Thoroughly deserved reward for Dhoni and company

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The Indians, under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, have proved themselves as the most potent side in every form of the game in world cricket. While they have struggled for consistency in the limited overs contest, hurting their rankings, they have been a cut above the rest as far as the longest version of the sport is concerned and they richly deserved to be the top ranked Test side.

India have finally achieved moved to the top by winning the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in Mumbai. It's a just reward for an outfit possessing the most powerful batting line-up backed by a lethal bowling attack, having variety and more importantly the class and character to absorb the pressures of Test cricket.

Dhoni's proactive captaincy has been instrumental in letting the Indians translate their supremacy into convincing victories. In the past they were good to the extent of dominating their rivals but somehow lacked the finishing touch to make it count.

This Indian side with Dhoni at the helm of the affairs has been showing greater mental toughness than ever before. Sourav Ganguly and John Wright, in the capacity of captain and coach respectively, had revived the Indian cricket with their positive approach that provided them the self-belief to come good against the heaviest of odds.

Ganguly and Wright were chiefly responsible for bringing about a welcome change in the attitude of the players and there was a marked improvement in India's performance particularly in overseas games.

The combination of Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell promised a lot but the totally unexpected debacle in the Caribbean during the 2007 World Cup upset every plan of theirs and the change of guard left their mission unaccomplished.

Anil Kumble did a fine job as captain of the Test team while Dhoni's impressive captaincy in limited overs games brought them more glories than agonies.

It was a matter of time for Dhoni to take over in the Test arena and it was during the home series against Australia last season when he was appointed the leader for all forms of the game.

Dhoni's own batting performance has helped India considerably in improving their ratings in Test cricket. Coming behind six world class batters, he has proved himself an ideal number seven batsman in the mould of the great Australian wicketkeeper-batsman, Adam Gilchrist.

Dhoni obviously has to score quite a few more Test centuries to be bracketed with Gilchrist but the manner in which he has batted there's very little doubt in one's mind about his abilities.

India also owe their recent conquests to one man called Virender Sehwag. His blistering knocks have enabled his team to get a head start more and his longer stay at the crease has meant disaster for the opponents.

Sehwag had looked set to become the first batsman in Test history to score three triple hundreds but a rare half-hearted shot ended his magnificent innings in Mumbai when just a few runs away from the world record.

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Federal Minister takes note of PBSA joyrides

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Federal Sports Minister, Pir Syed Aftab Hussain Shah Jilani, has taken a note of the continued joyrides of the officials of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) besides expressing his disappointment at the failure of Pakistan’s cueists in the recently concluded World Snooker Championship 2009 in the South Indian town of Hyderabad.

The Federal Minister has also categorically denied having personally requested the PBSA President, Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, to attend the board meeting of the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS) for pursuing Pakistan’s bid for the Asian Under-21 Billiards & Snooker Championship 2010.

“On the contrary the PBSA officials had submitted a request for a special grant to cover the costs for participation in the World Snooker Championship. Despite the financial constraints we facilitated them in the larger national interest and arranged for the payments,” Pir Aftab Jilani revealed.

“I didn’t advise any of the PBSA officials to visit India or more specifically attend a meeting for the purpose of getting hosting rights of any tournament in future. As a matter of fact we are perturbed by the reports that quite a few office-bearers of the Association have been traveling with the squad for the past one year or so,” he disclosed.

“Our Ministry is looking into the matter and the PBSA would be required to submit the utilization report of the amount of money they were paid,” the Federal Minister added.

“Like the whole nation we are also concerned about the deteriorating performance of our cueists in the international events despite being extended total support by the government,” Pir Aftab Jilani stated.

The cash starved PBSA, relying almost totally on the government grants of late, has continued to pursue policy of sending a good number of officials abroad despite the media criticism.

Two of their top functionaries, Alamgir Anwar Shaikh and Ali Asghar Valika, traveled to India on the pretext of attending the Board meeting of the ABSF. Another office-bearer of the PBSA, Munawwar Hussain Shaikh, accompanied cueists Mohammad Sajjad and Mohammad Asif as manager for the World Snooker Championship.

