National Games or money-minting exercise?

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA), having done very little to promote the cause of sports eversince its inception and whose office-bearers have mostly been in the news for the wrong reasons to say the least, has to shoulder the blame once more for not having taken the desired steps yo take care of their showpiece event, the National Games, meant to be held after every two years.

The provincial Olympic Associations look forward to hosting the National Games primarily for the loads of money that comes with the package. It’s one event they cannot imagine to lose, no matter how many times they have to postpone it.

The 31st National Games, now scheduled to be staged in Peshawar later this month, would certainly have served greater purpose had it been held prior to the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

In Pakistan the practice has been to hold the National Games in the four provinces by rotation. It’s no doubt the turn of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, formerly Northern Western Frontier Province (NWFP), to stage the event but it had to postponed due to the security concerns in capital Peshawar.

The national Olympic body, POA, don’t do anything to annoy their provincial chapters for obvious reasons. The POA Executive Council had taken the decision to postpone the 31st National Games that was to be held from March 25 to 31.

The POA President, Lt Gen (retd) Syed Arif Hasan, had stated at the time of announcing the decision on March 16 that the foreign teams were already not willing to come to Pakistan because of the security issues and they didn’t want a situation where a domestic event is also affected by some incident.

“The relevant authorities in Peshawar were not willing to give security clearance for the games at this stage. We took the prevailing situation in the country into consideration and felt the best thing at this stage was to postpone the games. There was also pressure from parents and associations to postpone the games and obviously nothing is more important to us than the safety of our athletes and officials," he was quoted as saying.

The National Games, already been postponed once before last year due to security issues, was then rescheduled for December 26 to 31.

The President of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Olympic Association (KPOA), Syed Aqil Shah, who is also the KP Sports Minister, has maintained that the 31st National Games will be held in Peshawar on its schedule amid tight security.

”We have given the mandate by the house in which the office-bearers of all the affiliated associations ensured their support. Besides they have shown more spirit and zeal to hold the Games on its schedule,” he observed in the media briefing.

“We are ready to hold the Games and the grant is there. All appropriate measures would be taken and services of Police, Frontier Corps, and even if needed, Army would be taken to provide foolproof security to the teams and officials,” Aqil Shah stated.

It may be recalled that at least three people were killed and several others were wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the main gate of Qayum Stadium after the closing ceremony of Inter-Provincial Games in Peshawar in November 2008.

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Will India opt for going ahead for a whitewash?

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

That’s a billion Rupee question now. Having beaten the New Zealanders comprehensively in the first three games of the five-match ODI to take an unassialble 3-0 lead, the Indians are in total command of the sitiuation to complete a whitewash. But will they do it? Or will they succumb to the external factors?

The Indian cricket team over the years has had the habit of ‘accomodating’ their unfancied opponents by losing an odd game or two against the run of play when it comes to the One-day Internationals whereas in the Tests they appeared to have ‘obliged’ the underdogs by keeping it to a draw.

The latest example was the three-Test series against the Black Caps that preceded the ongoing ODI series. India’s full strength side stunned everyone by settling with a draw in the first two Tests. When they finally tightened the noose in the third and final Test the margin that separated the two sides said all with the game lasting just over three days.

Now the ball is in the court of the Indians again. They have lived upto the billing by winning the first three ODIs with big enough margins to just confirm that there is no competition at well between the two sides on these kind of surfaces.

The momentum is with India. They can easily win the remaining two ODIs, weather permitting. Daniel Vettori and his boys are at the mercy of the hosts. The expertise of the vastly experienced Duncan Fletcher cannot be of much help to them at this stage. They shall be happy losing those two games by less embarassing margin than the last couple of ones.

What about the Indian plans? Nobody knows. Will they go for the kill? The World Cup is round the corner and they cannot afford to be complacent. But there have been numerous instances when such interests appeared to have been compromised. Will history repeat itself?

Gautam Gambhir and his boys are on a high but will they be allowed to play without an advice they are not able to refuse?

Gambhir has done the job perfectly so far, in the absence of the rested Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The caretaker captain was delighted to have restricted New Zealand to 224 in their 50 overs after putting them into bat in the third ODI at Vadodara.

"When there is dew in Baroda it does a bit in the morning; it's red soil. It was a good toss to win but it was a great effort from our bowlers to restrict them to 225-odd. Zaheer Khan is the best left-arm fast bowler in the world now. Ravichandran Ashwin has a lot of variety and can bowl well during Power Plays and the slog overs. If he keeps doing that he will be a big asset to the team. Munaf Patel bowled great at first change. It's tough to get figures of 1 for 28 in 10 overs on a subcontinent wicket. Yusuf Pathan contributed with the ball, as well," the skipper complimented.

