General Arif Hasan optimistic about future of Pakistan sports

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

General Syed Arif Hasan, President, Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and Chairman, Pakistan Sports Trust (PST), did not mince words in stating that the country can produce better results in the field of sports provided the athletes were provided the desired training and coaching facilities.“We have already moved a summary to the Government of Pakistan in which the plans for the restructuring of sports have been outlined. We have mentioned that funds of Rs 400 million will be needed over the next couple of years if we are to achieve the desired results in the 2010 Asian Games,” the General remarked while addressing the media at the Karachi Club on November 18.

The General, flanked by the President of the Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF), S M Sibtain, and the President of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, shared the plan with the media corps of Karachi and looked positive throughout the briefing last over an hour. Colonel Mohammad Azhar Dean, Director Finance & Administration, PST, was also present on the occasion.“We desire to have more interactive sessions with the media based in Karachi who have done great service in promoting the soft image of country and they have been proactive throughout in playing their role in bringing glories for the country,” he acknowledged.

“I have come here just to share my thoughts with you. I have been in touch with the media professionals and sports administrators of Karachi on a regular basis and today I thought we should have a session to briefly discuss the ups and downs of Pakistan sports” the POA President added.

“As you know it very well the standard of sports in Pakistan has been on the decline. It has been very tough putting the pieces together and arresting the decline. We have tried our level best to do in the limited resources that have been at our disposal. We have been lending all out support to our affiliated federations to boost their confidence. The federations have the responsibility of raising their teams and keeping them motivated,” he pointed out.

“You are well aware of the fact that Pakistan stood no chance whatsoever of bringing home any medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. It would have been a miracle had we pocketed any medal in the given scenario. Let us put the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games behind us and look to the future now. We have some breathing time and we are working overtime to avail that,” General Arif noted.

“Our athletes have come up with heartening performance in the recent events like the Commonwealth Youth Games and Asian Beach Games that prove our point that we can accomplish our mission of bringing home medals if we continue to lay emphasis on training and grooming,” the General thought.

“The Pakistan Sports Trust (PST), which is the marketing arm of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA), has spent millions of rupees on the training of the youngsters and the results are beginning to come. We need more resources, more funds and more time to deliver,” he continued.

“We know the future lies with the investment in youth. Besides facilitating the national sports federations in letting them work professionally, we are focusing on the junior programmes to provide the youngsters the platform to unfold their talents,” the General explained.

“Our target and mission at the moment is to claim medals in the Asian Games 2010 and other regional events. This would only be possible with the support of all our stake-holders, particularly the government,” General Arif believed.General Arif was bombarded with some unrelated and illogical questions but he didn’t lose his cool or composure. He listened to the observations patiently and gave convincing answers to the queries that indeed merited attention.

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Yuvraj’s solo upstages Pietersen’s band at Indore

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

It’s not often that an individual dominates a team game as decisively as India’s Yuvraj Singh did against England in the second One-day International of the seven-match series at Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground, Indore, November 17.

Yuvraj, we all know, is a special talent. But he has come up with amazing performance in the first couple of ODIs, pocketing Man of the Match award on both the occasions. More importantly he has contributed immensely to the cause of the team enabling it to double the advantage at Indore.

Yuvraj almost single-handedly won the day for India at Indore where followed up his superlative knock of 118 off 122 balls with the exceptional figures of 4 for 28. One could not have asked for better all-round performance in a single game. It would have made the likes of Ian Botham, Imran Khan and Kapil Dev proud.

England found themselves at the receiving end for the second time in a row at the hands of the devastating Yuvraj. If the versatile left-hander had demolished with mind-blowing batting displaying in the first ODI, his all-round performance caused even greater trouble for the tourists in the following encounter.

Unlike the opening game at Rajkot where India got off to a flyer, the hosts were in disarray in the opening hour and the bold move of Mahendra Singh Dhoni to bat first after calling correctly in conditions not ideal for free flowing strokes was starting to backfire.