The President as well as the Honorary Secretary of the PBSA had also accompanied the cueists in the World Snooker Championship last year when the expenses were borne by the Pakistan Sports Trust (PST) while the Federal Sports Ministry and the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) covered the costs of their travel to China for the Asian Snooker Championship earlier this year.

The snooker circles have remained critical of the tours being undertaken by the PBSA officials particularly at a critical time when the Association is almost totally dependent on the government grants.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued in Karachi on December 3, the PBSA acknowledged the sanction of the special grant towards the Pakistan snooker squad’s participation in the World Snooker Championship.

The PBSA President, Alamgir Shaikh, who returned home earlier and didn’t attend the ACBS meeting in Hyderabad, explained that they had to forego Asian Billiards & Snooker Championship 2010 because of security concerns and the event has now been allotted to India.

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Victorious Pakistan captain, vice captain skip "Champions Again" launch

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

There was an element of disappointment but not entirely surprising to note Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s captain and vice-captain respectively in the ICC World Twenty20 Cricket Tournament held earlier this year in England, skipping the launching ceremony of the book celebrating the title triumph against the heaviest of odds.

Neither Younis Khan nor Shahid Afridi turned up in the launch of ‘Champions again’ authored by Faras Ghani, at the Defence Central Library in Karachi on December 2, despite being extended the invitation to grace the occasion.

The absence of both these celebrated cricketers looked even more stunning and disappointment when they were believed to be in town. Their presence would have brought greater life to the ceremony.

In the context of their behaviour before and after the event there was hardly any surprise in not seeing them on a spot where their own accomplishments were being eulogized and celebrated. They have always considered themselves above board, disregarding national interests and even more painfully their acts have not been worthy of heroes.

Life does move on and the book launch function remained lively anyways with the likes of Salahuddin Ahmed, a former Test all-rounder and an ex-chairman of the national selection committee, keeping the audience fully absorbed with his typically crisp speech. Very rightly, he described the 96-page book as an outstanding effort.

Jalaluddin, a former Test fast bowler and Head Coach of the Customs Cricket Academy (CCA), reckoned that such books go a long way in encouraging the youngsters to take to cricket.

The other speakers, that included seasoned journalists Qamar Ahmed, Rishad Mahmood, Mirza Iqbal Baig and Osman Samiuddin, recognized the author for bringing out a quality pictorial book complemented by precise resource material.

Rishad Mahmood conducted the proceedings nicely and his own depth of knowledge contributed in enlightening those present on the occasion.

Author Faras Ghani, having relocated in England after being born and bred in Karachi, shared with the audience his views on the ups and downs of the Pakistan cricket, recalling some of the incidents of the tournament that Pakistan won after the most uncertain of starts.

The book recaptures the excitement of the event in Pakistan had toppled fancied teams like South Africa and Sri Lanka to claim the trophy at Lord’s. It was after 17 long years when Pakistan had won an international cricket tournament.


‘Champions Again’ is a welcome addition to the list of cricket books in Pakistan and Faras Ghani was complimented for having made an invaluable contribution to cricket literature.

Besides being a wonderful writer, who is extremely passionate about the sport, he also has developed a fondness for clicking. Yes quite a few of the photographs published in his book could challenge some of the top professionals in the field.

I think he should be satisfied or even gladdened by having launched his maiden book in an impressive ceremony. Hopefully the book will bring for him further recognition and this would prove to be the first of the many to be penned and compiled by him.

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Bond’s injury gives Pakistan lifeline

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The injury to the New Zealand fast bowler, Shane Bond, who was named Man of the Match in the first Test in Dunedin, has opened the floodgates for Pakistan who could now breathe much more easily and think quite positively in terms of turning it around.

Bond, who bowled with great fire and accuracy to guide his team to a thrilling victory in his comeback Test, has now been ruled out of the rest of the series due to a torn abdominal muscle.

While Pakistan were struggling to finalize their batting line-up for the next couple of Tests following the debacle in Dunedin, the injury to Bond must have relieved them tremendously because he was the bowler most likely to continue troubling them.

