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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Money-minded Yousuf goes overboard

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Many people believe that the veteran middle-order batsman Mohammad Yousuf has gone overboard in his pursuit for money. He has not won many friends by taking far too many U-turns in his career. Like anyone else he is trying his level best to extract maximum possible bucks at the twilight of his career but he seems to have exceeded the norm and may have to face the music.

The entire world knew that he comprised on his international career when he joined the Indian Cricket League (ICL). Now he is passing the impression as if he had done a service to the nation by playing in the ICL. In reality he was doing just the opposite.

Yousuf seems to have crossed all limits by engaging himself in activities unbecoming of a sportsman of his caliber. What he is attempting to prove by misleading the people in general and the media in particular will only make him more unpopular.

Lately he has expressed his desire to cancel his contract with the ICL in a bid to play for Pakistan again. He may have to think twice now since the management of the ICL has also come out to issue a warning to him. They have said that they will not hesitate to sue him if he opts out of the present contract.

Yousuf has been very clearly communicated by the ICL that he would be taken to court if he violates the agreement he has signed. He’s a part of the Lahore Badshah squad that includes player like Abdul Razzaq, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Sami and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan who also can stake claims in the national team if they cut off ties with the ICL.

The attitude of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is mind-boggling to say the least. Why are they encouraging the ICL players, having betrayed the nation, to resume their career at international level?

Wouldn’t the PCB be better off supporting promoting the young talent instead? It’s a pity that even skipper Younis Khan is putting his weight behind those cricketers who had proceeded to the ICL fully aware of the consequences.

The PCB Chairman, Ijaz Butt, has frequently stated that Yousuf will be included in the national team the moment he cuts ties with the ICL. Well how can the chairman of the Board know if Yousuf is fit enough to play.

Yousuf, at the strength of his past accomplishments, can walk into the team but he has to prove his fitness. The PCB Chairman, who is not expected to be sentimental, should rather say that Yousuf will be considered for selection whenever available.
Talking of sentiments, people also think that Yousuf himself has been involved in emotional blackmailing. He was accused of twisting the facts in the Meet the Press Programme held at the Karachi Club a few weeks ago.

Yousuf was unable to come up with a convincing reply when asked to explain what was the difference between him and a mercenary. He was found wanting in tacking the ticklish questions, raising doubts about his integrity.

Some insiders indicate that Yousuf had rejoined the ICL last year after developing serious differences with Shoaib Malik, the then Pakistan captain and the situation has changed with the arrival of Younis Khan in the hot seat.

He has had a troubled relationship with the ICL after initially signing a three-year-contract with the league and then trying to pull out in favour of the IPL. However, he was not picked up by any IPL team and returned to the ICL on a fresh contract after both sides agreed to call off a legal case that had been lodged on the issue. Now he is threatening to pull out of the ICL. What next Mohammad Yousuf?

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Javed Miandad stages another comeback

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Batting legend Javed Miandad, who has been known and feared for his abilities to stage a comeback from the dead, has done it again. He has been reinstated as the Director General of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He is all set to resume duties on April 1.

The former Pakistan captain had resigned from the PCB about a month or so ago in controversial circumstances at a time when the Chairman of the Board, Mr Ijaz Butt, was abroad.

It was being speculated that the PCB Chairman, upon his return home, would convince the legendary Javed Miandad right away to change his mind but he took far more time than anticipated for there appeared to be some elements in the Board who didn’t desire an amicable settlement.

As they say better late than never. The meeting between the two in Lahore on March 30 turned fruitful and Javed Miandad, who had left the office complaining about lack of powers, has agreed to return on board

The Human Resources department of the PCB, headed by Wasim Bari, another cricket great, had also come under fire during the controversy but there was a clear-cut statement issued late on March 30.

"I can confirm that Javed Miandad will be re-appointed director general of the PCB from April 1 after meeting the PCB chairman. All his terms and conditions have been settled," Wasim Bari was quoted as saying.

Javed Miandad himself was delighted to be back and vowed to help Pakistan cricket. "I never had any issues before, nor will I now. I am at the service of Pakistan cricket and will do that to the best of my abilities. I am thankful to the chairman who was kind and asked me to help him as his adviser also. I never had any terms and conditions before and there will be none now because I believe in the service of the game," he remarked.

Javed Miandad was acknowledged as a master tactician in his playing days. His fighting abilities in the field were object lesson for the teammates. Besides being an extraordinarily successful batsman at the international level, he had also proved himself an outstanding captain.

He is the only batsman in the history of game not have let his batting average drop below 50 at any point of his career. It’s something that even the likes of Don Bradman, Sunil Gavaskar, Viv Richards or Sachin Tendulkar couldn’t do. It’s a record that suggested his remarkable consistency over a very long period of time.

Controversies have also been the part and parcel of his cricketing life. He was appointed the captain of the national team at a very young and the man he displaced was none other than Mushtaq Mohammad.

Having retired from international cricket after playing his sixth World Cup on a trot in 1996, Javed Miandad has had stints as the coach of the Pakistan on a few occasions and he had to part ways bitterly almost every time.

