Ali Zafar Khan Afridi: Unsung swimming maestro

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Ali Zafar Khan Afridi was one of the shining lights in the sport of swimming in the 1950s. A diving specialist, he captained the UP swimming team in the Indian National Games staged at Bombay and New Delhi in 1954. He also captained the Aligarh Muslim University Swimming Club in 1956. 

He participated in quite a few editions of the Inter-Varsities Swimming Championships in India, demonstrating his swimming prowess in the pools of Madras, Calcutta, Allahabad and Lucknow besides Bombay and Delhi. 

Born on February 3, 1932, the lion-hearted Ali Zafar Afridi was a versatile sportsman right from his childhood. Apart from excelling in swimming he also made a mark in athletics, basketball and volleyball during his stay at the famed Aligarh Muslim University. 

He captained the basketball team at the university while he remained a member of the volleyball side all along. His record in track and field events of the university was also exceptional. He earned numerous awards in the sporting arena. 

It was a pity that a person possessing so much sporting talents didn’t get an inspiration or may be an opportunity he desired upon migration to Pakistan. Instead of being lured to play a role in the development of sports infrastructure of the nascent country, he was allowed to pursue a full-time professional career as geologist. 

Still in his 20s, he had a lot to offer for Pakistan in the field of sports in those years but unfortunately he didn’t get the kind of recognition he deserved on the basis of his talents. He could have proved an asset in swimming in particular. It’s believed that he did possess the skills to represent Pakistan at the international level. He could have done wonders for the country if he was taken care of by the powers that be. 

Isn’t it strange that none of the office-bearers of the national swimming body or any of its affiliated units ever came forward to contact him! His expertise would have certainly benefitted the cause of Pakistan sports. The geologist community of the country appears more alive to the situation than the sports community of Pakistan. 

Ali Zafar Afridi has held various portfolios in the geological bodies and he has been duly recognized for his services. He has continued to lead an active social life, having decades long association with the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association (AMUOBA). 

He has remained a strong support to the Sir Syed University of Engineering & Technology (SSUET). He has served the university, founded by the AMUOBA, in the capacity of Advisor Sports. 

The 81-year-old Ali Zafar Afridi is a man of few words but his memory is sharp and he vividly remembers the high points of sporting career which was brief but very eventful. 

He had passion for sports since childhood. He and his brothers learnt swimming at a very early age in the canal which was in the vicinity of their residence in Farrukhabad, a bustling town in the populous UP. He worked proactively for the Pakistan movement, deriving inspiration from Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s theory of Unity, Faith and Discipline. 

He recalls campaigning for his grandfather, Khan Bahadur Sultan Alam Khan, who defeated the Congress candidate in the 1946 elections. Ali Zafar Afridi has fond memories of his stay at the Aligarh Muslim University. 

He described the university sports facilities as among the best in the country as it housed India’s first indoor swimming pool. He also attended the first-ever Asian Games held in Delhi in 1951 and he has still not forgotten the slogan ‘Play the game in the spirit of the game’ which was displayed prominently at the stadium.  

He’s fully aware of the fact that the sport of swimming was changed over the years but he’s pained by Pakistan’s lack of progress in it. 

“It’s very sad indeed that our swimmers and swimming administrators have not kept pace with times. The standard of swimming has not improved in Pakistan despite the fact that our climate is ideal for swimming,” he regretted. 

“It’s never too late to start working in the right direction. The swimming authorities can still make things happen and bring laurels for the country,” he hoped. 

The soft-spoken Ali Zafar Afridi is not keen to get any office in the swimming body but he expressed his willingness to help out the organizers in raising the bar.

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Another Ashes Test turns out to be cliff-hanger

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The first Investec Test between England and Australia at Trent Bridge had nearly all the ingredients of another epic Ashes battle which was sold out for all five days. The 2013 series could have started in a more appropriate manner.

