Pakistan-Australia series could affect IPL 2

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The organizers of the Indian Premier League (IPL) have had to encounter problems of all kinds. They must have foreseen numerous hassles while launching the tournament of such magnitude last year but they might not have anticipated the change of venue.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), having so much influence in the International Cricket Council (ICC) of late, had ensured that the international cricket would come to a standstill when the IPL was in progress.

As the luck would have it, the postponements and cancellations of the various events prompted their change of dates that now clash with the second edition of the IPL, getting underway in South Africa on April 18.

Pakistan and Australia, two of the finest one-day teams in the business, would now be engaged in a limited overs series in the Middle East during the period when the South African grounds will be hosting the IPL. 

The IPL organizers may not admit it publicly but the fact of the matter is that they would not have desired another cricket event taking place during the course of their extravaganza. 

The ODI series between Pakistan and Australia in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has in fact dealt double blow to the IPL. Firstly a large number of viewers in different parts of the world will now have an alternate source of entertainment. Many people would prefer to watch the One-day Internationals between two of the most exciting teams in the world rather than follow an event not having much value in their eyes.

Since the television audience is going to be the key in the IPL 2 as the event being staged in South Africa will actually be targeting the huge Indian market, the telecast of the ODIs between Pakistan and Australia would cause a distraction.

Another cause of concern for the IPL organizers could the lack of presence of the stars of the two countries. While Pakistan’s players were unlikely to compete in the IPL 2 in any case, the withdrawal of the Australians due to national duty could result in substantial drop of audience in that country.

The IPL 2 will certainly appeal less to the Australian public because of the non-presence of their stars in the tournament. Secondly they could also be more interested to follow the fortunes of their national team in the ODI series against Pakistan.

All the eight participating teams in the IPL 2 have invested heavily by recruiting some of the most talented and skilled cricketers in the planet but they would miss the stars from Pakistan and Australia who had played their part in making the inaugural tournament so successful.

The shifting of the venue from India to South Africa has already prompted the teams to revisit their plans as the playing conditions in the two countries are quite different. The pullouts of the Australians in particular must have caused more concerns to them. Let us see how they make the last minute adjustments.

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IPL 2 to miss carnival atmosphere

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), getting underway in South Africa on April 18, is likely to miss the carnival atmosphere that had taken the whole world by storm last year.

The mood of the fans in South Africa is certainly going to be different than the one possessed by the enthusiasts in India. The passion of the Indian public for cricket is enormous and it’s hard to imagine the same kind of passion in South Africa.

Although the majority of the top performers of the world cricket are expected to be there and the highest quality of cricket is also anticipated once more but the lack of the crowd participation may take some gloss off the event.

Another thing is that the games in the IPL would be held at mid-day that is not deemed an ideal time in South Africa. The timings of the matches, however, would still suit the viewers in the Indo-Pak sub-continent.

Meanwhile the teams and franchises have had to rework their plans and logistical details because of the eleventh hour shifting of the mega event from India.

The change of venue will bring about a change in the strategy of the participating teams as well because the pitches in South Africa would be different to the ones in India where the odds favoured the batsmen.

The batting-friendly wickets in India had allowed the batters to tear apart the bowling from the moment they set their feet in the ground. It could be a different story altogether in South Africa where the pitches are known to assist the quicker bowlers. So we are unlikely to watch far too many runs scored this time round and we are more likely to witness low-scoring thrillers.

The average score in the IPL last year was about 170-180 per innings. The figures from the domestic Twenty20 in South Africa reveal that the average score is 140. The batsmen will have to apply themselves for putting runs on the board.

The young Indian cricketers, who had played their role admirably in the inaugural IPL, may have to struggle on the bouncy strips of South Africa. The conditions in South Africa will also fluctuate quite a lot depending on the weather. The grounds around there are very different from centre to centre as well as the bounce.

