Shoaib Malik weds Sania Mirza finally

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Pakistan’s former cricket captain Shoaib Malik finally tied the knot with Indian tennis star Sania Mirza married on April 12 in the latter’s hometown of Hyderabad, the capital of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Both of them are now expected to be based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) amid reports that they would continue to represent their countries in their respective sports.

The marriage between two of the leading sports personalities has been covered widely by the media and even the reputed British newspapers like The Guardian, The Independent and the Evening Standard have reported the event in-depth.

There were huge controversies before the marriage and yet another one has rocked them right away.

It has been reported that Shoaib has paid Indian Rupees 6,100,000 as mehr which is the gift given by the groom to his bride at the time of marriage, a prerequisite for a Muslim marriage. The gift can be given in the form of cash or gold or other form of wealth and is aimed at giving a financial security to the wife in the case of divorce or death of the man.

According to the reports it’s not the huge sum of money that has been questioned but it’s actually the massive difference between the one he paid to his earlier wife has caused some concerns.

The fact has been brought to light that Shoaib had paid a meagre Rs 500 mehr to Ayesha Siddiqui, whom he divorced recently, while Sania Mirza got a grand price.

Shaoib was reported to have married Ayesha in 2002 over a telephonic nikah but later claimed that she was not the girl he fell in love with as the photographs sent to him online were that of another girl.

The prolific Pakistan all-rounder, however, finally confessed having married Ayesha and divorced her just a few days before his marriage. He is believed to have agreed to pay Indian Rupees 15,000 rupees as maintenance to Ayesha for a span of three months, which broke down to 5,000 rupees per month.

His marriage plans with Sania had been jeopardized when Ayesha, another Indian woman, had lodged a complaint, claiming that Shoaib married her in June 2002 and accused him of subjecting her to cruelty and harassment by denying that the wedding took place and by trying to marry another woman.

Ayesha’s family, however, withdrew the police complaint after some elders brokered a divorce between the pair and cleared the way for the wedding with Sania.

The much talked about marriage between Shoaib and Sania has taken place finally and their future life will be watched with interest as well.

It remains to be seen in particular how Sania would be able to extend her career as a tennis star. She has been acclaimed as the queen of Indian tennis for quite sometime. Will she manage to regain her fitness and continue representing India in future is a question in everyone’s mind?

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Waheed Baloch shines in Dreamworld golf tourney

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
Waheed Baloch of the Karachi Golf Club (KGC) fired spectacular rounds of 63 and 65 and with total 128 to win the Pros event of the Sindh Golf Association (SGA) Promotional Golf Tournament staged at the Dreamworld Resort & Golf Club near the Northern Bypass in Karachi.

The vastly experienced Waheed produced brilliant accuracy and putting at the greens and fairways of Dreamworld Golf Club. Waheed's KGC colleague, Javed Inayat clinched the runner-up spot 10 strokes behind with rounds of 71 and 67 to end with an aggregate of 138. Amjad Yousuf was third with total of 140 among the pack of 38 golfers.

In fact, the golfers of the KGC dominated all the three events, Pros, Senior Pros and Caddies, spread over three days.

Following the top trio of Waheed Baloch, Javed Inayat and Amjad Yousuf were Ahmed Saeed, Afsar Ali and Noor Bakhsh, also from KGC. Mohammad Arif and Misal Khan of DHA ended seventh and eighth respectively.

Khair Mohammad and Abdul Rasheed, both of them from KGC, finished joint first in the senior pros with 80 points each while Qamar Ahmed of DHA and Abdul Sattar of KGC shared the third position with 81 points each.

Mohammad Shahzad of KGC won the caddies event with 64 points while Mohsin Ali and Amjad Khan, also from KGC, finished second and third respectively.

The three-day tournament, the first one to be held under the auspices of the SGA at the Dreamworld Golf Club, proved to be a success story. The participating Pros, Senior Pros and Caddies appreciated the hospitality provided by the hosts who even didn’t charge any tournament fee.