The absorbing contest on all five days proved the point once more that Test cricket in alive and kicking. No matter how much greater money could be earned in lesser time by staging limited overs games or tournaments the fact remains that a high profile Test series has his own significance. 

The Trent Bridge Test which England have won by 14 runs in the end remained a fascinating game all along. It was the faintest of tickle, not even spotted by the umpire, which finally sealed the fate of the match in the home side’s favour. 

Australia, not England, could have emerged triumphant if no DRS was in place. It was the third umpire who made the ultimate decision to settle the issue after five days of intense drama. There was something special on all five days and the cricket enthusiasts could not have desired a closer Test match than this.

Chasing an improbable 311 in the fourth innings of the game, Australia seemed to be out of the contest when their ninth wicket fell on the fifth and final morning with 80 still needed. Brad Haddin and James Pattinson counter-attacked with purpose and remained unseparated until lunch which was extended by half an hour as the last pair was in. 

Haddin and Pattinson had brought Australia right back into the game with their steady partnership and there was every reason for Alastair Cook to feel worried even though it was just a matter of one more wicket. That wicket took long time coming. 

Even James Anderson, whose inspired spell of fast bowling had brought England at the brink of victory, had lost steam against the stubborn last pair. Cook was running out of options and runs. He must have had an uneasy lunch. It was a matter of just a few more lusty blows and Australia would have been home. 

They were only 15 runs away from the target when Haddin, well set on 71, seemed to have nicked Anderson.

Aleem Dar, the on-field umpire, was unsure as the England fielders appealed for caught behind. Since he did not spot an inside edge about which only the wicketkeeper, Matt Prior, seemed convinced, the benefit was doubt was given to the batsman which was perfectly in the spirit of the game. 

England, sensing it as their last opportunity, went for the review more in hope than anticipation and they had the decision reversed in their favour and the party began. But it brought to an end one of the most dramatic Test matches of the recent times. 

Anderson's skill and stamina proved decisive in the end as he returned the match winning figures of 10 for 158 off 55.5 overs. He overshadowed the heroics of teenaged debutant Ashton Agar, who created a world record by scoring 98 while batting at number 11 in the first innings.

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Dhoni confident of sustaining momentum in Caribbean triseries

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Following their magnificent title-winning performance in the just concluded ICC Champions Trophy 2013 in England, the expectations from the Indian side, captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, are on the higher side as they begin their campaign in the triseries in the Caribbean with a game against the hosts on June 30.

There has been so much cricket during the last few years and the cricketers from India in particular have had to travel a lot. They had played the final of the Champions Trophy at Edgbaston on June 23 and now they have to take on the hosts in their first game of the triseries just one week later. 

Sri Lanka, who lost to India in the semifinals of the Champions Trophy, are the third team taking part in the tournament. In fact they have already played their first game in the tourney, having surrendered tamely to the West Indies in the opener on June 28. 

The triseries will have each team facing the other two twice in the preliminary stage to determine the finalists who will clash for the trophy at Port of Spain on July 11. The Indians appear eager to extend their purple patch which began with the warm-up fixtures of the Champions Trophy earlier this month. 

They had retained the same squad for the triseries but were forced to make a change at a later stage when Irfan Pathan was ruled out due to hamstring injury. He has been replaced by Shami Ahmed, a promising young medium-pacer, who bowled impressively in the limited opportunities that came came his way at home last season.

"What is very important for us is not to look too far ahead. We will take it series by series. We just finished a world tournament in the UK and now we are in the West Indies. First, we will have to see the two teams which are ahead of us. The performance was really good in UK but we need to continue," skipper M S Dhoni remarked upon arrival in the West Indies. 

"The demands of the fans remain the same. The expectation when it comes to the Indian cricket team has always been the same. If things are moving, it will only move in one direction which is up,” he added. 

M S Dhoni, having become the first captain to win the World Cup, the World Twenty20 and the Champions Trophy, reckoned that the team's success has been made possible by the dressing-room environment which thrived on each other's performances.