So the conditions will be very different at different venues and life for the fringe Indian cricketers could be very tough in these conditions. It presents a big challenge for the average domestic Indian players in particular to adapt to the South African conditions.

In the IPL 2 the teams having stronger South African presence in their squad will obviously get the advantage for they are familiar with the conditions, they understand how they can change from morning to afternoon, or from first innings to second innings.

There are a number of different aspects that an experienced South African player will be able to pass on to his own team and will also be able to adapt to his own game. This factor puts Bangalore Royal Challengers at an advantage in that regard.

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India return triumphant from New Zealand

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The Indian cricketers, having emerged triumphant in a Test series in New Zealand for the first time after 41 seasons, were accorded warm welcome upon their return home on April 9.

They returned home in batches in different cities after having done a fabulous job in New Zealand. The victorious skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Man-of-the-Series Gautam Gambhir, opener Virender Sehwag, fast bowler Ishant Sharma and leg-spinner Amit Mishra landed in capital New Delhi while the legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar alongwith spearhead Zaheer Khan, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, medium-pacer Munaf Patel and young Dhawal Kulkarni disembarked in Mumbai.

The batting stalwarts Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman flew into directly to their respective cities, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

The Indian cricket fans had the reasons to feel proud of their team who had overcome all the obstacles to record their first Test series win in New Zealand after Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi's team had downed them on their own soil in 1967-68.

The ride has been rough and bumpy for the Indian sides over the years having had to endure the cruelties of the nature besides taking care of their form. What happened in the third and final Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington was so typical of their fate. It has remained so near yet so far story for them on a number of occasions.

Their win in the first Test at the Eden Park, Auckland, was their maiden Test triumph on the New Zealand soil for 33 years or so. They should have won handsomely the third Test as well to take the series 2-0. But the manner in which they were robbed of the win in Wellington suggested they might need decades if not centuries to accomplish it.

The Indians have won so few matches, despite having dominated decisively so many times, that they value their every win much more than any other team despite being in possession of the strongest outfit in the business.

That could be one reason why the Indians sometimes play cricket that looks unusual if not mind-boggling. They know how difficult it’s for them to complete a win. Therefore they adopt tactics that are different to other teams.

Sometimes you have to pardon them for not delivering because of their consistent hard luck. They should have aimed for a whitewash over the New Zealanders but their own performance was terrible in the second Test at the McLean Park, Napier, where they had to play out time save the game.

One is not sure how Dhoni has been labeled as a lucky captain. Yes he may be less unluckier than his predecessors but to expect the luck to go with him is something beyond my comprehension. That’s why he may not be able to have the success rate as high as that of Ricky Ponting or Clive Lloyd despite having the capacity of doing better.

Ponting and Lloyd didn’t have to fight the nature. They got the value for their performance. Not Dhoni. If he had just normal luck, his side would have won the Wellington Test.

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Prof Ejaz Farooqi making immense contribution to cricket

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Prof Ejaz Ahmed Farooqi, an eminent educationalist, has also distinguished himself in the field of sports and community service. Hailing from Karachi, he is one of those very few proactive personalities, who believe in letting his work do the talking.

Having a proven track record in the field of education, Prof Ejaz Farooqui has made his presence felt on the cricket scene in a remarkably short span of time. He’s now recognized as one of the leading cricket administrators. His level of commitment for the cause of the game is commendable.

He was himself a cricketer in his younger days that seems to be the reason why he has been more towards cricket administration. He was elected as the Chairman of the Zone II of the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) in 2006 and what a contribution he has made to the game since then.

He has been in the forefront in promoting and supporting the young cricketers not only of his zone but the entire city. He has been the motivating force behind the launch of so many tournaments that have taken place from time to time during the past few years.

The KCCA Zone II has been benefiting in particular under his leadership where greater number of tournaments are being held than ever before. He has himself volunteered to sponsor the majority of the tournaments to ensure that the cricketers of zone remained engaged in quality cricket throughout the year.