"It's good to have competitions for various places. If the selectors have a headache in this aspect, it's a very good sign for Indian cricket," he said.

He did not favour too much experiment with the side for the last two ODIs despite the series being won. "We should try and put our best team on the park as it is an international game and we are playing a quality side," Gambhir reckoned.

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India need Dravid at his best in South Africa

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The Indian think-tank has made the right decision by persisting with Rahul Dravid, despite him not being in the best of form for quite sometime now. Obviously the selectors were under greater pressure in the home series against New Zealand as they resisted the temptation of replacing the shaking ‘Wall’ or even changing his position in the batting order.

Dravid did respond with a couple of centuries against the Black Caps, after having endured a barren period quite long by his own high standards, but his real test will obviously come in the upcoming series against South Africa.

I think Dravid will help the Indian cause much better on the bouncy pitches of South Africa where any youngster, no matter how capable, would have struggled playing their first time.

The Indians will be at a huge advantage if he does find his form there but he’s the one batsman who can make the difference between winning and losing in those conditions where the ball will be doing quite a lot.

Dravid’s form may still be a cause of concern to many but his skills are proven and his capacity for a big innings under pressure is probably second to none in the business, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman included.

The Indian captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, had paid rich tribute to Dravid whose innings of 191 played a pivotal role in guiding the hosts to a convincing victory over New Zealand in the third and final Test at Nagpur.

"Rahul (Dravid), batting at No. 3, gives us the stability. Viru (Virender Sehwag) plays aggressive cricket and gives us momentum. After that, it is the responsibility of Rahul and Sachin (Tendulkar] coming at No. 3 and 4 to give that stability to the innings, based on which the lower order can also contribute,” the triumphant skipper had remarked in the post match press conference at Nagpur.

India could have got away with it even if Dravid was not there in the home series against New Zealand but they would need his genius on that demanding tour of South Africa where the ball is more likely to fly rather than stay low.

The promising young batsmen like Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma have done well on pitches where the ball didn’t bounce much. They have often been found wanting when the ball was moved or bounced.

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir are two exceptionally talented opening batsmen who can score briskly on all kind of surfaces. Their skills and temperament will be tested by the South African speed merchants with the new ball.

Dravid’s forte is blunting the fiercest of attacks. His reflexes might have slowed down of late but he still possesses the technique to stand in the middle for a long time. He has had problems in negotiating the ball leaving him in the recent past but he has the experience to cope with the most awkward of deliveries.

He has played in South Africa quite a few times and now it’s the time for him to come good again. Another successful series could extend his career by at least a couple of more years.

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Alamgir Shaikh re-elected as PBSA President

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, who had succeeded Ali Asghar Valika as the President of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA) a couple of years ago, was re-elected for another term of two years.

The elections of the PBSA were held during their Annual General Meeting held at the Karachi Club Annexe on November 27 and there were hardly any surprises in the composition of the office-bearers.

Alamgir Shaikh was re-elected as President while Abdul Wahid Qadir and Jawed H Karim also got another term as Vice Presidents and Munawwar Hussain Shaikh will continue as Honorary Secretary.

Amir Abbas Poonawala has been elected as the Honorary Treasurer while those having been elected as members of the Executive Committee are Mustafa A Aziz, Amin Bawany, Abdul Rashid Lehra, Nisar Ali Baghat, Shabbir Hussain Daruwala, Mohammad Hanif Memon and M. Yousuf Suleman.

In order to fulfill the formality, a representative of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), Mahkumuddin Mangrio, also attended the AGM to legitimize the elections of the PBSA.

There was no place in the Executive Committee, however, for Ali Asghar Valika, who had led the PBSA for about two decades before giving it up in controversial circumstances in 2008.

There was no mention of Asghar Valika in the handout issued by the PBSA concerning the AGM and the elections but he was very much there in the accompanying group photograph released on the occasion. By the look of things he will be there as a Patron of the Association.

The contribution of Asghar Valika in taking the cue sports to its present level has been monumental and his successor, Alamgir Shaikh, has had the sporting spirit to acknowledge it publicly.

The first tenure of Alamgir Shaikh wasn’t a magical one as he had inherited some major problems with the financial side being the obvious weak link. He has weathered the storm somehow but his skills at the top will be tested further in the coming years with a lot of challenges to be met.

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BBSYDP trainees presented certificates

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The certificate distribution ceremony of the cricket and hockey courses of the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Youth Development Programme (BBSYDP) was held at the Banquet Hall of the Karachi Gymkhana on November 30.

All the men and women participants, having attended the five-month long course, were awarded the certificates by the dignitaries present on the occasion.

Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Secretary Sports and Youth to the Government of Sindh, in his brief speech, mentioned about some of the initiatives taken by the provincial government in the recent past in order to promote sports in every nook and corner of the province.

He emphasized that coaching played an important role in preparing and developing the skill of players and without the help of the coaches the standard of the game could not be strengthened from the grassroots level.

Former Pakistan hockey captain, Islahuddin Siddiqui, was present in the certificate distribution ceremony alongwith former Test all-rounder, Salahuddin Ahmed, who has been the national chief selector of cricket for quite sometime.

The provincial sports department organized the five-month long coaching courses in cricket and hockey, besides football as part of the BBSYDP launched earlier this year. It may be recalled that the cricket coaching course was inaugurated at the National Stadium, Karachi, in May, with the collaboration of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Then the Sindh Government, joined hands with the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) to hold the football course which was inaugurated at the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Coaching Centre, Karachi, in June.

Just a day later the hat-trick was completed when the hockey course commenced at the Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi, with the collaboration of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF).

The participants in all the three courses were paid a monthly stipend of Rs.6,000 with the outstation trainees getting a further Rs 3,000. Besides getting this amount they have gained the experience that could come handy in their career.

The Deputy Secretary Youth Affairs to Government of Sindh and Project Director, Saleem Ahmed Siddiqui, played the pivotal role in coordinating with the partner sports bodies and ensuring a successful completion of all three courses.

It was a worthy effort of the provincial government to have thought about the coaching of the youngsters from the grassroots level, a responsibility the respective controlling bodies of the game have not been able to undertake seriously yet.

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Misbah believes drawn series against South Africa to boost morale for New Zealand tour

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Pakistan's newest Test captain, Misbah-ul-Haq Khan, has reckoned that the recently drawn two-Test against the formidable South Africans in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would serve as a morale-booster for the upcoming tour of New Zealand.

“It was quite an accomplishment on our part to have come with creditable performance against our fancied rivals and this show of ours should serve as an inspiration for the tour of New Zealand starting next month,” Misbah observed in his exclusive chat with the APP correspondent, Ehsan Qureshi, soon after returning from the UAE.

"The team put up a fighting performance and holding the powerful South Africans to a draw in both the Test matches was a great sign,” he stated.

"I feel proud and satisfied that I contributed my bit in saving both the games for Pakistan. I want to serve the country to the best of my abilities. My priority is not to prove any of my critics wrong with my batting but my goal is to serve the country,” he commented.

"The credit goes to the whole team not only to me or Younis Khan. It was a team effort all the way," Misbah, having scored 212 runs at an average of 53, added.

"The upcoming series against New Zealand will be tough. But the confidence the guys have gained by competing with South Africa will certainly serve as a moral-booster," the 36-year-old veteran batsman, who has now scored 1128 runs in 21 Test matches at an average of 38.37 with two centuries and seven fifties, remarked.

"I know the ball will be moving around in New Zealand. But our team had done reasonably well there last year and our boys should be able to perform even better this time," he thought.

”The absence of pacers like Muhammad Aamir and Muhammad Asif may be felt.but I think there are some good pace bowlers around in Umar Gul, Tanvir Ahmed and Wahab Riaz We have to rely on the available resources and the team provided by the selectors," he said.

Commenting on the wild-stroke played by Umar Akmal in the first Test, the Pakistan skipper pointed out that even the most aggressive of batsmen needed to be patient in the matches of longer duration.

"Umar is highly talented and aggressive by nature and went after the bowling and paid the penalty. He is expected to learn from his mistakes," Misbah hoped.

Responding to another question about the availability of leg- spinner Danish Kaneria for tour to Down Under, he said it was upto the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and selectors to decide about it.

Similarly, on the selection of former Pakistan Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal, he said it was again the domain of the Board, however, as far as his personal opinion was concerned, he would like them in the team.

He described new stumper Adnan Akmal as talented adding that it would take him time to learn the tact of the trade with the passage of time.

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India haunted once more by tail-enders

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

It was far from convincing performance from the new look Indian outfit as they displayed the same chronic weaknesses that had haunted their illustrious predecessors while overcoming an uncerain and shaky New Zealand side in the first of the five One-day Internationals at the Nehru Stadium in the Eastern town of Guwahati on November 28.

Any side batting first having scored 169 for two at the end of 32 overs would have been expected to score in the excess of 300 in 50 overs. And if you have an inexperienced bowling attack like the Black Claps, sans their premier bowler and skipper Daniel Vettori, playing in the sub-continent even the possibilities of 350 could not have been ruled out.

But as we have seen over the years in far too many matches the Indians make heavy weather of the death overs when the other teams take it as an opportunity of scoring thick and fast even if they had wobbled in the earlier part of the innings.