The hosts recognized the role of the Executive Committee SGA in promoting the sport with special mention being made of their President, Aslam R Khan, and Secretary, Ahmed Abdul Bari.

Speaking at the prize distribution ceremony, chief guest Ashraf Khan Ghori highlighted the efforts of SGA in promoting the game of golf in Sindh. He highlighted the fact that Sindh has recently won the National Amateur Championship after a span of 40 years. He praised the management of Dreamworld Golf Course for holding a successful tournament.

The participants also enjoyed the experience of driving to the Dreamworld Resort & Golf Club, located on the outskirts of Karachi in the vicinity of the Northern Bypass.

It’s interesting to note that while the Dreamworld Cue Sports Championships have already completed a decade, golf has just got off to a flying start and there’s every possibility of the event becoming a regular feature in the SGA calendar.

The Dreamworld Cue Sports Championships have been attracting good crowds since inception and it remains one of the showpiece tournaments being held at the resort. With the golf facilities of the highest class on offer it has become quite an attraction for the members as well as the non-members of the club. We can expect to witness quite a few golf tournaments in future at this picturesque venue.

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Tendulkar stands tall once more

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

In yet another classic exhibition of controlling the game single handedly, skipper Sachin Tendulkar came out trumps while leading Mumbai Indians to an emphatic 37-run victory over Rajasthan Royals in their return match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on April 11.

Mumbai Indians became the first team to confirm a place in the semifinals of the IPL-3 with three league matches still in hand. While the other seven contestants would be battling it out grimly in the coming days for the remaining three positions Mumbai would be looking forward to topping the points table without the pressure of qualification.

Tendulkar extended his brilliant form in the season with another magnificent knock that saved Mumbai’s blushes initially. The chips were down for his side when they lost three early wickets and Shane Warne applied pressure for making greater inroads.

Australia’s frontline all-rounder of late, Shane Watson, put Mumbai in disarray by scalping that man Sanath Jayasuriya in his first over and followed up by removing the local duo of Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary.

It was Tendulkar who stood firm in the typical style of his and steered the team out of trouble by building two big partnerships, one with South Africa JP Duminy and the one with the West Indian Kieron Pollard.

Left-handed Duminy proved a perfect foil for Tendulkar in the rebuilding phase as they were engaged in risk free game concentrating more on well judged singles to rotate the strike when the field was spread after the Powerplay.

Tendulkar was well set to take on the champion leg-spinner Warne clobbering him for three fours in one over. The much awaited battle between the two greats, as usual, excited the crowd and it was the Indian Grand Master who dominated the wily Australian with a touch of class.

Warne, acclaimed as the greatest spin bowler of all time, was not afraid to flight the ball and Tendulkar was up to the task in heaving him inside-out through extra cover. Warne made the adjustment by dropping one short but Tendulkar was alert enough to make room to cut him through point for yet another boundary.

That has been the beauty of Tendulkar's game all along over the past couple of decades. He would rely on cricketing strokes even in the death overs instead of hitting wildly or attempting to slog. Once again he picked out his spots in the field and runs came thick and fast when he cut loose. He finished it off by smashing two successive sixes off Siddharth Trivedi in the final over yielding no less than 20 runs.

Rajasthan Royals were always expected to be up against it while chasing a target of 175 against a bowling attack having Zaheer Khan, Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh. The only man who could have turned the tables was Yusuf Pathan who had blasted the quickest century of the competition against them earlier but this time he was undone by the medium pace of Pollard and that was the end of the story.

"We needed a solid performance, and I thought 170-plus was a competitive total on this track. The target was to stay there till the end, because we had lost lot of wickets early on. So that added some responsibility on me and JP. I knew it was a matter of a couple of big overs, and they had to come at some stage,” Tendulkar said after the game.

"Full marks to the way our fast bowlers bowled up front. Zaheer, especially; his first spell was terrific. The fielding was very sharp and overall good. There were some very important run-outs and catches; when all these things gel together, it's obviously a special performance,” he added.

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Dravid’s night at Bangalore

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Royal Challengers Bangalore, inspired by brilliant half centuries from Rahul Dravid and Robin Uthappa, recorded an impressive seven-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in yet another crucial match of the Indian Premier League 2010 also known as IPL-3 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 10.