There was a fierce debate back home how the batting order should be reshuffled to counter the threat of Bond and company but the ouster of the premier fast bowler has rendered all such discussions meaningless.

Neither Daryl Tuffey nor Tim Southee, the likely replacements for the injured spearhead, create that kind of psychological pressure that Bond did primarily due to his pace and the ability to lift the ball from good length.

Chris Martin and Iain O'Brien, who are most likely to retain their place in the playing eleven for the second Test, didn’t look all that menacing in Dunedin and the Pakistan batsmen didn’t have problems in negotiating them even in conditions that were not ideal for batting.

Both these fast bowlers were also among the wickets as was skipper Daniel Vettori but there cannot be two opinions about the fact that it was Bond who did the damage to create opportunities for his side.

It became evident sooner than later when Bond was done with his superb spell that rocked the top-order in first innings. Debutant Umar Akmal was extremely fortunate to get away with not one but two catches in Bond’s another sensational over.

It was a different ball game when Bond was taken out of the attack. The Akmal brothers chanced their arms and punished every bowler that Vettori tried. The big partnership revived Pakistan and it was Bond again who ensured that New Zealand still got a first innings lead.

New Zealand, not surprisingly, collapsed in their second innings after being in a position from where they could have dictated terms. In the end they were left with a modest target to defend and their fate then depended entirely on bowlers.

I think Pakistan would have easily got to the target of 251, had Bond not been there. He was the man who looked the most threatening and he rose to the occasion in what went on to become a very close contest.

It’s a pity from New Zealand’s point of view that they have been denied the services of their most lethal fast bowler for quite sometime. It’s really sad that Bond has broken down again after playing his first Test in two years.

He is reported to have suffered minor abdominal discomfort following the Dunedin Test and the scans revealed a one-centimetre tear in an abdominal muscle forcing his withdrawal from the second and third Tests as a precaution.

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Sreesanth emerges as star of India’s 100th Test win

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The magnificent centuries from the trio of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid had set the tone for India in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Green Park, Kanpur, but it was the astonishing performance from fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth that translated the dominance into victory. He turned out to be hero of India’s 100th win in Test cricket.

Yes of all people it was Sreesanth, returning to Test arena after about a year and a half or so, who made the difference on a pitch where batting was more or less as straightforward job as the one in the preceding game at Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad, having produced a high scoring draw.

There were two reasons why Ahmedabad was not allowed to be repeated at Kanpur. Number one India were about 175 to 200 runs short of their first target that was to post a total in the region of 600. They could have still reached there, even after having lost four wickets literally for nothing in the first hour of the game, had Dravid not perished so early on the second morning.


Secondly Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan were unable to bring the Sri Lankans under any kind of pressure. In fact they leaked far too many runs in the early overs and there was no joy for the spin duo of Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra who toiled hard without success for many hours.

Zaheer provided India the breakthrough on the very first ball of the innings in the Kanpur Test and then his new ball partner Sreesanth took over. Although no more wicket fell on the second evening but unlike the previous game, the visiting batsmen were not allowed to score freely.

Sreesanth was on fire on the third morning. He bowled exceptionally well on a docile strip, catching the tourists by surprise. He did the damage on his own, not getting frustrated by the frequent playing and missing by the batsmen. Neither did his shoulders drop at watching the edges fly past the fielders.

He had to work very hard to earn all his wickets. Most importantly he didn’t lose his cool or composure. The momentum was with him and he knew it was matter of time for him to strike again and again.

It’s not a common sight for an Indian fast bowler to do it on their soil where the pitches are tailor-made for the spinners more often than not. It was another docile track but the 26-year-old Sreesanth rose to the occasion in his comeback Test much to the delight of his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Sreesanth used his head as much as his firepower to knockout the batsmen. "This was a wicket where the faster you bowl the easier it is to bat. It was important to make the batsman play early and make him play late and it was a mixture of lot of deliveries. It was a slow track and I had to work hard. Hitting the stumps was more important. I told myself that I might go for runs but I will make them play every ball,” he explained.

