Confident Australia not to underestimate India

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

For a change there’s no war of words on the eve of an important series. It was becoming a tradition to say something that provoked the opposition and then a debate ensued on irrelevant matters.

Thankfully Ricky Ponting didn’t fire any shots in the air and his carefully worded media briefing in Mumbai on October 21 reflected the maturity expected of a captain who must be feeling at the top of the world after sterling performances with a youthful squad at his disposal.

The Australians, having thrashed England 6-1 in the ODI series before retaining the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa earlier this month, take on India on their turf in a series of seven One-day Internationals starting on October 25.

Australia, with their recent triumphs, have regained their number one status in the ODI rankings with India not very far behind at second position. So the series is actually a battle between the top two teams of the world at the moment.

Ponting, unlike the past, talked very positively upon his arrival in India and the message was loud and clear that his team was there to play cricket and avoid unnecessary controversies. It was a pleasant surprise to watch the Australian captain acknowledging the strength of their opponents instead of highlighting their weaknesses.

Ponting is obviously very keen for his Australian one-day side to continue their spectacular form into the Indian series.

"We have been playing very good one-day cricket for the last few months, beginning from the England tour, and we want to continue with that. We could not have done better than what we did in the last few one-day games. But we have a fresh set of challenges here," the Australian skipper remarked.

"India has a very good and strong one-day team and we are not underestimating them. We are the number one and number two teams in the world which points to an entertaining and good contest over the next few weeks. We just need to keep improving and be at our best right through the series," Ponting added.

He did not mince words in stating that he will have to shoulder additional responsibility in the absence of his deputy Michael Clarke due to a back injury. Also missing the ODI series are wicket-keeper Brad Haddin, batsman Callum Ferguson and left-arm quickie Nathan Bracken.

"The challenge will be how our middle-order batsmen cope with playing spin bowling over the next few weeks. Mike Hussey has played a lot of cricket here. Shane Watson and Tim Paine play spin well. I am confident the team will do a very good job," Ponting, in terrific form of late, hoped.

"I have played some of my best one-day cricket over the last few months. A lot of responsibility is on my shoulders as the number three batsman in the team," he conceded.

"We have always enjoyed playing in India and our rivalry over the last few years has been growing which is good for the world game," Ponting pointed out.

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Indian outfits made scapegoats

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

It’s really unfortunately on part of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to have been a party to the exercise of minting money at the cost of their own players.

One could understand the eagerness of the BCCI in getting a major event staged on their soil after the shifting of the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to South Africa at the eleventh hour due to security concerns following the blasts in Mumbai late last year.

By the look of things the BCCI appeared determined to host the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 contest by hook or crook. They are believed to have pioneered the idea of holding a tournament among the national champions in the shortest version of the game in different parts of the world.

There was nothing wrong with the idea. But did the cricket world need to invent yet another tournament at a time when the international calendar is already packed with far too many events? Wasn’t excessive amount of cricket already going on in nearly every part of the world?

The leaders of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the movers and shakers in the BCCI must have thought otherwise when floating another international event in the middle of a crowded schedule.

Probably they don’t realize that the game of cricket is getting flooded with events and the players are the worst sufferers. The quality of the game would indeed decline if the cricketers are kept engaged in the field day in and day out. The administrators of the game need to draw a line somewhere.

The role of the BCCI has often been criticized for compromising on the interests of the game for the sake of commercialism. I think they have done greater damage to the cause of their own cricketers by holding the Champions League that could easily have been avoided.

The lackluster performance of the three Indian participating outfits, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Deccan Chargers and Delhi Daredevils suggested a certain amount of doubt in the minds of the cricket followers of the globe.

People having an insight of the game had a feeling the Indian teams were ‘pushed’ by certain quarters not to go beyond a defined line. In other words they were advised if not ordered to just play the tournament without making a serious attempt to win it.

It could not be mere coincidence that neither of the Indian teams could make it to the semifinals. All the three sides were pretty strong, packed with match-winners. Their below-par performance must have disappointed the crowds.