The results are also there to see as the KCCA Zone II has emerged victorious in the Under-19 tournaments a couple of times besides winning the Under-17 event once.
It’s very heartening to note that the KCCA as well as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have recognized the services of Prof Ejaz Farooqui and he has been entrusted with key assignments recently.

He was appointed the manager of the PCB XI for the four-day match against the visiting Zimbabweans while he also the manager of the Patron’s XI in their two-day match against Sri Lanka last month.

The PCB and the KCCA should avail the services of a man of his caliber who has the expertise as well as temperament to do justice to the challenging assignments. Being a highly educated man, his attitude towards other is more humane. We need humble and unassuming people like him at the top who care for others.

Prof Ejaz Farooqui should now be playing a long innings in the field of cricket administration. One hopes that he will soon be getting bigger assignments in the larger interest of the sport. The game of cricket needs capable and selfless people like him.

He is particularly keen to serve the areas that were neglected in the past for one reason or the other. It must have been very heartening for the young cricketers of Surjani Town in particular to have welcomed the respected figure of Prof Ejaz Farooqi in a tournament held there.

It’s not often to find a personality his stature pay a visit to the cricket grounds of Surjani Town and it was a nice gesture on his part to have gone there to witness a game and distribute the prizes.

The occasion was the final and presentation ceremony of the Surjani Champions Trophy Cricket Tournament. His speech must have gladdened the hearts of the area cricketers and organizers.

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Ehsan Qureshi survives a scare

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Renowned sports journalist and author, Ehsan Qureshi, met with a horrible road accident on April 7 but fortunately he didn’t receive any serious injury. The car he was driving, however, was badly damaged.

Ehsan Qureshi, the Senior Sports Reporter of the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), the premier news agency of the country, was driving towards the Civic Centre, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, on University Road at around 11.45 am when he ran into a coaster that had stopped abruptly at the edge of the pedestrian crossing near the PIA Planetarium.

“What I could remember is that the vehicle in front of me applied emergency brakes when the police signaled its driver to stop to facilitate people cross the road. Driving at around 40 to 45 km/hr I was not very far behind that coaster. The distance was so little that my car banged into it although I had also put my feet on the brakes right away,” he recalled.

“The intensity of collision was so ferocious and I lost my senses momentarily. I did hear faint voice of people who had gathered around me but I was unsure what exactly was happening. It felt for a while that my neck had been broken. The scores of people who rushed to the scene also feared serious injury after watching the condition of my Suzuki Alto car,” he added.

“Thankfully, with the prayers of my family, friends and well-wishers, I survived. It was indeed a major road accident, as the car had to be towed away, but thanks God I didn’t suffer any injury,” a mighty relieved Ehsan Qureshi said.

“I was touched by the caring attitude of the area people who demonstrated great human qualities to rescue me. We often complain of materialism and selfishness in society but the incident showed once again that the humanity is still alive. I will never forget the timely support of the people present on the scene who were instrumental in lifting my spirits and helping me stand on my feet quickly. Hats off to them, my unknown friends who stood by me there on the roadside,” he remarked.

“I am particularly grateful to my friends Prof Ejaz Ahmed Farooqui and Jamil Ahmed who promptly reached the spot of the accident and helped me recover,” Ehsan Qureshi stated.

Ehsan Qureshi displayed great courage and fortitude from the moment he was away from the scene. The first thing he enquired after depositing his car to his mechanic in PECHS was if the luncheon media briefing of Dr Mohammad Ali Shah, Sindh Minister for Sports, at the Karachi Gymkhana, was starting on time. He was not prepared to return home. Rather he wanted to spend the rest of the day as was originally planned.

He, however, agreed to relax for about half an hour at the office of Jumbo Infomedia before moving on. He didn’t sit for a moment longer and hired a cab to proceed to the head office of New Jubilee Insurance where he had an appointment with its Managing Director, Tahir Ahmed.

