Islam says if you kill one man, you kill mankind.
Nick Bratt, who skippered him when he played league cricket in Staffordshire, hints at a different side to the old Mushtaq:
I think he got to a period in his life when he felt that things had to change and he found Allah … Mushy told us about some wild nights but he can tell you more about that than I can.
September 1, 2006
It's not just cricket's attitude that stinks
Posted on 09/01/2006 in Miscellaneous
In The Times, former Wisden editor Tim de Lisle highlights the fact that cricket's international merry-go-round is not only hard on the players, it's also pretty environmentally unfriendly. He recalled that while editing Wisden Cricket Monthly a few years ago, he commissioned an investigation into the mileage of top players:
"We named the first winner — Australia's Ian Healy, who had done, from memory, about 70,000 miles. Within a few years, the winner (by then Stephen Fleming, of New Zealand) was doing 100,000 miles. International cricket’s total emissions, for a relatively small sport, must be colossal."
He then points out that the English county circuit is strewn with sponsored cars flying up and down the country's motorways. And then there is Asia.
"Open an Indian magazine and the chances are you will see Sachin Tendulkar sharing a little of his personal cachet with a motorbike. And administrators in the subcontinent still think it’s OK to give the man of the match a bike or even a car. Not even the umpires are immune. Fly Emirates, say their shirts, which is demeaning to them and damaging to the planet."
July 28, 2006
Harmison pitches in
Posted on 07/28/2006 in Pakistan in England
It was 50 years ago yesterday that a Test match started at Old Trafford that went down in history for the exploits of Jim Laker. What is forgotten these days is that but for Laker’s feat of taking 19 wickets, the match would be remembered for controversy over the pitch which the Australians bitterly complained was not fit for Test cricket. Half a century on, and little changes.
Yesterday, however, Steve Harmison blasted out Pakistan. While the pitch was poor, it was the fast bowling that grabbed the headlines.
Derek Pringle in The Daily Telegraph was blunt, arguing that “it was a gutless display by the visitors, with many of the later order backing away”.
But he also pointed out that while the pitch may not have been perfect, Harmison’s performance was, nevertheless, a great one.
“With his height and pace, Harmison can be a handful on most surfaces, but when given conditions that amplify his gifts he brings a fear factor that make batsmen do foolish things. Of his victims only Inzamam-ul-Haq was dismissed by a ball that did anything unexpected, in his case climbing sharply from a good length after hitting one of the many cracks pitting the surface of the pitch.”
In The Guardian, Mike Selvey was in no doubt that groundsman Peter Marron’s work was not good enough.
“The pitch did not quite play to order. It had promised pace, which it delivered, and ditto good carry. What should not have been evident yet was a nasty, if occasional, variation in bounce as the ball struck either side of the cracks, which, if the sun continues to bake the surface, will only get wider and more influential.”
Selvey was also critical of the Pakistan batsmen who, he wrote, “batted with questionable commitment and a negative mindset”.
In The Independent, Angus Fraser followed the same line:
“Harmison and England were aided by a fast, bouncy and slightly unpredictable pitch, and a woeful batting display from Pakistan. The venom of Harmison and the steep bounce he extracted from the helpful surface unsettled the tourists who showed minimal resistance.”
In Dawn, Kamran Abbasi pondered Inzamam’s decision to bat:
“Winning the toss turned into a nightmare for Inzamam-ul Haq. He is unlikely to see a quick end to the public debate about his decision to bat first on a hard, greenish track, under gloomy skies and a humid day. Forgive my meteorology but weren't those once known as ideal bowling conditions?”
He also had little time for the Pakistan batsmen:
“Most of these fair-weather youths have grown fat on the plunder of lifeless pitches. They have indeed pulled Pakistan out of some desperate situations but those rescue missions have been in conditions that have offered little for bowlers. Yesterday, a more testing examination questioned the quality of their defence. The same examination that is failed each time we tour Australia, and particularly at Perth. On this evidence we are no more ready.”
July 17, 2006
The path of Khan
Posted on 07/17/2006 in Pakistan cricket
Imran Khan was more than just Pakistan's cricket captain. He was a warrior, an ambassador and a playboy of the Western world. But after retirement and divorce from one of Britain's most glamorous heiresses, he is dedicating his life to saving his country from political corruption. Tim Adams, of the Observer, travelled to his secluded villa to talk to him about his mission.