Stuart Broad was firing on all cylinders and three top-order wickets had perished very quickly indeed. The bowling was on top and the runs were hard to come by. Enter Yuvraj Singh and the complexion of the match changed.

"We had a chance at 29 for 3. We lost ourselves to Yuvraj. He was fantastic,” conceded the sporting England captain Kevin Pietersen in the post match ceremony. He must be wondering how to cope with the Yuvraj factor in the remaining matches.

“Great performance by Yuvi and Gambhir. You've got to change the target every 5 to 10 overs. As the partnership between them grew we kept raising our target,” the jubilant Indian skipper Dhoni observed.

“I have been training hard over the last few months and it's paying off. At 29 for 3 I wanted to assess the wicket, spoke to Gambhir a lot about the target. There were some shots you couldn't play on this wicket," the man of the moment reckoned.What a fabulous series Yuvraj is having right now. He seems in the middle of another purple patch that should gladden the hearts of his millions of fan spread all over the globe.

In the first ODI, he hammered an unbeaten 138 off only 78 balls that included as many as six sixes and 16 fours. His blistering knock helped India in posting their highest-ever total at home. The score could have even gone to 400 had Yuvraj, batting with a runner, not mistimed a couple of big hits in the final over.

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Iron-willed Dravid most likely to recapture form

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

As they say form is temporary and class is permanent. So is the case with Rahul Dravid, acclaimed as the technically the most correct batsman to have played the game for a long time.

Dravid has momentarily lost his touch. He looked a mere shadow of his own self in the recently concluded four-Test home series against Australia. He got the starts in a few innings but could not convert them into big scores.

He has been there for more than 12 years now. He has remained the country’s most consistent and the most dependable batsman in the majority of these years.
But let us not lose sight of the fact that Dravid is also a human being. Even the most efficient of machines also show variation in their performance if used for a longer period.

He has not scored heavily in the last few matches but there is nothing to suggest that his reflexes have slowed down or there is any lack of commitment on his part. He is a team man to core, someone you can look forward to.

Dravid is one man who has always given more than one hundred percent. He has not been afraid to switch his batting position in the interest of the team. He has delivered in the toughest of conditions. He has stood out where his illustrious colleagues have been found wanting.

Yes if look at Dravid’s phenomenal record of the past, we find his performance during the last one year as ordinary from his own high standards. He has managed to play the odd match-winning knock that he has been famous for even in this period.

Who will forget his innings at Perth earlier this year that allowed India to turn it around against Australia who had somehow won the first couple of Tests. A modest and unassuming person that he is, he had hardly smiled when reminded that he was the topscorer in the Perth won by India against all odds.

Dravid has played numerous match-winning knocks for India in his career. He has been the architect of so many victories recorded by India in the overseas Tests. He has had a very high percentage of runs in the Test match that India won.

The experts of the game have been unanimous in their assessment that technically he has been the most gifted batsman around. He has had the capacity of occupying the crease for a very long time and grind the bowlers for sessions.

Dravid still has a lot of years left in him. He has every chance to regain his top form. It looks a matter of time really. He has some time before the start of the two-Test series against England at home.

He may utilize this time in playing a couple of Ranji Trophy games to put some runs on the board. Or may be he can have some time off.

India cannot afford to be without him even though they have discovered quite a few outstanding young batsmen in the recent past. He is one batsman who anchors the innings. He provides the balance in the batting line-up having so many fluent stroke-makers.

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Ashraf Tai: Pakistan's Martial Art Icon

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Famous martial artist, Grand Master Mr. Muhammad Ashraf Tai had introduced Bando, the Burmese style of martial arts, in Pakistan way back in 1971 but it were his accomplishments against top-notchers which earned him fame and recognition. He has become a martial art icon in the country and a large number of his students have spread his mission in different countries of the world making him an internationally renowned figure.

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

After emerging triumphant in a tournament staged in Sri Lanka in 1980, he dared fighting the reigning world champion, Don Wilson of the United States, in 1981. The creditable performance against the world champion elevated his ranking to the ninth place in the world.