There’s also a feeling that the BCCI might have gone overboard in their pursuit for being generous hosts. They might have even given an assurance to the foreign Boards that their teams will not only be looked after well in India but they would also be obliged with inconceivable results.

It would look quite odd to have non-presence of a home team in the semifinal line-up. It may not be a cause of concern for the officials of the BCCI but the cricket crazy nation of one billion inhabitants would of course miss their stars in the knockout games.

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Younis Khan stays as captain

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Uncertainty and unpredictability go hand in hand with Pakistan cricket. Nothing could be taken for granted in this part of the world. A captain can still be removed from office even after having performed beyond expectations and people can still get away with it after having taken the laws in their hands.

There were indications that the head of Younis Khan was to be put on the chopping block after Pakistan returned from South Africa, having made it to the semifinals of the ICC Champions Trophy against all odds.

The conspirators became proactive and the impression was being given that Younis had become a spent force and he needed to be replaced by someone as enterprising as Shahid Khan Afridi.

Even a few of the members of the Governing Body of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) were openly lobbying for Shahid and they were not afraid to publicly criticize Younis for his performance or the lack of it in the just concluded Champions Trophy.

With the PCB members seeking his blood, Younis must have been under enormous pressure when he confronted the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Sports in Islamabad.

In fact he had arrived there ready in all respects. He had done his homework in the interim period. He appeared mentally prepared to face the criticism from the Standing Committee after the provocative statements prior to the hearing.

He might have been pleasantly surprised to be cleared of any wrongdoing after all that drama that surrounded the hearing but he still decided to submit his resignation to the PCB Chairman, Ijaz Butt, who was also present on the occasion.

It could have been a pre-planned move because this allowed Younis to hog the limelight once more and silence the guns that were being targeted at him. All of a sudden he became so innocent and the PCB Chairman acted according to the plot.

Soon afterwards Younis had a one-to-one meeting with the PCB Chairman in which he is reported to have demanded more authority and a long-term tenure in lieu of taking back his resignation.

The PCB bosses don’t have an option right now. They can’t be expected to pass on the Test captaincy to Shahid Afridi who might struggle to make the playing eleven all the time. Some quarters have pleaded for the reinstatement of Shoaib Malik but that would have been too early at this stage.

With so much of cricket to be played by Pakistan during the next 12 months there hardly is any need for the change of guard in any case. Sacking Younis only because Pakistan lost to New Zealand in the semifinals of the ICC Championships would have been ridiculous.

All seems well now with Younis having taken back his resignation. He is ready to lead the national team once more with the PCB lending him the much needed support. He has been confirmed as the Pakistan captain till the 2011 World Cup, subject to fitness.

"I am very happy right now. The faith that the chairman and the board has placed in me again, it's good to know. The support that I have received from the board and the country through this time has been fantastic," the Pakistan skipper acknowledged.

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Pakistanis can’t swallow defeat at New Zealand’s hands

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Yes that’s the root cause of all problems. Pakistan had been playing around with the New Zealanders so often during the past couple of decades in particular that nobody is now prepared to accept the fact that it’s cricket after all.

The Black Caps have had this tendency of crashing against Pakistan after performed exceedingly well against tougher oppositions. Their worst performances of the recent times have mostly come against Pakistan leading the people to believe that there was only one result possible when these two teams are pitted against each other.

It’s after nine years or so when New Zealand have managed to pull off a victory over Pakistan in an ICC tournament. It was way back in 2000 when the Black Caps had knocked over Pakistan in the semifinals of the Champions Trophy that was again considered an upset and there was suspicion of ‘hidden hands’ behind the unexpected result.

History has repeated itself as Pakistan have again lost to New Zealand in the semifinals of the ICC Champions Trophy. Everybody, in Pakistan at least, appeared to have taken it for granted that only one team was to win the day.

There was hardly anything during the course of the game to suggest Pakistan players engaged in any wrongdoing. It was just another cricket match between two evenly matched sides.

As a matter of fact New Zealand had emerged as the Group B champions and Pakistan had actually finished runners-up in the Group A after having narrowly lost to Australia in their last league outing.