The most alluring figure at Lord's was Imran Khan, writes Mark Nicholas.
July 2, 2006
Imran's journey
Posted on 07/02/2006 in Pakistan cricket
From tearaway fast bowler to inspirational captain, from international playboy to domestic politician, Imran Khan has been many things to many people. Tim Adams of The Observer sought out Imran in his house near Islamabad, and found him in the mood for a chat. They talk about cricket, about politics, but a domesticated Imran even reveals:
I have fruit trees. Cows for fresh milk, yoghurt. My own wheat. I'm basically self-sufficient. I have made my boys a little cricket ground.
February 27, 2006
A baseball coach for Pakistan?
Posted on 02/27/2006 in Pakistan cricket
It’s worked for other teams, it could work for Pakistan – they are considering employing a baseball coach to help with throwing techniques. They have their sights set on Mike Young, who is currently working with the New Zealand team on a short-term basis. Read what the Khaleej Times has to say on the matter here.
February 19, 2006
The original little master
Posted on 02/19/2006 in Pakistan cricket
A former captain, the iconic Hanif Mohammad looks back at his career in an interview with the Kolkata-based daily The Telegraph. He talked about his standout memory from his famous triple hundred (337 in Barbados,1957-58) against West Indies.
That of a West Indian, who would sit on the branch of a tree... Initially, he would taunt, but then began to appreciate my batting and our fightback... On the fourth day, the poor chap fell and had to be hospitalised. Yet, he returned the next afternoon... ‘You’re still there? I’m back, my friend... I’m back’ he kept saying. After the Test got over, Kardar and I invited him to our dressing room for tea and sandwiches. We thanked him for his support and gave a couple of mementos...
Ramachandra Guha, the social and the cricket historian, had once written about that knock and Hanif's meeting with Don Bradman, whose record the short Pakistani had broken.
When they played South Australia at Adelaide, Sir Donald Bradman walked into their dressing room and asked to meet the man who had broken his record score of 452. Hanif got up, and apologetically said, ''Sir, you will always be the greatest.'' The Don looked him up and down and replied, shaking his head: ''So you are the fellow. I always thought that the batsman who broke my record would be six feet two inches tall. But you are shorter than me!''
January 31, 2006
What a waste
Posted on 01/31/2006 in Pakistan cricket
The Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad was one of Pakistan's premier venues, staging Tests and ODIs and hosting Pakistan's opening match in the 1987 World Cup. But in Dawn's Sunday magazine, MH Khan reported on the venue now and how it has fallen on hard times though a combination of self interest and stubbornness.
It's a lesson in what can go wrong with the best of grounds in the wrong hands. When built, it was a state-of-the-art sports stadium. But things have gone badly awry ... for example:
The ground has been treated badly over the last decade. In 1994, stagnant rainwater of surrounding areas was released on its outfield and nobody took notice of it for several weeks. It was drained out only when the press raised the issue and the entire outfield had to be dug out.
January 14, 2006
Pakistan's paid fan putting pen to paper
Posted on 01/14/2006 in Pakistan cricket
Whenever you watch a match involving Pakistan there will always be at least one familiar face in the crowd, the flag-waving Abdul Jaleel. He makes a living out of supporting Pakistan and receives a scholarship from the PCB for his efforts. Now, he has decided to write a book about his experiences. The English title will be, unsurprisingly, 'Flag Flying'. It is expected to hit the shelves in August - just as he will be following Pakistan around England.
January 13, 2006
A judge and his quandary
Posted on 01/13/2006 in Pakistan cricket
Wasim Akram's solicitor has rubbished the statements of Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum, who in an interview with Cricinfo had said a "soft corner" for Akram might have influenced him while handing out a lenient punishment in the match-fixing case Wasim's solicitor, Naynesh Desai, responded to Qayyum's comments: "It beggars belief that he can say something like this six years after the event. He is not suggesting that Wasim lied to him, but that he had let him off because he liked him. It looks like the judge is peeved about something and he is having a pop at everyone. How can he help Saleem Malik on his appeal when he banned him from the game in the first place?"