"To be honest, I never thought I will play for the country again. But God has been very kind and I got the opportunity at the right time," the lion-hearted fast bowler remarked after making a stunning return to Test cricket.

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Magical figure of 600 comes good

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

India won the second Test against Sri Lanka at Green Park, Kanpur, very handsomely. With the pitch looking full of runs they had their work cut out when they took the field after being bowled out for 642 in their first innings in.

Yes I need to use to word ‘bowled out’ because any team would be expected to get many more having brought up the 600 for the loss of only four wickets.

I was wondering if Mahendra Singh Dhoni would consider the option of declaring the innings a couple of runs shy of 600 because India, in the past, had rarely succeeded in winning the Test match after having amassed a total in the excess of 600 in first outing.

India were in a very strong position after accumulating 417 runs for the loss of only two wickets on the first day. They could have easily thought of extending their total in the region of 700 before declaring the innings on the second afternoon. After all they had been taken for more than 700 in only the previous game and it did make sense to return the favour.

The Indians have had this habit all along of throwing it away after the most impressive of starts. Very rarely have they capitalized on the great work of their top-order batsmen. Once again they collapsed but it started after they had gone past 600.

India were firmly in control when VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh milked the bowling to their hearts’ content as the Sri Lankan bowlers had run short of ideas even in containing them with the field having spread out in all directions.

From 613 for four they crashed to 642 all out something that’s least expected from a team dictating terms on the field. Sri Lanka lost only one wicket in the remaining time of the second day’s play to dispel any impression of the pitch having being deteriorated.

The pitch at the Green Park, as a matter of fact, didn’t appear to lose its character even until the last wicket of the match fell on the fourth afternoon. The Sri Lankan tail-enders were hitting around as merrily as Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir on the first day.

The Sri Lankans were buried under the pressure of 600 that’s indeed a huge total on any surface. The Indian bowlers came good in applying the pressure and their captain Dhoni was not afraid to have attacking fields, unlike his counterpart who was guilty of making India’s task of saving the first Test easier by opting for defensive fields while his side was in total command of the situation.

Dhoni didn’t waste the opportunity of pressurizing the batsmen and his bowlers responded by putting the ball in the right areas. The brilliant fast bowling of Shantakumaran Sreesanth helped India’s cause immensely with the spinners also doing the job admirably.

By the look of things it was a tough call for Dhoni to have enforced the follow-on. But he made the right decision under the circumstances, demonstrating total faith in his bowlers.

The Indian bowlers continued with the policy of maintaining a probing line and they were not discouraged by the occasional stick they received. They were rewarded for persistence, earning the 100th Test win for their country.

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Vettori needs to be extra vigilant

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Daniel Vettori, after having tackled every opposition in various corners of the world, must have realized that nothing could be taken for granted when he’s playing against Pakistan in any form of the game.

I am not sure if the New Zealand skipper, otherwise a mentally tough character, has analyzed the situation yet or he’s just going through the motions. Obviously he would have been left wondering at the events having unfolded of late.

He had experienced it in the third and final One-day International at Abu Dhabi where Pakistan’s last pair had very nearly stolen the match against all odds. Vettori must have been shocked by the manner in which he was treated by the tail-enders.

I don’t think the champion left-arm spinner would have been deposited to the fence so swiftly by any of the top order batsmen in any form of the game as the 17-year-old Pakistan newcomer Mohammad Aamer did him at Abu Dhabi. It was totally against the run of play in the game where the front-line batsmen of either side had struggled to get on top of the bowling.

Vettori and his boys had to endure greater amusement in the first Test against Pakistan at the University Oval in Dunedin that ended on November 28. Although New Zealand won the game in the end by 32 runs in the last session of the fifth and final day but they must have been left wondering if the contest deserved to go that far.

New Zealand had overcome a dreaded start followed by a middle-order collapse to post a commanding first innings total of 429 in their first innings with the skipper himself leading the charge with a superb 99.