The big crowd was entertained to some fabulous cricket and the outstanding performance of the local heroes was an icing on the cake for the thousands of fans who couldn’t have expected more weekend fun.

Bangalore were also indebted to their bowlers for having limited their opponents to 160 in 20 overs that allowed their champion batsmen to go about the chase in an unhurriedly manner. The victory lifted them to the second place in the points while Kolkata were left struggling among the last three.

Anil Kumble’s gamble of fielding first after winning the toss paid off and the master craftsman had the reasons to feel delighted with the outcome. His change bowlers stuck to their job and the established batsmen delivered at the right time to finish off things in a convincing manner.

Praveen Kumar and Dale Steyn were guilty of spraying the ball in conditions where they would have been better off pitching it up. Swing and movement was on offer for them but they made a mess and conceded far too many runs in the initial overs.

Left-handers, Sourav Ganguly and Chris Gayle, both of them known for taking the attack to the bowlers, enjoyed the width provided to them with as many as 61 runs coming in the Powerplay that was the highest achieved by Kolkata in the tournament.

Jacques Kallis was also punished for bowling short but Vinay Kumar pulled it back for Bangalore and his spell led a turnaround. He was not afraid to pitch the ball up to the batsmen while using the short ball sparingly, a tactic that was more likely to work in the prevailing conditions.

The fall of three wickets for two runs in the space of nine balls derailed Kolkata but Brendon McCullum revived them by clubbing Sridharan Sriram for 18 in an over.

It was the turn of captain Kumble to rise to the occasion and he bowled superbly to emerge as the most economical bowler of the day. Kolkata lost the plot in the final overs and their eventual total was unlikely to be adequate as it turned out.

If Kumble had led by example in the field, the responsibility of guiding the team with the bat was taken by Dravid. Isn’t it quite extraordinary that both these stalwarts continue to deliver for so long?

Dravid, despite appearing in top form, didn’t have a big score in tournament yet with the likes of Kallis, Uthappa and Virat Kohli doing the bulk of the scoring for Bangalore.

He got the opportunity this time round and dominated the bowling in the usual style of his. He kept the scoreboard ticking over with a brilliant half century and the stage was set for Uthappa to explode and seal the victory in the company of Ross Taylor.

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Pakistan’s T20 captain considers missing IPL a blessing in disguise

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Pakistan’s captain in the shortest version of the game, Shahid Afridi, feels that missing the ongoing third edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is actually a blessing in disguise for himself and his players.

"No I don't have any regrets at all. In a way it is a blessing in disguise for all our players that we are not playing in the IPL before the World Cup," Shahid was quoted as saying in an interview.

"Given the problems that have besieged Pakistan cricket in recent months it is good that we have got time to work together as a team in the World Cup training camp, it has allowed us to settle down and focus on the World Twenty20," he said.

"We really are not following the IPL closely. We don't know who is playing or who is not playing because the purpose of holding this training camp has been to gel the players and allow them to prepare as a team for the World Twenty20," the flamboyant all-rounder stated.

"If we win I would definitely feel that I have achieved the biggest landmark of my career, I want the team to do well in the World Cup. It is a big ambition for me and I know as a senior player I will have to show the way in every department of the game," Shahid added.

The Pakistan squad is currently undergoing rigorous training in Lahore in order to improve fielding and general fitness before the World Twenty20 starting in the Caribbean on April 30.

Pakistan would be defending the title they had clinched in England last June. In fact they had also ended as the runners-up in the first-ever World Twenty20 held in South Africa in 2007.

Pakistan, having endured a lean patch in the longer versions of the game over the last few years, have had exceptional record in T20 matches and the expectations are once again high despite a disastrous tour of Australia just a short while ago.

Shahid Afridi will be holding the key to Pakistan’s chances being the captain as well as the senior most member of the squad. It remains to be seen how he shoulders the extra responsibility of leading the team.