Grand Master Ashraf Tai then founded the Pakistan Karate Federation (PKF) and succeeded in having the body affiliated with the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) as well as the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).

Having received numerous awards in various continents of the world during his illustrious career, he was declared the International Grand Master of the Year in 2000 by an institution based in the United States.

The Tai's Bando Karate Centre, founded by him in 1971, has already trained thousands of martial artists. The branches of his centres have not only been functioning with great success all over the country but the students trained by him have also been operating the centres named after him in quite a few countries like the United States, England, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, France, Holland and Bangladesh.Grand Master Ashraf Tai, was conferred the coveted Pride of Performance award by the then President General Pervez Musharraf.

The pioneer of Bando in Pakistan, Grand Master Ashraf Tai holds the distinction of claiming the highest degree (8th Dan) in the martial arts history of the country. Only a handful of martial artists have matched his feat worldwide.

He had started karate at the age of 9 with my master Lee Phow Shin. He got his black belt at the age of 16. He started participating in a lot of local tournaments, most of which were professional.

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Asghar Valika elected IBSF Vice President

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Ali Asghar Valika, a former President of the Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), was elected unopposed as the Vice President of the International Billiards & Snooker Federation (IBSF) during its Annual General Body (AGM) held in Wels, Austria, on November 6.

Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, President, PBSA, who attended the meeting as one of the delegates, informed this scribe the other day that the IBSF had not received any nominations for the post of Vice President and Asghar Valika, whose candidature was supported by the Asian Confederation of Billiards Sports (ACBS), was elected unopposed in the AGM.

The PBSA President further revealed that Pascal Guillaume of France, the sitting President of the IBSF, was re-elected after outvoting Jim Leacy of Ireland 27-17 while Mohammed Kammah of Egypt retained the slot of General Secretary by defeating Maxime Cassis of France. Sindhu Pulsivirung of Thailand and Syed Mahboob of Bangladesh retained their positions as IBSF Board members.

Asghar Valika was elected unopposed as the President of the ACBS for two successive terms in the 1990s. He has become the first Pakistani to hold an office in the international body of billiards sports.

Currently holding the position of the Executive Vice President in the ACBS besides being the Advisor to the United Arab Emirates Billiards & Snooker Association (UAEBSA), Asghar Valika had succumbed to the Pakistan government’s so-called national sports policy that prompted his resignation as the President of the PBSA during the month of September in controversial circumstances.

Having led the PBSA for nearly a couple of decades, he is credited to have spearheaded the revival of the game of snooker in particular in the country.

Asghar Valika had joined Mazhar Iqbal Puri’s team of office-bearers as the Vice President when the PBSA was launched in 1986, succeeding the dormant Billiards Association of Pakistan (BAP).Thus initiated the process of reviving the cue sports that were on the way to extinction.

They worked with missionary zeal from the outset and in less than two years time the baton was passed on to Asghar Valika, who brought the game to life by bringing in the brand of Red & White that became synonymous with snooker for years.

It turned out to be a mutually beneficial relationship and the game of snooker progressed in leaps and bounds in every nook and corner of the country as a result of the long-term sponsorship deal.

The Asian Snooker Championship was first organised at Karachi in 1991 at Karachi and just a couple of years later the World Snooker Championship 1993 was held with great success at the same venue.

The World Championship 1993 went a long way in promoting the game in Pakistan and the very next year the country had its first world amateur champion in the shape of Mohammad Yousuf.

Asghar Valika, as President of the ACBS, was instrumental in having snooker and other cue sports included in the Asian Games. Pakistan, through Shaukat Ali, won a gold right away when snooker made its debut in the 1998 Asian Games.

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Sourav Ganguly: End of an era

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Sourav Ganguly has played his last Test match. Unlike Anil Kumble, who announced his retirement rather abruptly during the course of the series, Ganguly had done it well in advance. He had declared before the start of the four-Test series home series against Australia that it’s going to be his last.