"I'm fortunate to have the players in the side to really soak up the pressure. What we have done really well is we have enjoyed each other's success and that has really contributed to the side winning most of the games. If I'm happier than the person who has actually scored a century or a fifty, you understand that's the kind of atmosphere that you want, because at the end of the day, what we play is a team sport,” he stated. 

"It's important that the guys sitting out just to wait for their chance, don't think that if this guy does badly I will get a chance. They can use that period to improve themselves and whenever the chance, whatever the reason may be, fitness or form, they try to earn that place in the side,” the skipper concluded.

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Dhoni-inspired comeback guys earn India unexpected glory

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

It was the best Indian fielding side in memory which, driven by the forceful captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, made the decisive contribution in clinching the recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy 2013 in England.

India won the final, reduced to a 20 overs-a-side contest following the expected rains for the better part of the day, against the hosts by just five runs. Besides holding on to a few superb catches, which were made to look easy, they also fielded brilliantly to prevent easy runs which made the difference between winning and losing. 

No matter how brilliantly they had been playing for the past couple of weeks, the Champions Trophy would not have come in their grasp if they lost intensity even for a minute in the final while defending a modest score. 

Mind you this was not a brand new Indian side with only teenagers in their folds. As a matter of fact there were no debutants in the 15-member squad that had been selected for the Champions Trophy by the panel headed by Sandeep Patil.

There were fringe cricketers, staging a comeback into the side, who followed the script of coach Duncan Fletcher and skipper M S Dhoni and turned the tide decisively. The enigmatic Rohit Sharma finally showed some consistency while Shikar Dawan, returning after injury, blasted away merrily. 

Virat Kohli and M S Dhoni were the only two batsmen occupying permanent place in the playing eleven for some time. Dinesh Karthik made the cut at the strength of his back to back centuries in the warm-up games leading to the big event. 

Suresh Raina was considered a doubtful starter in view of his known weaknesses in handling short balls. Ravindra Jadeja wasn’t a certainity either with Irfan Pathan also in the run due to the climatic factor. 

Ravichandaran Ashwin was the first-choice spinner and medium-pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was deemed a lethal weapon in English conditions. But the Indians were unsure about their two other quickies at the start of the tournament. They began with Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav.

India’s sensational performance in both the warm-up matches must have given them enormous confidence but not many people expected them to perform so consistently and impressively in the tournament itself. They were not even required to make a single change in their line-up in five matches with the quartet of Irfan Pathan, Vinay Kumar, Amit Mishra and Murali Vijay watching their teammates to do the business. 

The Indian selectors deserve to be complimented to have made the bold moves which paid the dividends. They recalled the players whom they considered capable and worthy to deliver in the tough playing conditions of England. 

The standout performance suggested that the selectors and the captain were on the same page. M S Dhoni looked in complete command of the situation and his leadership was the key to the success achieves in the unlikeliest of circumstances. His couple of brilliant stumpings in the final reminded everyone that he remains one of the best wicketkeepers, if not the best, in the game besides being a world-class batsman and captain.

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Aslam Memorial Bridge Tournament merits greater participation

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

While it’s heartening that the Karachi Bridge Association (KBA) has succeeded in holding the Aslam Memorial Bridge Tournament every year but what’s disappointing is the fact that the attendance has been on the decline.

Mohammad Aslam Shaikh, who was recognized as a torch bearer of the sport of duplicate bridge having rendered great services to the game, had passed away in 1995. 

The KBA instituted a tournament in his memory the following year and it has remained a permanent annual feature on their calendar since then. 

The thin attendance in the last edition of the tournament was a setback to the organizers who were justified in expecting larger turnout. 

The participation of only nine teams in the competition had not reflected the respect the late Aslam Shaikh commanded in the bridge circles. 