Then a brilliant spell of fast bowling from Chris Martin and Shane Bond exposed Pakistan’s brittle top-order and even the experienced duo of Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik could not come to terms with the fiery fast bowling. Pakistan had been reduced to 85 for five and the Black Caps were in complete control of the situation.

A dramatic over from Bond changed the complexion of the game. Like the previous ones of the spell it was yet another brilliant over in which debutant Umar Akmal was at sea. Bond produced a magnificent lifter from good-length spot that had Umar fending.

The ball spooned in the air but the slip fieldsman reacted late and the catch was spilled. In the same over an outside edge was not plucked by the gully fielder and there was not much more the bowler could have done to take a wicket. It’s not often when two chances are floored in the same floor.

Lifted by the two dropped catches in an over Umar then went after the bowling fearlessly and the runs started flowing. He didn’t stop until Bond returned to snare him but not before he had scored 129 and Pakistan eventually reduced the first innings deficit to double digits.

New Zealand had extended their overall lead to the vicinity of 200 with the loss of only two wickets when another mishap derailed them. The run out of Ross Taylor opened the floodgates and the hosts crashed to 153 all out after being 87 for two.

Set to score 251, Pakistan lost their top three batsmen for only 24 but the match still remained opened until the last wicket fell.

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Islahuddin’s yet another brilliant Dash

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Islahuddin Siddiqui was known and feared, in his playing days, for his extraordinary ability to dash that blocked the penalty-corners and frustrated the specialists who wreaked havoc against other opponents.

It’s quite appropriate that the autobiography of the legendary right-winger has been titled
‘Dash Through My Life’ that was launched in one of the most impressive of ceremonies at Hotel Pearl Continental, Karachi, on November 25. After all there was a time when Islahuddin and dash were synonyms.

The book has been co-authored by Humair Ishtiaq, a seasoned journalist, whose writing skills are among the best in the business.

The book launch functions are generally not all that lively or so well attended but then Islahuddin is no ordinary personality. Besides being a hockey great, he has held a very high position in Pakistan Customs but most importantly he has had a large circle of all-weather friends.

Quite expectedly the turnout in Islahuddin’s book launch was massive and impressive. It was a gathering of hundreds of luminaries from different walks of life, reflective of the versatility of the author.

There were numerous hockey legends gracing the occasion and recognizing publicly the great contribution made by Islahuddin over the years. The stalwarts of the yesteryears like Olympians Anwar Ahmad Khan and Abdul Waheed Khan showered him with praise for having taken the world by storm

Olympian Waheed Khan described Islahuddin as a lethal weapon who was proficient in denying European teams goals through penalty-corners.

“He was always there to block the penalty-corners. He did not care even if he was having a broken finger or broken teeth. He was instrumental in guiding the team to title victories in the World Cup as well as the Asia Cup in 1978,” Waheed Khan, who was the Pakistan manager in both the events, recalled.

Olympian Anwar Ahmed Khan credited Islahuddin for having revived the Pakistan hockey after the golden era that began in the late 1950s and lasted until the middle of the 1960s.

“Our team of 1950s and 1960s had set very high standards with the Olympic gold at Rome in 1960 and silver medals at Melbourne in 1956 and at Tokyo in 1964. We also won the Asian gold during this period in 1958 and 1962. We were unsure if we would recapture these glories. The arrival of Islahuddin put Pakistan back on track and history repeated itself with titles coming in our kitty one after another,” Anwar Ahmad Khan, acclaimed as the greatest-ever centre-half the game ever has seen, observed.

‘Flying Horse’ Samiullah Khan, one of the most illustrious contemporaries of Islahuddin, considered him an inspirational captain.

Hasan Sardar, another living legend, who stunned everyone with his artistic play in the hockey field, was no less generous in eulogizing the great Islahuddin.

The Sindh Minister for Sports, Dr Mohammad Ali Shah, who was the chief guest of the evening, threw light on the different aspects of Islahuddin’s personality as did squash legend Jahangir Khan, cricket great Zaheer Abbas and MNA Khushbakht Shujaat.

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