The HBL sports department was his next destination where he had his meal with old-time cricketer friends Abdul Raquib and Liaquat Ali, while recounting the tale of horror a few hours ago.

Phones from the concerned friends and family members kept on coming but he performed his duties normally at the APP office on I I Chundrigar Road, filing a good number of stories. He was not finished yet. He then reached the Karachi Golf Club to cover the bridge tournament and it was not until 10 pm when his mentor and senior office, Abdul Qadir Qureshi, finally dropped him at his residence on Rashid Minhas Road.

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Nature ditches India yet again

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

India, seeking their 100th Test win, were ditched by the nature once more. The state of the match at the Basin Reserve, Wellington, was such that no force on earth could have denied the Indians a massive victory. 

But as it had happened on numerous occasions in the past the outside factors came into play to deprive India another thoroughly deserved win. They had been so unlucky in pressing home the advantage so many times and history repeated itself once more.

New Zealand were in dire straits throughout the third and final Test and they needed a miracle to save the game. The nature came to their rescue just when they were about to sink in the afternoon session on the fifth and final day.

The Indians had done reasonably well in the morning to pick up three wickets and they were closer to victory when they got another one soon after the luncheon break. The match could have finished in the same over, had Simon Taufel, the greatest umpire of the world, ruled Daniel Vettori not out when a ball from Harbhajan Singh, having pitched in line, was going to crash into the middle-stump. 

Had Taufel made the correct decision, Vettori’s departure would have brought to the middle last man Chris Martin, who didn’t possess the capacity to come to terms with the pressure or the deadly spin bowling. 

Martin would have walked to the crease in any case, if Ishant Sharma, standing at square-leg, not dropped a sitter in the very next over. Iain O’Brien had turned a full toss from Sachin Tendulkar straight into the hands of Sharma who was probably not anticipating a catch.

Vettori and O’Brien played or rather somehow survived the next few overs and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni had to summon Zaheer Khan for finishing off the tail with the second new ball. 

The left-arm fast bowler delivered a couple of looseners with the old ball before collecting the shining cherry from umpire Darryl Harper. Before Zaheer could bowl the second delivery with the new ball the drop of rains caught the attention of the umpires and they ordered the groundstaff to rush with the covers.

With the strong wind blowing, it was generally being believed that it was just a passing shower and the game will resume shortly. There was no forecast for rain until the evening and it was appearing a matter of time for the players to return.

Anyone who is a student of sports history or well versed with the fate of the matches involving India, would have known that the match was unlikely to get underway. The umpires inspected the pitch a few times because the rains did stop for once in a while. But the game could not resume. It had something to do with destiny as India are one team who have been the unluckiest one in finishing off things.

At times it makes one wonder how have India managed to win 99 Test matches because they had to overcome so many other factors besides downing their opponents. They have to create much more opportunities for registering a win than any other team.

With the rains robbing India of a certain victory in the third Test, they had to settle with a 1-0 win the series which was not a true reflection of their dominance. They have taken 41 years to win a Test series in New Zealand. One can understand why after the events in Wellington. 

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Intikhab, Younis expect Pakistan to win Twenty20 World Cup

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Pakistan’s coach Intikhab Alam believes that winning the ICC World Cup Twenty20 Tournament in England this summer would be a great way to restore lost pride to a distressed nation. 

Although Pakistan, who ended runners-up in the inaugural edition of the tournament about two years ago, have to take on Australia in a series of limited overs games in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) before the Twenty20 global event, Intikhab has called on his players to target the England tournament to lift spirits.

"Our cricket is going through a rough phase but we have to fight on and one way of doing that is to start winning titles like the World Cup Twenty20," he was quoted as saying.

Intikhab firmly believes that his team stands a very good chance of winning the World Cup. "There is no doubt that we can win the title in England. We have a very reliable batting line-up, while our bowlers are also very good for the shorter version of the game. Although it is a batsman's game, bowlers too can play a part by bowling accurate yorkers and mixing up their deliveries. We have enough talent to form a potent attack and we have to ensure they are in peak form for the tournament," he said.