The KBA officials are hoping for greater participation than last year in the 18th edition of the tournament scheduled to be staged at the Aslam Bridge Hall, housed in the National Stadium, Karachi, on July 6 and 7.

Mohammed Azwerul Haque, President, KBA, has urged the local bridge players to compete in larger number in order to pay homage to the late organizer. 

The tournament will be conducted on Swiss Movement basis, spread over seven rounds, subject to the number of competing teams. 

It may be recalled that Century Insurance, comprising of Shaikh Abdul Muqeet, Tanvir Mazahir, Saleem Ahmed and Ghulam Muhammed, had emerged triumphant in the previous edition of the tournament while Data Steel, having Rashid Jaffer, Tariq Rasheed Khan, Tahir Masud, Rashid-ul-Ghazi and Imran Jaka, who captured the title in 2011, had to settle with the runners-up trophy.

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Pakistan field strong outfit in World Junior Snooker

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Snooker has come alive in Pakistan with the twin conquests of Mohammad Asif in less than six months time and it’s no wonder that the youngsters have derived great motivation from him and they are eager to emulate their role model.

Mohammad Majid Ali had come very close to winning the 14th Asian Under-21 Snooker Championship 2013 in the Indian town of Indore a couple of months ago before going down fighting to Noppon Saengkham of Thailand in the final. 

Majid Ali will lead Pakistan’s campaign in the World Junior Snooker Championship 2013 to be staged in Beijing, China, from July 11 to 19. 

Mohsin Amin, Aamir Tariq and Hamza Akbar will be the other cueists representing the country in the global event. The Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Federation (PBSF) has selected the top four cueists of the Jubilee Insurance 5th National Junior Snooker Championship 2013 held in Karachi earlier this year.

“Mohsin Amin, Aamir Tariq, Majid Ali and Hamza Akbar, placed at number one, two, three and four respectively in the national junior ranking chart have been provided the opportunity to gain international exposure and try to bring more laurels for the country,” Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, President, PBSF, stated. 

“Quite a few of our junior cueists have shown tremendous promise of late which augurs very well for the future of the country in snooker. If they continue improving their game with the passage of time they are quite likely to emulate the feat of Mohammad Yousuf and Mohammad Asif,” he reckoned. 

“The youngsters have talent as well as passion. We are providing them every possible support to fine tune their skills. We are confident that the intensity will not drop and they will strive to perform even better in their next outings,” Alamgir Shaikh added. 

The PBSF President was satisfied with the form and fitness of the junior cueists who will participate in training and conditioning camp in Karachi from July 1 to 8 before their departure to China via Sri Lanka on July 9.

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Grand Master Ashraf Tai recuperating steadily

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Grand Master Mohammad Ashraf Tai, the most famous martial artist of Pakistan, has been recuperating steadily after having spent nearly five weeks in hospital. He has even resumed attending the karate centre he had founded more than four decades ago.

He had collapsed at the Tai’s Karate Centre on March 30 and was rushed to hospital in a critical condition. A diabetic for the last many years, his kidneys were badly affected when his blood pressure dropped to the dangerous levels.

He remained in intensive care unit of the Liaquat National Hospital (LNH) for quite a few days before being finally discharged after five weeks.

Soon after being discharged from the hospital earlier this month, the Grand Master has now started visiting the centre much to the relief and delight of the large number of his trainees.

“Thanks God, Sir is back. He is the source of inspiration for the trainers as well as the trainees. All of us remained greatly concerned when he was hospitalized and his return at the centre has been warmly greeted,” Grand Master Farooq Palla observed while heaving a sigh of relief.

“His mere presence at the centre means a lot to us. We had been praying for his recovery and thankfully our prayers have been answered,” he added.

Grand Master Ashraf Tai himself is in high spirits after having made a comeback at his own centre after being away for more than six weeks.

“I am grateful to Almighty Allah to have blessed me with a new life. I have recovered literally from the deathbed thanks to the continuous prayers of family, friends, well wishers and students. Both my kidneys failed. But with help of Almighty and great efforts of doctors I have survived,” he remarked in a conversation on June 16.

