Exemplary tolerance of Karachi crowd

Pakistan News & Features Services

The spectators who filled the National Stadium, Karachi, on October 20 and 21 for the T20 series between an International World XI and an All Pakistan Stars XI were the real heroes. 

The patience and endurance, besides passion for cricket, of the huge turnout on both evenings allowed the organizers to fulfill their dreams and accomplish their objectives. Just for the record All Pakistan Stars XI won the series 2-0. 

The stadium was packed to capacity in the first match with more than 35,000 people welcoming the return of international cricket of sorts. 

The attendance was slightly less the following day although it was a Sunday. The enthusiasts, who came along from the different parts of the metropolis, didn’t complain about the quality of cricket which was of poor standard to the least with the members of the International World XI looking rusty and totally out of form. 

How much the people of Karachi, particularly the youngsters, love the game of cricket was reflected from the big turnout in both the matches which were ‘unofficial’ and Pakistan’s national team was not playing. 

The crowds didn’t react to the dismal performance of the International World XI in every department of the game. 

There were signs, however, of their disapproval to the one-sided contests because the majority of them left the stadium well before the final ball was delivered. In normal circumstances they would have cheered the home team and celebrated the win rather enthusiastically. 

The only consolation for the spectators was having watched the foreign cricketers taking the field at the National Stadium after more than three years. 

The organizers, on their part, could have made greater effort in roping in better and fitter cricketers from abroad. They seemed to have compromised due to the financial reasons as the current players would have obviously demanded proper fees whereas the lot which came here, with the exception of a few, were well past their prime and anything offered to them must have been a bonus return for them. 

The presence of Chaudhary Zaka Ashraf, Chairman, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), in the second game sent a clear message that the Board had finally recognized the initiatives of Dr Syed Mohammad Ali Shah, the Sindh Sports Minister, who braved all obstacles to turn his dream into reality. 

It could have been much better if the PCB had extended support to Dr Shah from the moment the idea was floated about six months ago. 

The PCB bigwigs in Lahore had their reservations and they tried their level best to have these games scrapped. These matches would have taken place in May, had the PCB supported Dr Shah right away which they didn’t for reasons not declared publicly. 

Ultimately the PCB had to bow to the demands of Dr Shah and the permission was accorded reluctantly which didn’t please Ehsan Mani, a former President of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in particular. Having acted disgracefully earlier, it was heartening to find the PCB Chairman engaging into damage control rather than making another egoistic move.

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Welcome return of ‘international’ cricket in Pakistan

Pakistan News & Features Services

The idea was right but the execution left a lot to be desired as far as the T20 series between an International World XI and an All Pakistan Stars XI is concerned. The first of the two exhibition T20 games was played under floodlights at the National Stadium, Karachi, on October 20 with the second once scheduled to be staged on October 21. 

The quality of cricket in the opening game was much below par to be considered an international match. The result hardly mattered but the people had filled the stadium in anticipation of a closely contested fixture and they had every chance to have returned home disappointed. 

Dr Syed Mohammad Ali Shah and his Asghar Ali Shah Foundation deserved compliments for having taken up the initiative for the revival of international cricket in Pakistan but they could have done a greater service to the cause of the sport by limiting the invitation only to those cricketers who were still active in the game. 

It became evident in the opening overs that the majority of the members of the International World XI were out of practice. Otherwise they might not have dropped half a dozen sitters in the first half of the Pakistan Stars XI innings. 

The catching and ground fielding of the visitors was terrible. They dropped the catches which the schoolboys would accept gleefully anytime. They misfielded as if they were unaware about the basics of the game. 

Although the home batsmen were the beneficiaries of pathetic display in the field the spectators would have loved to watch an absorbing contest rather than a lop-sided affair. 

The knowledgeable cricket fans of Karachi, who showed exemplary patience besides discipline, left the stadium quietly when the International World XI batting was rocked by Tabish Khan, who has not even played for Pakistan yet. 

If an uncapped fast-medium bowler could tear apart them with a hat-trick what would have been the scenario if someone like Umar Gul or Junaid Khan had been played in the game! 

It’s not often that the spectators leave the ground when the home side is on verge of victory. But there were hardly a few hundred of them left when the match was actually over. 

More than 35,000 people were present at the ground when the home side batted but people preferred to leave once the reply was such a weak one. They must have heard about the big names in the International World XI but they would not have anticipated them being out of touch. 

Following were the teams in the first match: 

All Pakistan Star XI: Shahid Afridi (captain), Umar Akmal, Shahzeb Hasan, Nasir Jamshed, Fawad Alam, Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Imran Nazir, Anwar Ali and Tabish Khan. 