Interestingly Pakistan would be having their third captain in as many editions of the World Twenty20. They were being led by Shoaib Malik when they narrowly lost the final against India in the inaugural event in 2007.
Younis Khan was at the helm of the affairs in 2009 when Pakistan overcame an uncertain start to win the tournament against all odds.

Neither Shoaib nor Younis are a part of the Pakistan squad that would be competing in the Caribbean under the command of new captain Shahid Afridi. In fact both the former captains have been banned from playing international cricket by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

It will be quite a challenge for the inexperienced Pakistan cricketers to come good in the upcoming global event in which they will be confronted by Bangladesh and Australia in the league phase.

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Suman overshadows Kohli and others

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The high-scoring fixture between Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2010 kept the spectators on the edge of their seats at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on April 8.

It’s not often that a target of 185 is overtaken in a Twenty20 game but Deccan Chargers were powered to victory by Tirumalsetti Suman who remained unbeaten in 78 off 57 balls. It was a magnificent knock from a lesser-known player and the night belonged to him. He was very rightly adjudged Man of the Match.

The Australian duo of Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds also played their role in guiding the Chargers to a seven-wicket victory with four balls to spare. Skipper Gilchrist hammered 32 off 19 balls while Symonds returned undefeated on 53 off 24 balls.

Deccan Chargers still have to do a lot more to catch up in their remaining league matches if they are to secure a place in the semifinals. The victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore should give them heart and confidence but they would be needed to play out of their skin to make it to the last four.

Gilchrist seemed to have a plan in mind when he elected to field after winning the toss. The ball was doing a bit and it was not easy hitting across the line. Even the likes of Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid, both master tacticians, were finding in difficult to force in the initial overs.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha foxed Dravid in the air to have him caught at point while the ball with which he trapped Robin Uthappa plumb in front had held its line. Both these blows had put the Challengers on the back foot and Virat Kohli, one of the most promising youngsters in India, walked in at a very difficult time.

By losing three quick wickets Royal Challengers Bangalore had slumped to 68 for four in 10.1 overs and appeared in disarray. At this point it looked quite unlikely of them getting any where close to 150.

Kohli took his time in settling down before unleashing the kind of strokes that would have made any power hitter proud. He was particularly severe to Symonds, bowling medium pace instead of spin.

Kallis, the leading scorer in the IPL-3, extended his spectacular form and along with Kohli shared a 95-run fifth wicket partnership that enlivened the proceedings much to the delight of the home crowd.

Kohli was dismissed in the final over after blasting 58 off just 35 balls while Kallis had departed in the previous over after hammering 68 off 44 balls. The death overs yielded far too many runs to lift the Royal Challengers Bangalore total to 184 for six.

Chasing a mammoth 185, Deccan Chargers lost Monish Mishra, playing in place of V V S Laxman, early. But Gilchrist and Suman put them on road to victory with a 77-run second wicket partnership.

The match opened again when Gilchrist and Rohit Sharma fell in the span of seven runs but Symonds and Suman took charge and they had no problems in knocking off the runs although needed 60 were needed off last five overs.

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Embarrassment of riches continue in Australia

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Australia, having been denied the top spot in the ICC rankings after ruling the world for so many years under the stewardship of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, still remain the team to beat in the international arena and the kind of talent they have leaves very little doubt in one’s mind that they would bounce back to regain the number one position in all forms of the game in not too distant future.

Unlike South Africa and India, the frontline challengers to deny them the crown, Australia have built an infrastructure that keeps producing outstanding cricketers giving them the most powerful bench strength.

South Africa and India are currently blessed with quite a few seasoned campaigners who have continued to deliver to help them retain top rankings but both these countries might not succeed in sustaining the momentum once their greats call it a day.

Australia have no such worries. They have lost a number of legendary characters in the past few years but survived. They did suffer odd defeats but overall the performance of the team remained steady. The recent influx of emerging talent means that they are preparing to rule the world once more.

If newcomers like Ryan Harris and Clint McKay have been offered full-time contracts by Cricket Australia for 2010-11 ahead of Stuart Clark and Nathan Bracken one can very well understand that they are not short of talent.