The left-handed Ganguly batted quite brilliantly throughout the series and his only blemish was a duck in his final outing in Test cricket. Even the legendary Sir Donald Bradman was dismissed without scoring in his last Test innings.

Ganguly, cutting and driving with ease, had a very good chance to register a century in his final Test. He was in complete control in the first innings of the Nagpur Test and another century for him looked round the corner.

But what happened in the post lunch session on the second day was a blot for Indian cricket where five wickets went down for literally nothing. It’s not often that a team having scored in the excess of 400 for the loss of five wickets is blown for less than 450 against a bowling attack short of inspiration.

Ganguly, so well set, also perished in that rush of wickets against the run of play. He was only 15 runs short of what would have been a thoroughly deserved hundred.

There were thoughts that he would like to make up with a century in the second innings of the game. But the misery of the second afternoon was repeated a couple of days later when India lost six wickets in a single session, after having amassed nearly a hundred runs without losing any wicket in the previous one. Ganguly, like the other batting greats, fell during what could be described as a ‘fateful’ afternoon session.

Ganguly could have earned the honour of scoring a hundred in his first as well as last Test match. He had scored a century not only on his Test debut but followed it up with another ton in the very next game during that memorable tour of England in 1996.

He, in fact, had appeared on course of emulating teammate Mohammad Azharduddin, the only batsman to have scored a century in each of his first three Test matches. Ganguly had gone past 50 in his third Test but couldn’t covert into another hundred.

Ganguly had a dream start to his Test career and he became recognized as one of the most flamboyant batsmen in the game right away. His aggressive style of play suited more to the one-dayers and he excelled there in the role of an opener.

Alongwith Sachin Tendulkar he formed the most formidable opening pair, laying the foundation of numerous Indian victories in the different corners of the world. Their positive approach from the outset demoralized the strongest of bowling attacks and together they posted big partnerships at brisk pace.

Ganguly turned out be an inspirational leader when the baton of captaincy was passed on to him in 2000. He led from the front and he was not afraid to take the risk. Bringing in new energy and zeal with him, he was instrumental in making India the world beaters.

It was during his tenure as the captain when India started winning overseas Tests frequently.The single biggest mistake Ganguly seemed to have committed in his long career was recommending Greg Chappell to coach India. It turned out to be a fatal mistake for him and his team.

Ganguly bounced back in style and his forceful comeback brought smiles on the faces of millions of his supporters. In the interim period he worked very hard to overcome technical deficiencies in negotiating the short balls and he finished career in the manner he had started it, on a high note. The Indian cricket will miss him for a long time.

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Singh is King

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Harbhajan Singh has a knack of coming good in tough conditions. He may not the greatest off-spinner on the planet but he is the kind of bowler who can turn the tide of the matches as he did two times in the just concluded series against Australia which India won 2-0.

Consistency has eluded him during the last few years but he still remains a champion bowler who could rattle the best of batsmen. Ask Ricky Ponting, the most prolific batsmen of the recent times. The Australian captain has dominated all kind of bowling but it has been a different story altogether whenever he has been up against Harbhajan.

It was not at all surprising to note that Ponting became Harbhajan’s wicket number 300 in Test match cricket. The master off-spinner foxed the Aussie skipper in the first innings of the fourth and final Test at the VCA Stadium, Nagpur to reach the landmark.

Harbhajan had to wait much longer for his 300th scalp. He was on course of doing it on the fourth afternoon of the second Test at the PCA Stadium, Mohali. It was his terrific spell that had broken the back of the Australian top-order and he looked good for many more after striking three early blows.

As the luck would have it he couldn’t get any more success in the Australian innings as the remaining seven wickets were shared by Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan and Amit Mishra. India won the match a record margin of 320 runs and Harbhajan remained stranded at 299 wickets.

There was a big gap between the second and third Tests. But it was not enough to let the off-spinner recover from an injury and he had to sit out of the Delhi Test that ended in a tame draw in the end.

Harbhajan returned to the side in the fourth Test and it was on the third afternoon when he finally took his 300th wicket. It took him weeks to move from 299 to 300.

