Diversity Cup completing 15 years

By Naeem-ul-Haq in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

International cricket has resumed, following a break caused by coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as England is now hosting Pakistan after having contested three-Test series against the West Indies. 

Cricket in the United States of America (USA) is also expected to resume shortly in those territories where the deadly virus has been contained and life has gradually returned towards normalcy. 

The 15th edition of the Diversity Cup, regarded as one of the most sought after cricket tournaments in USA, originally planned to be held in August, is now set to be staged over the Labor Day weekend, starting from September 5 to 7 at Detroit, Michigan. 

 It’s time to celebrate its 15th edition now. Over the years, the Diversity Cup, organized by the Global Sports, has emerged one of the most popular annual cricket events of the country. 

The International Cricket Council (ICC), in the meantime, had recognized the Diversity Cup as a tournament in 2016. An average of seven to eight Test cricketers from different countries has been in action during the course of a tournament. 

Another factor contributing to the success of the Diversity Cup has been the presence of cricket greats in its events.

The likes of Greg Chappell, Mushtaq Muhammad, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Muhammad Azharuddin, Asif Iqbal and Younis Khan have graced the tournament during the last one and a half decade.

The participation of these legendary cricketers has help tremendously in adding value to the tournament which has continued to grow in stature with every passing year.

The credit for sustaining the Diversity Cup for 15 years and making it known as a major tournament belongs to the enthusiastic organizational team of the Global Sports, whose promoters have remained passionate and enthusiastic all alone.

Shahid Ahmed, an engineer by profession, has been leading the Global Sports team since its inception and it has had active members like Dr Shaukat Rasheed, Sarwat Iqbal, Faisal Sultan and Ahad Masood.

Dr Shaukat Rasheed, who is based in Toledo, Ohio, had also supported the Champions Cup Tournament. He remains a source of great motivation for the Diversity Cup organizers. 

Sarwat Iqbal and Faisal Sultan have been the Vice Presidents of the Global Sports for the past 12 and 15 years respectively.

Ahad Masood, a former cricketer, coach and organizer, is also an integral part of the setup. 

Jalaluddin, a former Test fast bowler from Pakistan and one of the highly qualified coaches, has been the Director Youth Development at the Global Sports for the last few years.

I have also been associated with the Global Sports for the past 15 years, in the capacity of Vice President, Advisor and coach. Together with Jalaluddin, I have also conducted coaching camps for young cricketers during the last few years.

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Shoaib Akhtar credits Asif Zardari for overturning five-year ban

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Sensational fast bowler, Shoaib Akhtar, also known as the Rawalpindi Express, has credited former President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, for saving his career. 

In a recent television interview, Shoaib Akhtar revealed that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), then headed by Dr Nasim Ashraf, had imposed five-year ban on him which was withdrawn on the directives of Asif Zardari, whom he considered his benefactor. 

“Asif Ali Zardari had ordered the then PCB Chairman, Dr Nasim Ashraf, to either withdraw five-year playing restrictions on him or pack up,” the Rawalpindi Express disclosed. 

Regarding the fastest ball he ever had bowled, which broke the much talked about barrier of 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour, Shoaib Akhtar felt that it was prompted by the pressure and expectations by the media and the general public. 

He recalled that the King of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, had danced all night in joy and celebration when he had bowled his team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to victory in a match of the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

“On the contrary I have bowled Pakistan to victory in a number of matches but there had never been any appreciation,” he regretted. 

Shoaib Akhtar, acclaimed as one of the most popular cricketers of Pakistan, shared that he hasn’t made up his mind yet whether to join politic as his mother was opposed to this idea. 

He didn’t mince words in stating, however, that he could win the contest on his own as an independent candidate at any given time in elections. 

He pointed out that he remained an admirer of all politicians including Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan, expressing the hope that the sitting Prime Minister (Imran Khan) manages to streer the country out of crisis.

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Cricket World Cup Super League to start on July 30

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services) 

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced that top seven teams from the Super League and hosts India will qualify directly for the 2023 World Cup. 

The forthcoming ODI series between England and Ireland, beginning on July 30, will officially kick-start the Cricket World Cup Super League, the game’s governing body confirmed on July 27. 

The World Cup Super League, announced first in June 2018, was introduced alongside the Test Championship to provide context to ODI cricket by acting as a qualification pathway to determine participants for the 2023 Men's World Cup in India. 

A total of 13 teams, including Netherlands who won the ICC World Cricket League 2015-17, will feature in the Super League with the top seven teams, besides hosts India, securing direct qualification to the 2023 World Cup.

Over the course of the league, each team will play four series at home and four away, with teams awarded 10 points for a win and five for no result or tie. All Super League assignments will be three-match series although teams will be free to schedule additional games, results of which will not be considered for league points. 

The five bottom sides from the league will fight for the final two spots of the 10-team showpiece event at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, where they will  be joined by Associate countries that have progressed from the Cricket World Cup League 2 as well as the two Cricket World Cup Challenge Leagues via the Qualifier Playoff. 

The World Cup Super League was originally scheduled to begin in May 2020 and run until March 2022 before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic pushed back the start date to July 30. 

The Cricket World Cup League 2 series due to be hosted in Namibia in September and also involving Papua New Guinea and the United States has been postponed and will be rescheduled.

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High flying Jonty Rhodes is 51 summers old now!

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

It had always been a spectacle to watch Jonty Rhodes in action. His acrobatic fielding and athletic sprinting made him one of the most sought after cricketers from South Africa after their readmission in international cricket in 1991. 