Not the Indians. More often than not they collapse in the phase of the innings meant for collecting quick runs. The same happened yet again. The platform was set for a real big score but they squandered the golden opportunity by getting bowled out with one over remaining.

I tell u even Bangladesh would have scored many more than 278 in 50 overs against this New Zealand side if they had brought up the 200 of their innings in the 38th over. If you have the likes of the well-set Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina out in the middle and the master blaster Yusuf Pathan padded up to get in next there are only remote possibilities of the total not crossing 300 if not 330.

The young Indians, led by Gautam Gambhir, proved that they have inherited many if not all the chronic weaknesses of the past. I think that of all the teams playing ODIs only India have this capacity of throwing away after such fabulous starts.

Only they could have lost six wickets for 26 runs when they were in complete command of the situation as their unfancied rivals, having being whitewashed by Bangladesh earlier this season, had run short of all ideas.

Kohli scored his first ODI century batting first, his fourth overall and second in a row after that superlative one against Australia. Openers Murali Vijay and Gambhir had done well to negotiate weather the storm as they prevented the repeat of India’s sensational collapse batting first at the same venue last season.

Gambhir had only 278 runs to play with that was at least 30 to 40 runs short what he should have had in the bank. Yet with the kind of bowling resoorces India had there was not much cause for him to worry even while defending the eventual total.

Despite the horrible catchng, that has remained the hallmark of India all along, their bowlers put in the extra effort to make amends and the game remained well and truly in their control until another familiar fightback by the tail-enders.

New Zealand were dead and burried when they lost their eighth wicket at 169 with more than 100 needed in less than 15 overs. The 67-run stand ninth-wicket stand between Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum reminded many of the similar acts by the tail-enders against India.

Although it was a matter of only two wickets the match became wide open as 41 runs were needed in five overs even though they had to be bowled by experienced pace trio of Ashish Nehra, Shanitkumaran Sreesanth and Munaf Patel. In the end it needed a couple of deliveries from Sreesanth to wrap up the issue.

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Another miracle earns Pakistan Asiad hockey gold

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Who would have imagined of the Pakistan hockey team winning the gold medal in the Asian Games in Guangzhou after they had finished last among the 12 participating outfits in the World Cup in New Delhi earlier this year?

There were cries from every nook and corner of the country to bring the ‘culprits’ to book who had caused the humiliation to Pakistan hockey at the international level. A battery of former greats launched a nation-wide campaign to get rid of the personnel whom they considered responsible for the debacle.

As has been customary during the last couple of years in particular, the concept of check and balance is on the way to extinction in this part of the world and those enjoying the political clout have virtually been declared above the law.

If Ijaz Butt could be allowed to continue heading the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) despite his repeated failures and with so many corruption charges mainly because he’s the brother-in-law of an influential Federal Minister there seemed no logic why Qasim Zia or Asif Bajwa would have been removed from the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) for they had their own trusted connections in the corridors of power.

The former Olympians had spearheaded a full fledged movement to oust the PHF bosses but all their efforts failed. Instead of taking them to task and quizzing them, the government officials gave a stronger vote of confidence to the persons who had brought about the disaster.

Qasim Zia and Asif Bajwa, like Ijaz Butt in cricket, were granted the lincence to kill it hockey. They were publicly told to run the affairs according to their whims and to ignore the criticism from all quarters.

Under these circumstances it would have come as no surprise if Pakistan finished last in the Asian Games as well. There would have been no inquiry and no questions asked. Nobody would have bothered to criticize them or to raise any concern because all their energies were consumed earlier.

But as the luck would have it, Pakistan have won the gold medal. They had previously done it seven times but on each occasion they were one of the favourites to lift the title. This is the first time that they have claimed first position when even their entry in the semifinals was not guaranteed.

That’s how the Pakistan sports has been moving of late. They need miracles and they keep getting it somehow. When the Nature comes into play obviously everything else takes a backseat.

It’s quite incredible to say the least how Pakistan have managed to lift the hockey crown at Guangzhou. To have overpowered the in-form teams like South Korea and Malaysia in the knockout games was amazing.

Many people would have written them off when they lost to India in their league matches. But they were taught the lesson once more that it’s never advisable to write off Pakistan until they are actually out of it.

Specialist drag-flicker Sohail Abbas and veteran sriker Rehan Butt scored the goals in the final against Malaysia, who had to settle for silver in their maiden appearance in the title clash after winning the bronze medal six times.

The Malaysians couldn’t play to their potential in the final and Amin Rahim, whose two late goals floored India in the semifinals, faltered in all three penalty corners his team earned

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