"Twenty20 is a relatively new innovation, but enough games have been played around the world and they have all underlined the fact that the teams with a higher level of fitness and better fielding skills enjoy a clear edge. That is one area which we would have to improve on," Intikhab reckoned.

The Pakistan skipper, Younis Khan, is also very optimistic about Pakistan’s chances of winning the Twenty20 World Cup in England.

“The shortest version of the game suits our boys because aggressive cricket comes to them naturally. They are more at ease in going for the big shots rather than blocking deliveries,” he said in a recent chat.

“The same is the case with the Indian cricketers of late who just love to take the attack to the opposition. That was the reason why Pakistan and India had made it to the final of inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa and there is every possibility of these two teams sharing the spotlight in England once more,” Younis thought.

“Pakistan and India will be very hard to beat even though the other teams like Australia and South Africa have had the opportunity of playing more Twenty20 cricket over the last couple of years,” the Pakistan captain felt.

Pakistan, it may be recalled, had come very close to annexing the title. In fact they were just a stroke away from victory when Misbah-ul-Haq, who had been instrumental in taking the team to a winning position from a precarious one, tried that suicidal shot in the final.

The inaugural Twenty20 event had revived cricket in both the countries of the sub-continent who had met with disaster in the 9th ICC World Cup Tournament in the Caribbean earlier the same year.

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Steve Bucknor hangs his hat

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The famous West Indian umpire, Steve Bucknor, who also became controversial at times, has called it a day. Having stood in the highest number of Test matches, he will not be seen in action at the international level any more.

Bucknor was generally recognized as a most respected umpire all over the world. The Indians, however, felt hard done by his decisions and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had reacted sharply after that fateful Sydney Test against Australia in which he was one of the umpires.

Some quarters believe that the displeasure of the BCCI functionaries, having a clout in the International Cricket Council (ICC), had a role to play in Bucknor’s premature retirement for he was supposed to be around until the next World Cup in 2011.

The BCCI, it could be argued, also showed a lot of patience with him because the Indian cricket team had been at the receiving hand in the past as well. It could be by chance only but the majority of the close decisions that Bucknor made in his long career went against India.

Yet the Indians didn’t complain until the second Test of the 2007-08 series in Australia where a record number of decisions went against them. It was amazing to watch nearly every decision go Australia’s way although both the umpires were from a third country. Besides Bucknor, it was England’s Mark Benson who appeared to have brought the game to disrepute by engaging themselves in something that was not cricket to say the least.

The Indian cricket authorities may never be able to forget the bitterness of the Sydney Test where their team had fought back admirably after having crashed in the previous game. The series would have stayed alive, had the umpires not committed far too blunders to ensure a defeat for India.

As it turned out, the change of umpires in the following two Tests enabled India to dominate and bring Australia under enormous pressure. India won the third Test and Perth and it was mainly due to the injury to R P Singh that prevented them from squaring the series in the fourth Test at Adelaide.

Bucknor had announced his retirement earlier this season. He was given a standing ovation when his Test career came to an end with the third and final Test between Australia and South Africa at Cape Town that concluded on March 22. Exactly a week later there were more emotional scenes at Bridgetown on March 29 when he umpired in his last One-day International, between the West Indies and England.

He umpired in 128 Test matches, more than anyone else. He broke Dickie Bird's record of 66 in 2002, before in March 2005 becoming the first umpire to stand in 100 Tests. Only David Shepherd and Rudi Koertzen have umpired more than his 181 ODIs, while Bucknor also stood in five successive World Cup finals, from 1992 to 2007.

Pakistan would be having fond memories of Bucknor because he was the umpire who gave Javed Miandad not out in the final of the World Cup in 1992 when the master batsman had not even opened his account. Pakistan, under Imran Khan, had gone on to win the trophy.

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