New Zealand were on a high and their bowling attack was as potent as possessed by any other side having entered the competition. They had overpowered teams like Sri Lanka and England after having gone down fighting against hosts South Africa.

So New Zealand were neither Ireland nor Zimbabwe, having got there by a stroke of luck. But yes their nerves were to be tested to the maximum in the semifinals because they were up against a side that had been shattering their dreams consistently over the years.

I don’t know how the so-called experts of the game anticipated New Zealand to succumb without offering any resistance to the Pakistan’s spin duo of Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi after they had successfully negotiated Ajantha Mendis and Mutiah Muralitharan earlier in the competition.

If people expected Umar Gul to take another five-for just as he had done against them in the ICC Twenty20 a few months ago, I am afraid, they were expected far too much from the lion-hearted fast bowler who obviously cannot bring about a miracle every other day.

So more than anything it’s all about mindset. People in Pakistan had assumed even before the first ball was delivered in the semifinals that Younis Khan’s men were through to the final already.

In such circumstances it’s not easy to swallow the pains of defeat. Nobody is prepared to talk about the positives. How Pakistan reached the semifinals against the heaviest of odds is not mentioned anywhere. The only thing people are interested in talking about is how Pakistan lost to New Zealand. Nearly everyone seems convinced in Pakistan that New Zealand were the soft target and they could have been hammered.

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Younis Khan resigns once more

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Resignation is nothing new to Younis Khan who has had this habit of treating the national captaincy as yet another assignment. Although he has been around in international cricket for nearly a decade now, he's yet to learn the basics of conducting oneself after having reached the status of a celebrity.

His latest resignation came on October 13 even after being cleared by a parliamentary sports committee on charges of match-fixing in the ICC Champions Trophy. He told the committee that he was upset over the charges and he was not prepared to continue leading the national cricket team.

Younis has been found vulnerable whenever coping with the pressure. He has become so predictable with his acts. He is just not able to put his acts together when he is confronted with a situation that demands one to be sensible and smart.

He talks big but he has been found wanting more often than not when it comes to delivering. He succumbs to the pressure far too easily and his opponents know it very well how to test him.

Be it the members of the National Assembly or the media corps, Younis probably treats everyone as his enemy who doesn't subscribe to his theories. He has repeatedly passed the impression of losing his temper far too quickly and thus committing mistakes that could easily have been avoided.

Younis possibly thought that his job was done when he handed his resignation letter to Ijaz Butt, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), who was also present in the hearing.

Not for the first time Younis ran away as quickly as he could, not even caring to explain to the waiting media if he was bidding farewell to the game for good. "I have resigned as a captain. I won't say a word more." That was all he said.

The PCB Chairman said he was stunned by the decision. "I had absolutely no idea that he had the resignation letter in his jacket and I was surprised when he produced it," Ijaz Butt was quoted as saying.

But the stories are doing the rounds that some elements in the PCB are conspiring against Younis and they desire Shahid Afridi to take up the national captaincy for the upcoming series against New Zealand.

"Younis Khan was mystified as to why vice-captain Shahid Afridi was called up to discuss the New Zealand and Australia series when the captain himself was available in the country and recovering from what was only a hairline fracture. He could not understand the reason for being left out of the loop for two very important tours," one of the unnamed PCB officials confided to a leading national daily.

Younis has been under fire even after his team had made it to the Champions Trophy against all odds. Even some members of the PCB have openly criticized his leadership qualities and they are believed to be lobbying for his ouster.

The PCB Chairman has refrained from accepting the resignation of Younis promptly but that doesn't necessarily mean that he's not a part of the conspiracy hatched against the short-tempered skipper.

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Mind sports Collegiate Programme launched at Institute of Business Management

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The top officials of the Mind Sports Association of Pakistan (MSAP) have expressed satisfaction at the successful launch of their Collegiate Programme at the Institute of Business Management (IoBM) in Korangi Creek, Karachi.