But it was for the first when the PCB offered him a senior position and he started hitting headlines, not necessarily for the right reasons, from the moment he took over as the Director General. He had to resign in protest before he could settle down but now he has returned to the same position, hopefully for a longer innings.

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India’s shameful performance in Napier Test

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

It’s very difficult to comment on any sporting contest that’s under the cloud of the outside factors. India, not for the first time, fared so miserably to keep their underdogs opponents, New Zealand, interested until the end.

The Napier Test of the 2008-09 series turned out to be another occasion where the logic was defied. An element of uncertainty had come into the game even before the first ball was bowled. Hardly did anyone know until the toss that the Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was unfit for the game.

Dhoni’s pullout from the game at the eleventh hour was mysterious. The mystery grew into suspicion when acting captain Virender Sehwag allowed New Zealand to post a total in the excess of 600 after having rattled their top-order in the first hour.

It was simply amazing. The most lethal new-ball attack of the world was blunted by a few young cavaliers who treated them disdainfully. One of the best off-spinners of the game looked like a pedestrian while the support bowlers appeared novices.

The team that was the firm favourite to close the series at the McLean Park, after having pocketed the previous Test so emphatically, was in shambles all of a sudden. The outfit that should have actually dictated terms was at the receiving end instead.

By letting New Zealand post a gigantic total, India had probably ensured that they should not be chasing another win in this game. With the pitch as flat as you can expect and the outfield lightening quick and the boundaries far too short, India had the guns to surpass the total of 619 if they so desired.

They collapsed quite dramatically in their first innings to make absolutely sure that a victory for them went out of the equation. There were only results possible once Daniel Vettori had enforced follow-on. The Indians could have either lost the game or at best they could have gone for a draw.

There was nothing in the pitch for the bowlers and the Indians themselves proved it by playing out 180 overs in their second innings losing only four wickets in the process, two of them to horribly wrong umpiring decisions. Rahul David was given out caught when the ball had only touched his pads while Gautam Gambhir was declared leg before on a ball going well down the leg side.

The Indians occupied the crease for more than two days in their second outing against a New Zealand attack that was enthusiastic and disciplined without ever looking threatening.

Gambir and VVS Laxman scored centuries in contrasting styles while there were half centuries for Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh. The only man, having failed to deliver in both innings, was none other than Sehwag.

Why the Indians didn’t show application in their first innings in ideal batting conditions is a million-dollar question? Was it necessary to keep the home side excited and interested until the final session of the game?

Isn’t it a shame that the most powerful batting line-up of the world was dominated by an ordinary bowling attack for the best part of three days? The world-beaters are not expected to play like this. That was quite uncharacteristic of a team that is rated as the most balanced as well as the strongest of all outfits in the business.

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Shoaib Akhtar eager to return on international stage

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Shoaib Akhtar is mobilizing all the resources at his disposal to facilitate his comeback in the national team. He has this habit of creating this kind of situation on the eve of every major series. He knows that he has certain news value. He wants to make the most of it by issuing statements that could keep in the reckoning and prolong his international career.

Shoaib is hitting the headlines yet again, passing the impression that he is fully fit to take on the Australians in the upcoming series to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

It remains to be seen if the present selectors will take another chance with the speedster. Abdul Qadir and company will have to think twice because they had gambled with him in Sri Lankan series not very long ago and faced humiliation.

The selectors will have to decide whether they can still rely on Shoaib or they can move forward by trying out a promising young fast bowler in his place. The series of One-day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals against Australia is fast approaching and it’s not going to be an easy decision.

Shoaib Akhtar, clocked as the fastest bowler of the world, has had an outstanding record at the international in all forms of the game but his level of fitness and commitment both have often been questioned. He has not been able to keep himself fit for a long duration of time much to the disappointment of the while nation.

He’s such a gifted cricketer. Known as the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ he has demolished the strongest of batting line-ups. In just 46 Test matches he has bagged 178 wickets at an average of 25.69 while he has scalped 220 batsmen in 140 ODIs at an average of 23.49. He has fared impressively in the shortest version of the game too, having taken eight wickets in six games at 20.62 apiece.

He, however, is not that far away from his 34th birthday and being a fast bowler one can’t expect much cricket left in him. He may be able regain his full fitness and form in near future but for how long one never knows.
He has become notorious for breaking down during the course of a series, a tendency that hurts the team spirit. One can only hope he would last the entire length of the series, if selected.

Shoaib Akhtar appears in high spirits of late and with skipper Younis Khan and chief selector Abdul Qadir both having great admiration for the mercurial fast bowler, he may once more find his way into the team.

"I have been working very hard and gearing up to play against Australia. I will play more domestic matches so that I can prove my fitness to the selectors and the rest is with them. I am feeling better and have bowled 20 overs in the two matches. So I will be up to my full fitness and rhythm when we play Australia.," he was recently quoted as saying.

Having himself spearheaded Pakistan’s conquests over stronger Australian outfits in the not too distant past, he believes that Pakistan do have a very good chance of beating Australia in the upcoming series.

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