Indeed time has flown, as the high-flying Rhodes tweeted on his 51st birthday on July 27, as he received congratulatory messages from his friends and well-wishers living in different parts of the planet. 

"You not only redefined fielding in cricket but set standards that are hard to match even today. Happy birthday.my dear friend,” one of his illustrious contemporaries, Sachin Tendulkar of India, posted. 

“Hard to believe another year has flown by! Seems my days of flying are not done,” Rhodes responded while thanking the Indian batting great. 

Rhodes was also showered with such fascinating messages as ‘you are the only human being to have ever been found flying on the cricket field’ and ‘you are the inventor of Fielding in modern cricket.” 

Born on July 27, 1969, Rhodes has been regarded as one of the greatest fielders of all time and he was the first South African to take 100 catches in One-day Internationals. He is also remembered fondly for his reverse sweep shot which had brought him six delightful runs.

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Lahore’s five budding wrestlers aim to win laurels

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services) 

Five budding wrestlers of a family were working hard to bring laurels for Pakistan. Out of five, four are real brothers while fifth is their first cousin.

This quintet could be watched carrying out physical workouts and practicing wrestling techniques on daily basis at a muddy ground at a park of Lahore which has the distinction of producing a number of the country's famous wrestlers. 

These budding wrestlers are engaged in their training in the morning and evening sessions while also continuing to pay attention towards their studies in the remaining time. 

They are being trained by Farid Ali, a certified coach, and proud father of four budding wrestlers besides a nephew. 

"These boys are very enthusiastic and passionate about wrestling. The eldest one already has the distinction of winning Pakistan Under-16 Championship,” Farid Ali disclosed. 

In order to keep them physically strong and robust, these wrestlers eat the same kind of food which the local wrestlers do. They happen to take more of meat, dry and fresh fruits, nuts, milk and lassi while they avoid taking junk foods and cold drinks.

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Quetta developing half a dozen modern sports complexes

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The construction of most modern complexes with night facilities is reported to be in full swing Quetta, the capital of Balochistan. 

The Chief Minister of Balochistan, Jam Kamal, has recently inspected the site of under consideration six sports complexes. 

During the inspection visit, he sought details regarding progress on development work and checked the quality of materials being used in construction work. 

The huge sports complex, when completed, will have provision of all facilities of major sports including a huge gymnasium, all indoor games including squash, walking track, cricket nets, park and space to add more sports facilities in future.

"Every society needs such facilities for a healthy life,” Chief Minister Jam Kamal wrote in his twitter message.

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Sarfaraz Ahmed deserves to be in Pakistan team

By Naeem-ul-Haq in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Isn’t it a pity that Pakistan’s cricket team, currently undertaking a tour of England, doesn’t contain the man who had led them to their greatest glory of recent times just three summers ago?

Yes you got it right. Indeed I am talking about Sarfaraz Ahmed, the dashing wicketkeeper-batsman, who had proved himself a very able captain in all three formats.

The conspirators succeeded in getting him axed from captaincy as well as got him omitted from the team. It was a politically motivated move to sack him after being whitewashed at the hands of Sri Lanka in a home series.

Sarfaraz’s exit from the scene was not unexpected, if one happened to know behind the scene affairs that had been going on for quite some time.

It was politicking of the highest order which finally resulted in his ouster. Don’t forget that Sarfaraz had kept Pakistan as the top ranked team in T20 Internationals for more than two years and yet he was robbed of the T20 captaincy.

He had led Pakistan to come from behind title victory against all odds in the 2017 Champions Trophy in England. Yet his head was chopped for ODI format as well. He was not spared from the Test side either.

It’s an open secret that Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis have had their issues with Sarfraz for a long time, more on non-cricketing basis.

Together they had attempted to victimize during the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand but Sarfaraz had silenced the captain and the coach, besides his other critics, with terrific performance.

Sarfaraz was made the captain of the Pakistan team on merit and he flourished in the role at the strength of his monumental efforts.

There were lobbies at work to derail him but he was strong enough mentally and emotionally to overcome the in-house challenges as judiciously as those thrown at him by the opponents in the field.

He continued fighting and didn’t let the additional pressures get the better of him. Occasionally he did falter, like most of his teammates, but he always led from the front and played in the interest of the team.

It was really a sad day for Pakistan cricket when he was shown the door on the basis of just one ordinary series, in which he personally had tried his level best to prevent the outcome. It was a wicked move by the forces having compromised on the national interest to satisfy their personal egos. Sarfaraz is still young and raring to go again. He can easily walk into the Pakistan side in all three formats at the strength of his skills and experience.

Muhammad Rizwan, no doubt, is an emerging wicketkeeper-batsman having shown the promise but Sarfaraz stands taller in pedigree and he could prove an asset for the team in the trying English conditions.

The Pakistan think-tank will be better advised to make decisions in the larger national interest rather than at the whims of the people with vested interests. Sarfaraz is due for a comeback. The sooner it’s done, better it will be for the cause of Pakistan cricket.

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Countdown device for Olympic Winter Games 2022 installed

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The countdown device has been installed for the Olympic Winter Games 2022, scheduled to be held in the Chinese city of Beijing. 

Han Zirong, Vice President and Secretary General of Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee, and Wang Bingyu, China's most popular curling star and former world champion, unveiled the countdown device on July 13. 

The device has been installed in a building of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Winter Olympics at Shougang's old industrial park in Beijing, capital of China.

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