Tariq Rasheed Khan, Director, MSAP, who is also handling the Collegiate Programme, reckoned that the successful launch at the IoBM has opened the floodgates and quite a few other prestigious educational institutions have expressed the desire to adopt mind sports in the same way.

“The two-day activity at the IoBM was a dream come true occasion for the hosts as well as the organizers. It was very heartening to such an enthusiastic response that augurs very well for the future of mind sports in Pakistan. Among the students who enrolled themselves in the launch at the IoBM, as many as 50% participated in chess, 30% in scrabble and 20% in bridge,” he revealed.

The Students Activity Centre of the IoBM was flooded with the enthusiastic youngsters who were eager to be a part of history being made at the campus. It was for the first time when the college students were provided with a customized setup for the mind games.

In the welcome address in the inauguration ceremony Tariq Rasheed acknowledged the support of the various stakeholders who made the takeoff possible against the heaviest of odds.

“It’s always tough when you go about reinventing the wheel. We knew about the challenges when we embarked upon the mission of taking the mind sports to the educational institutions,” he observed.

“Since it was a new concept we needed to do presentations and convince the institutions about the virtues of the programme. It’s very heartening to note that the management of the IoBM, based on the feedback from the faculty and the students, took the lead and we are launching the programme now,” Tariq Rasheed added.

“It would not have been possible to do it without the support of the concerned quarters. We are grateful to our sponsors and the media for having lent us the desired encouragement. Our Board of Directors at the MSAP deserves compliments for having kept the ball rolling,” he said.

The Chairman of the MSAP, Kemal Shoaib, spoke about the aims and objects of the body that was formed under the leadership of Khurshid Hadi last year.

He praised the management of the IoBM for having adopted the MSAP Collegiate Programme at their institution and hoped that this would help their students in further sharpening their skills.

Dr Faisal Farooqui, speaking on behalf of the IoBM, expressed his gratitude to the MSAP for having launched the programme, which he thought, would be hugely beneficial for their students.

“It’s quite an amazing effort on part of the MSAP to have integrated the games of bridge, chess and scrabble. All these games are extremely popular among the students and they would gain immensely by playing them in an organized manner. We are confident that our students will make the most of this opportunity and enhance their capabilities in the mind sports,” he noted.

Azwer-ur-Haq, President, Karachi Bridge Association (KBA), Shahzad Mirza, International Master and Secretary, Chess Players Association of Pakistan (CPAP), Shah Nawaz Khan, an ex-Secretary General, Chess Federation of Pakistan (CFP) and Abdul Wahid Bhalia of the Pakistan Scrabble Association (PSA) were also in attendance at the launch alongwith the MSAP officials, Kemal Shoaib, Tariq Rasheed Khan and Pervez Iqbal.

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Sehwag means business

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The incomparable Virender Sehwag has shown once more that his batting talents are second to none. He has had a layoff from international cricket for reasons beyond his injury but his critics should know that he has lost none of his skills that make him the most feared batsman in the world. He has probably become wiser now as far as shot selection is concerned.

Sehwag was close to his best while playing for Delhi Daredevils against Wayamba at his home ground, Feroz Shah Kotla, in the Champions League Twenty20 Tournament 2009 on October 11.

Delhi desperately needed to overpower Wayamba in order to stay afloat in the competition after having lost their opening game to Victoria a couple of nights ago. The pitch wasn’t conducive to free flowing strokes yet Sehwag was the man they looked forward to in the crunch game.

Gautum Gambhir won the toss for the second game running and he had to make sure that the advantage was capitalized unlike the previous match when Delhi couldn’t even post one hundred while batting first.

The state of the pitch was very much in the minds of the batsmen and it was truly reflected when the flamboyant Sri Lankan opener, Tillakaratne Dilshan, played out the first over without troubling the scorers. It was a rare sight watching a maiden over being bowled and that too inside the powerplay session. Chanaka Welegedara deserved the credit for having kept Dilshan quiet.