What next Harbhajan? With the great leg-spinner Anil Kumble having retired from international cricket, now Harbhajan becomes the number one spin bowler for his country in all forms of the game. He had to be sidelined in overseas Tests on numerous occasions when India had to take the field with just one spinner.

The scenario has now been changed. With him becoming the front-line spinner there will be more opportunities for him on foreign tours now. He would be the obvious choice to make the final eleven when his team is not in a position to afford the luxury of two specialist spinners.

Harbhajan, however, will face challenge from the promising youngsters like Piyush Chawla and Amit Mishra. He may be richer in experience but he will need to perform consistently to retain his status of being the number one spinner of the country.

There is no doubt about the talents of the off-spinner but he has been found wanting at times whenever he has not broken through early. He becomes much more lethal and destructive after picking up wickets early in spells. But he has been observed compromising on accuracy when he’s no rewarded. That’s an area he needs to work on. His shoulders should not drop even when he is being taken for runs or even there is no success for his hard work.

Despite controversies surrounding his action, he remains one of the best off-spinners in the business. He is match-winner in the truest sense of the word. In fact he has proved himself a worthy team man who relishes the challenge.

He takes his batting very seriously and can do serious damage to the opposing bowlers. He is a handy batsman to have at number eight. Four of his six Test half-centuries have come against Australia and it seems a matter of time when he would be a centurion as well.

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VVS Laxman: Very Very Special indeed

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

What a joy it has been following the career of VVS Laxman over the years. To me he is the most stylish batsman of the present generation. There is no better sight in cricket than to watch him bat.

He is one man who has all the time in the world to play his strokes. He has been blessed with the gift of timing that adequately covers the deficiencies in footwork. He may not be technically the most correct batsman but he is the one batter who can bring the crowd to its feet with his artistic stroke-play.

The fastest of the bowlers pitching the ball on or outside his off-stump have never been sure in which direction they would be hit when Laxman has been at the crease. While every other great batsman in the world would be content in cover driving those balls but you don’t know which route Laxman would take.

He may put the ball in the gap between cover and extra cover with precision and there is an equal chance of him rolling his wrist and on-driving it past mid-wicket. He has that knack of playing his stroke late that allows him to pierce the field at will.

Laxman has perfected the art of keeping the bowlers as well as the fielders guessing. The captains have often been found wanting in setting field for him. One can only sympathize with the fielding captains because it’s certainly not possible to have a ‘safe’ field for someone who has the rare ability of flicking the balls pitched well outside the off stump.

If you understand cricket you have to admire Laxman for doing justice with his initials VVS. He is certainly a very very special talent who is a born artist.

More than the runs and the centuries that he has scored for India, it’s his grace and poise that has distinguished him. He is the one and only batsman in the world at the moment whose graceful stroke-play passes the impression of being poetry in motion.

Laxman has scored prolifically against the toughest of oppositions. Not surprisingly his greatest knocks have come against Australia that has undoubtedly been the leading side in world cricket for the last many years.

Who would ever forget his epic knock at 281 against the Australians at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, in 2001. The Indians were looking down the barrel and a series defeat looked round the corner. They had been defeated in the first Test and were forced to follow on in the second Test.

India needed something out of extraordinary to change the course of the proceedings. The follow-on fightback was led by none other than the Hyderabad touch artist who stood against the Australians with courage and purpose. His stroke-filled innings turned it around for India and the series was squared against all odds. By clinching the third and final Test the hosts managed to win the series they were most likely to surrender in the previous game.

More than seven years later Laxman scored another magnificent double century against the Aussies in his 99th Test at Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi. His defiant knock in the second outing saved the day for his team and earned the Man of the Match award for him.

He may not be a swift mover in the field, that has cost him his place in the one-dayers, but he still has fair amount of cricket left to him to delight the lovers of the game all over the globe.

He has played his 100th Test match at VCA Stadium, Nagpur. He would certainly regret his soft dismissal when in sight of another hundred that would have been a perfect gift for his fans in the landmark Test for him.

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