“Indeed the last couple of months were traumatic to say the least. There were times when I was not responding to the treatment and the doctors feared for the worst. But their continued efforts and optimism yielded results as I started to recover after being in very critical condition for far too long a period,” the Grand Master recalled.

“Obviously some more time will be needed for me to regain full fitness but I am still very happy to be breathing normally,” he stated.

President of Pakistan's Pride of Performance winner Ashraf Tai has been hailed and recognized for having played the lead role in launching and promoting martial arts across the country.

He had become the pioneer martial arts teacher in Pakistan when he introduced bando karate in early 1970s, having emigrated from Burma.

He started coaching a group of six students at the Hill Park. As the number of young karate enthusiasts kept growing, he moved to the KGA Gymkhana at M A Jinnah Road where the centre is still housed.

He had created a sensation by overpowering Stanley Michael of Malaysia in the final of the Afro-Asia Championship in 1978. He then confirmed his superiority in the continent by outwitting Japan’s Koha Yash a year later.

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World champion Asif pockets Asian 6-Reds snooker crown

Pakistan News & Features Services

Pakistan’s world champion Mohammad Asif made amends for his early exit in the Asian Snooker Championship in Karachi a few weeks earlier by pocketing the 2nd ACBS Asian 6-Reds Snooker Championship 2013 at Doha, Qatar, on May 27.

   

Asif overcame a spirited comeback from the dangerous Aamir Sarkosh of Iran to tame him 7-4 in the final with the frame scores of 43-0, 48-0, 48-12, 12-36, 30-34, 34-31, 40-9, 0-41, 0-41, 54-4, 41-13. 

It was in the fitness of things that the final was played between the only two unbeaten cueists of the competition in which a total of 37 cueists from 16 countries of Asia took part. The match was wide open after nine frames and it needed something special from the world champion to press home the advantage. 

“I thank Allah for the glory. It is because of him that I have this opportunity and I am happy that I won the tournament. I am happy that I was able to win it for Pakistan. Earlier this year, in the Asian tournament, I was going through a bad patch but then I have recovered well here. This tournament win has boosted my morale,” Asif observed. 

“It is difficult to keep the tempo of the game consistent. After all the opponent also has some ideas plays his game too. He is a finalist, a very mature player also. He has played well over the last year. It was always going to be difficult to beat him so fast. I played well in the first three games. He slowed the game down. Thanks to Allah, I was able to control my nerves and win it. I was 5-2 up and then he made it 5-4. These are moments which make it difficult for a player. It is always good to step out a bit, go away from the game a bit, get relaxed, in such situations,” he added. 

The result meant another major glory for the 31-year-old Asif having annexed the IBSF World Snooker Championship 2012 at Bulgaria, Sofia, less than six months ago.

   

The title victory at Doha meant an added satisfaction for Asif, hailing from the industrial town of Faisalabad, because he was little sad at having toppled compatriot Mohammad Sajjad in the quarter-finals. 

“At some level, there definitely was some sadness because both of us are compatriots, have played in the same place. So when the two come up against each other, it is a different feeling,” he was quoted as saying after the match. 

“I thought that both of us were playing really well in the tournament, and had we not had a match against each other, both of us would have gone still further in the tournament. But it is a part and parcel of the game,” he remarked. 

   

After having blasted Mohammad Shehab of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 5-1 in the pre-quarter-finals, Asif was particularly pleased to have overwhelmed the dashing Indian youngster Laxman Rawat 6-2 in the semifinals. 

The 21-year-old from Delhi, looking like the dark horse of the tournament, had also won all his three league matches before outwitting compatriot Shivam Arora, Afghanistan's reigning Asian champion, Saleh Mohammad Mohammadi, and Thailand's Yuttapop Pakpoj in the knockout games.

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