International World XI: S T Jayasuriya (captain), Mohammad Shahzad, M Hayward, JJC Lawson, LE Bosman, A Nel, RL Powell, MS Tshabalala, AJ Seymore, Shapoor Zadran, SR Taylor and A Sanford

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PCB’s reluctance to support Dr Shah disgraceful but not unexpected

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The International World XI, comprising cricketers from Afghanistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies, is all set to take on the Pakistan All Stars XI in the first of the two Twenty20 games at the National Stadium, Karachi, on October 20 with the second one to be played the following day. 

It’s a monumental effort on part of Dr Syed Mohammad Ali Shah, the Sindh Sports Minister, to have roped in the foreign cricketers and finally turned his cherished dream into reality. 

There has been no international cricket in Pakistan since March 2009 as tour after tours have been cancelled on the pretext of security concerns. Pakistan couldn’t even stage their quota of matches in the ICC World Cup 2011. 

Ijaz Butt was the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) when a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricketers was attacked in Lahore in April 2009 after which the foreign teams have not been interested in touring Pakistan. 

Ijaz Butt’s tenure as the Chairman PCB was a nightmare for the Pakistan cricket to say the least and the local circles had heaved a sigh of relief when he was finally removed from office in 2011. 

His successor, Chaudhary Zaka Ashraf, was expected to do some damage control after the bleak period but unfortunately he hasn’t seemed much inclined towards undoing the malpractices and wrongdoings of his predecessor. 

Zaka Ashraf should have backed any initiative aimed at reviving the international cricket in Pakistan but unfortunately, instead of supporting Dr Shah, he decided to take him on initially. 

Dr Shah had to mobilize all his connections to keep his plans afloat. Wasn’t it shameful that the PCB was unwilling to extend me the support he desired to bring the World XI to Pakistan? 

The planned T20 series had to be postponed on a couple of occasions due to the hurdles erected by the PCB. 

It was not the International Cricket Council (ICC) but the PCB that delayed the resumption of international cricket in Pakistan by five months. 

The series could have easily taken place in May this year when the contract with the World XI players had already been signed. 

The PCB blocked the matches by refusing to let the Pakistan team play, offering a ridiculous excuse. 

Any other ordinary mortal would have given up due to the stance taken by the PCB which was in the forefront in stopping the revival of international cricket in Pakistan. 

Dr Shah is not just another person. Besides vision, he also has the perseverance to overcome the obstacles of various kinds. The PCB had to succumb to his plans and the permission was finally granted to him to go ahead with the two T20 matches which he desired to hold. 

Here was an opportunity for the PCB to make amends and capitalize on the efforts of Dr Shah. But they have shown once more than they are being governed by people with vested interests who have their own agenda.

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Heroes welcome to World XI cricketers in Karachi

Pakistan News & Features Services

The dream has finally come true and the World XI, featuring international cricketers from different corners of the globe, has landed in Karachi on October 18 and the bunch is enjoying its stay in the city about which they had heard stories of various sorts over the years. 

The World XI has been officially renamed as the International World XI by the organizers, following an objection by the International Cricket Council (ICC). 

They arrived in batches and were accorded heroes welcome at the Jinnah International Airport by the Sindh Sports Minister and Chief Organizer, Dr Syed Mohammad Ali Shah, besides other members of the committee, having top officials of the Karachi City Cricket Association. 

Dr Shah considered the arrival of the international players a good sign for the future of cricket within the region. He termed the upcoming four days as extremely vital in resuscitating cricket within Pakistan. 

The South Africans were first to arrive in the early hours and they were followed by their teammates from the West Indies, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. They were garlanded upon their arrival and there was large presence of the media at the airport to meet and greet them amid strict security arrangements. 

The World XI is being led by Sri Lanka’s former captain Sanath Jayasuriya, whose swashbuckling knocks must be fresh in the minds of his large number of fans in Pakistan. 

The World XI will lock horns against the Pakistan XI, being skippered by Shahid Khan Afridi, in back to back Twenty20 matches under floodlights at the National Stadium, Karachi, on October 20 and 21. They will be playing for the A O Trophy. 

Jayasuriya hoped that these couple of games would help bring international cricket back to the troubled land. 

“I am happy to be back in Pakistan after a long time. The people here love cricket and the two exhibition matches will be a big occasion for the game,” Jayasuriya told reporters at the airport. 

Manager Alvin Kallicharran from the West Indies was ecstatic to be back in Pakistan after more than three decades, declaring that there should be no issues in the revival of international cricket in this part of the world. 

All-rounder Ricardo Powell, also from the West Indies, didn’t have any apprehensions about playing in Pakistan either, saying it’s is a good opportunity for them to provide some excitement to cricket fans in Karachi. 

South Africa fast bowler Andrea Nel stated that the purpose of the visit was to help Pakistan and help the return of top-flight international cricket in the country. 

Another South Africa cricketer Nantie Hayward felt that it was his ‘responsibility as a cricketer to help the game.’ 

All the foreign cricketers, as well as the home team, were moved to a heavily guarded five-star hotel of Karachi where they were observed enjoying themselves as normally as anywhere else in the world.

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