Besides Harris and McKay the contracted players for the upcoming season, featuring the Ashes as well as the World Cup, are Doug Bollinger, Michael Clarke, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Hopes, Phillip Hughes, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, Andrew McDonald, Marcus North, Tim Paine, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle, Steven Smith, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, Shane Watson and Cameron White.

"It is disappointing for Stuart Clark and Nathan Bracken who have not received contracts. Both Stuart and Nathan have fantastic records for Australia and not renewing their contracts was a very hard decision. The reality is that other bowlers have seized the opportunity over the last six months in both Test and limited-overs cricket. I am sure Nathan and Stuart will look to start next season well and force their way back into the Australian side," Andrew Hilditch, head of the selection panel, observed while dropping the two senior fast bowlers in favour of new speed merchants.

"The Australian side is very much in the final stages of its preparation for the Ashes series in Australia and the World Cup for 50-over cricket in India. The contract list has a good blend of experience and youth, and recognizes the very strong performances of the Australian side in Test and limited-overs cricket this summer," Hilditch added.

The rankings remained confidential but it’s being believed that Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson would have filled the top four places for the retainers of around Australian $1.5 million in the contract period starting on July 1, 2010.

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Hinopak Trophy 2010 inaugurated

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Hinopak Motors, one of the market leaders in the automobile industry, have vowed to continue their patronage to sports in general and cricket in particular.

The assurance was given by their Managing Director & CEO, Hideya Iijima, who inaugurated the 17th edition of the Hinopak Trophy Inter-Firms Cricket Tournament 2010 at the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi.

The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Dr Mohammad Ali Shah, Sindh Sports Minister, and President, Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA).

In his welcome address Mohammad Irfan Shaikh, Founder Chairman, Hinopak Sports & Recreation Club, noted that the Hinpoak Trophy, launched in 1989, has been successfully organized every season and has come to be regarded as one of the most prestigious departmental competitions on the city circuit.

“The prime objective behind sponsoring this tournament for the last couple of decades is to make a humble contribution for the betterment of the society and not for the publicity of our products. We remain at front line to perform our role through continuous support for nurturing the sports activities within our society,” Irfan Shaikh, who is also a Vice President of the KCCA besides being a top leader of the Lions International, observed.

He added that Hinopak Motors will remain in the forefront to perform its role through not only the supply of environment and customer friendly products but also through its continuous support for nurturing the sports activities within the society.

The KCCA President, Dr Shah, acknowledged Hinopak’s consistent and long-term support to cricket and urged the other multinational corporations to come forward and promote activities to encourage the youngsters.

Dr Shah, also President of the Sindh Olympic Association (SOA), lauded the efforts of Irfan Shaikh in particular for being instrumental in sustaining the Hinopak sponsorship for different sports activities.

The long serving KCCA Secretary, Prof Siraj-ul Islam Bukhari also acknowledged Hinopak’s monumental contribution to cricket over a period of about two decades. He thanked Irfan Shaikh for extending the overwhelming support in making Hinopak Trophy as one of the most sought after annual events.

Naushad Riaz, Chairman, Hinopak Sports & Recreation Club, founded by Irfan Shaikh, stated that their company since its inception has always been in the forefront to promote sports activities and encouraging its employees to participate in sports and become a part of the healthier society. He credited Director Sales & Marketing, Irfan Shaikh, for having built a solid platform and spread the sports culture in the society.

Meanwhile as many as 22 outfits have entered the 17th Hinopak Trophy Inter-Firms Cricket Tournament 2010 being held at different grounds of the metropolis. All the matches will be 50-overs-a-side affair and no game would be reduced to less than 40 overs under any circumstances.

KESC, Mansha Brother, Saddar Town, Candyland and Shami Associates have been drawn in Group A, KPT, UBL, Karachi Police and Tapal Tea are placed in Group B, Pakistan Navy, Anfords English, Fatima Enterprises and Pakistan Ways feature in Group C while Group contains Pak Saudi International, Sindh Police, Omar Associates, Income Tax and NIT.

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