Click here to read the article by Angus Fraser
December 5, 2005
Inzy's on the hunt for a county
Posted on 12/05/2005 in Pakistan cricket
Inzy has said he wants to play county cricket:
I would like to play once in county cricket, that is something I have not done as yet. Last year there was an offer from a county but I was not in a position to accept it," he told Reuters on Monday.
November 15, 2005
Pakistanis cheering the opposition?
Posted on 11/15/2005 in Pakistan cricket
Pakistanis cheering the opposition? Unlikely you might think, but Cricinfo's very own Andrew Miller says so at The Times:
“I am praying for England with full zeal and zest,” Nayyur Abbas, 18, said as he sat with his cousin, Haroon Shehzad, 16, in the top tier of the Waqar Younis enclosure. On his face was painted a St George’s Cross and on his walls at home are posters of Andrew Flintoff. “He is a great attacking bowler,” Nayyur enthused in the manner of a true connoisseur.
November 14, 2005
Salman Butt - the new Saeed Anwar?
Posted on 11/14/2005 in Pakistan cricket
Richard Williams wonders whether Salman Butt could become Pakistan's new Saeed Anwar:
...Butt is better known for his strokeplay than his ability to blunt an attack through dogged occupation of the crease. Another left-hander, small and lithe and, like Anwar, more inclined to use his wrists than his feet to anything outside off stump, he came into this series with a reputation as a stylish but brittle opener who preferred facing the new ball to the challenge offered by spin.
November 13, 2005
The influence of tapeball on Pakistani cricket
Posted on 11/13/2005 in Pakistan cricket
Another interesting Pakistan-related feature, this time by Jonathan Dyson in The Guardian, who writes about Pakistan's cricket-obsessed public: specifically, "tapeball."
Every Saturday night, all across Pakistan, matches between families, groups of friends and organised teams take place in the streets.
[...]
Since its inception in the early 1980s, tapeball has revolutionised the game here - and it could do the same in England, having been adopted by the London Community Cricket Association as a children's game on 30 council estates, thus making cricket available to those who would not normally be able to play it
Cricket in Pakistan
Posted on 11/13/2005 in Pakistan cricket
In this week's From Our Own Correspondent, Owen Bennett-Jones - who was formerly BBC's "Man in Pakistan" - talks about the intensity and passion of cricket in Pakistan. But, more interestingly is he found someone who doesn't like the game:
Dancing, listening to music and watching television were all wrong, he said.
I tried to find a chink in the armour and said: "Ah well, as a Pakistani you must at least love cricket?"
"Cricket?" He raised his eyes to the heavens.
"Why all this cricket, cricket, cricket? Don't people realise they are wasting their time? People should think of Allah, not cricket."
Listen to it here (MP3 - starts at about 22mins 40secs) or read it here
October 30, 2005
The wonders of Woolmer
Posted on 10/30/2005 in Pakistan cricket
Bob Woolmer has revitalised Pakistan - but how they will do in the forthcoming series is still impossible to predict, writes Osman Samiuddin
October 27, 2005
The Sultan of Multan
Posted on 10/27/2005 in Pakistan cricket
Mike Selvey looks forward to his visit to Multan, and in particular to the chance to watch Inzamam-ul-Haq, his favourite cricketer.
It is not only his batting, which at its languid best can make Marcus Trescothick's footwork seem like a qualification for a starring role in Riverdance, but the whole way he approaches being in the game's top echelon. He is the absolute antithesis to the gym culture into which everyone must now buy: burp rather than beep test.
He is generally impassive, immovable if given out lbw (in one Test we saw the game restart before he had crossed the boundary rope), hates fielding with a passion, has been responsible for more cockups between the wickets than anyone else in cricket history and, with the coach Bob Woolmer, currently forms perhaps the most corpulent management team seen since Warwick Armstrong ran the Australian side on his own.
September 25, 2005
Breaking barriers
Posted on 09/25/2005 in Pakistan cricket
Shahid Hashmi of AFP tells a stirring tale of two women who were rarely allowed to go out in public, overcame several societal barriers and yet made it to Pakistan’s women’s national cricket team. Armana Khan, one of them, says: "In an era when tolerance and equality are promoted in all sports, cricket give us girls a way to live freely."
But what of the men's side? In Dawn, Qamar Ahmed previews Pakistan's forthcoming series against England. Conquering Australia in familiar conditions is one thing, he says, but beating Pakistan in their own backyard could turn out to be a different kettle of fish.
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