Sehwag, who opened the innings with Dilshan, didn’t take long to open his shoulders and once he was underway the pitch looked full of runs rather incredibly. That’s the magic of Sehwag. He can remain untroubled on the most difficult of strips for two reasons. He has complete faith in his eyesight and secondly the bowlers also don’t have the heart to attack him with the same intensity and purpose as they do with other batsmen.

Dilshan kept struggling in his 16-ball 10 while Gambhir was also short of confidence on pitch whose bounce could not be trusted. But Sehwag kept hitting boundaries and the run-rate didn’t dip.

The enigmatic Dinesh Karthik did his job of feeding Sehwag with the strike and their partnership took the match away from Jehan Mubarak’s side. The ease with which Sehwag caressed the ball to the various corners of the ground was a treat to watch.

A century for Sehwag was there for the taking but as it has happened many times in the past the entertainment for the crowd was cut short against the run of play. Karthik pushed one towards the point region and took off for the quick single. Sehwag responded but he was beaten by the flat throw from Mahela Jayawardene.

Sehwag was run out after scoring 62 off 42 balls with the help of a six and 10 fours. The score was already 112 when he departed in the 15th over. Karthik made up with three consecutive sixes off Ajantha Mendis and the Delhi total reached 170 in the allotted 20 overs.

Glenn McGrath, the Australian fast bowling great, appeared to have derived the inspiration from his teammate Sehwag as was right on the money while returning to the bowling crease after 18 months. Delhi were never in danger of losing the game after the blitz from Sehwag and they lived upto the billing by winning it by 50 runs.

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Shahid Afridi likely to be handed over captaincy sooner than later

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

If the recent statements by some of the Board officials serve as any indication then Younis Khan’s days in office appear to be numbered with the ‘establishment’ putting its entire weight before Shahid Afridi.

The manner in which Younis is being condemned with Shahid being promoted as a more proactive cricketer there’s ample evidence to suggest that a change is in the offing and it seems a matter of time for the decision to be announced.

Unfortunately the affairs of the cricket board in Pakistan have been run unprofessionally more often than not over the years and now it could be the turn of Younis to face the music.

Isn’t it funny to note that Younis has sought audience with the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ijaz Butt, in which he would discuss his fitness and availability for the one-dayers against New Zealand in Dubai in November?

Did the Pakistan captain need to approach the top official of the PCB just to let him know about his fitness? There is a whole army of managers to general managers in the PCB who are being obliged with salaries and perks worth millions of Rupees every month. Isn’t anyone of them capable enough to look into this matter?

What about Wasim Bari, the Chief Operating Officer of the PCB? Doesn’t his job description include keeping track of things as important as the fitness of the captain of the national team?

The whole world knows that Younis had fractured a finger on the eve of the ICC Champions Trophy last month. He had missed the opening game against the West Indies which Pakistan won under the captaincy of Shahid Afridi.

There are conflicting reports why Younis returned to side without regaining fitness. One school of thought believes had he had to fast track his return because he felt threatened to lose his job if the team continued its winning streak under the caretaker captain.

Younis is also reported to have prevailed over the team management who were not very keen to let him play before fully recovering from the fracture. On the positive side, he didn’t desire the team to suffer on the account of inexperience as his ouster would have definitely created a big hole in batting.

The decision of Younis to continue playing despite carrying the injury brought mixed results. He didn’t get many runs against India but his brilliant direct hit to run out Gautam Gambhir turned the tide decisively in Pakistan’s favour. The way the left-handed Gambhir was flaying the bowling only a freak dismissal could have brought about his demise and so did it happen.

Younis did fairly well in the last league fixture against Australia, the eventual champions. All the pressure was on the Australians and the Pakistan captain had every reason to smile throughout the game that produced a close result rather unexpectedly.

The New Zealanders, after a very long time, managed to put their acts together against Pakistan and there was not much Younis could have done. He did drop a sitter but that’s very much a part and parcel of the game and doesn’t merit suspicion or clarification.

If the movers and shakers of the PCB have already decided to bring in Shahid in place of Younis then the latter might be, for the purpose of face-saving, may be advised to declare himself unavailable for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand.

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