Plenty of table tennis events planned in Karachi

By Syed Khalid Mahmood


Besides being the financial capital of the country, Karachi is also the hub of sporting activities in Pakistan. Table tennis has been one of the most popular games in the metropolis but its controlling bodies in the past lacked the visionary approach to raise its standard.
The game also suffered enormously due to the politicking in the bodies whose premier objective was to prolong their stay in office by hook or crook. The Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF), for a number of years, remained chiefly responsible for the decline all over the country and Karachi was no exception.
The game of table tennis, however, has come alive in Karachi for the past couple of years with the induction of a few committed individuals who have been trying desperately to make things happen. It’s a very pleasant change and the results are coming.
The leadership of the Karachi Table Tennis Association (KTTA) is in the capable hands of Dr Farhan Essa and Javed Chhotani, both of whom have already made a difference by putting things in the right direction.

The KTTA held a media briefing at the National Sports Training and Coaching Centre (NSTCC) on January 14 in which they announced their plans to organize Inter-Schools, Inter-Firms and Inter-Towns Championships besides a couple of more events during the first quarter of the year.
Dr Farhan Essa, Chairman KTTA, revealed that a coaching camp for the students will be starting as early as on January 15 in order to let them prepare for the upcoming tournaments.
“The Inter-Schools tournament will be starting on February 1 and it will be followed by the Inter-Towns event due to commence on February 15. The Inter-Firms tournament will be getting underway in the last week of February,” Dr Farhan Essa revealed.
“We have planned to organize the 2nd Dr Essa Mohammad Ranking Tournament and the Inter-District Tournament during the month of March,” he added.
“Moving further we have the Amroha Ranking Championships and the Islamia Open Championships whose dates will be finalized later. We will be holding a few other events too before getting ready to host the National Championship late this year,” Dr Farhan Essa said.

The KTTA Chairman acknowledged the support of the sports departments of the provincial and city governments, hoping to get maximum cooperation from them to accomplish their mission of improving the standard of table tennis in the metropolis.
The President of the Sindh Olympic Association (SOA) and the Sindh Minister for Sports, Dr Mohammad Ali Shah, who was also present on the occasion, lauded the efforts of the KTTA while announcing a grant of Rupees half a million.
“The initiatives of the KTTA are heartening and they deserve the support of the government as well as the private sector. We are confident that our grant will help them in organizing their tournaments. I am particularly looking forward to the Inter-Towns event that is a new concept,” Dr Shah observed.
Dr Shah, one of the leading orthopedic surgeons of the country, noted that table tennis was one sport that was particularly refreshing for the eyes.
The PTTF President S M Sibtain, also commended Dr Farhan Essan and his team at the KTTA for their proactive approach and he hoped that the other associations in the country will derive inspiration from them.

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Sri Lanka benefit from cancellation of India’s tour to Pakistan

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Sri Lanka, rather unfortunate not to have dethroned Australia in the last World Cup, have got a lucky break with the cancellation of India’s tour to Pakistan. They are the real beneficiaries.

The cricket authorities in Pakistan as well as in India eyed a series with Sri Lanka to fill the vacuum. They were the only team supposed to have a breather during this period of time but as the luck would have it they have not one but two teams to handle.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was eager to play host to a longer series against Sri Lanka to offset the losses but their counterparts became double-minded when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also started pushing for a series around the same time.

Now both the tours have been confirmed. Sri Lanka would indeed be touring Pakistan, albeit in phases and in between they will play a series of One-day Internationals at home against India.

In fact the itinerary of Sri Lanka’s tour has now been revised following the confirmation of their series against India. The Sri Lankans desired curtailing their stay in Pakistan and the PCB hardly had any other choice. They didn’t have the cushion to turn down the request and they have agreed to scrap Multan as one of the venues for the three-match ODI series.

There is not security issue or anything related to it but the PCB was left with no other option than to stage back to back ODIs at the National Stadium, Karachi, and the third and final game to be held at the Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

According to the revised schedule, Sri Lanka will now play two ODIs on January 20 and 21 at the National Stadium, Karachi, with the final match of the series at the Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on January 24.

Originally the first game of the ODI series was to be played at Karachi on January 21, the second one in Lahore on January 24 and the third and fine one in Multan on January 27.

Sri Lanka's tour of Pakistan will be split into two parts. In the first part they will play the ODI series before returning home for a five-match ODI series against India but they will be back in Pakistan for two Tests.

Meanwhile the Sri Lankan authorities have officially confirmed that they will play host to India for a five-match limited overs series during the month of February. India’s hurriedly arranged tour to Sri Lanka will also include a Twenty20 International.

The dates and venues of the Sri Lanka-India matches are yet to be finalized but it seems a matter of time for the itinerary of the tour to be released.

The BCCI, eager to make up for the recent losses in revenue, has also approached their counterparts in New Zealand to add an extra Test match during India’s upcoming tour and it’s extremely likely that they would be accommodated.

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Matthew Hayden’s exit will hurt Australia

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
Matthew Hayden, having scripted many famous wins for his country, has decided to call it a day before he was treated as a liability for his team becoming progressively weaker with the departure of the tried and trusted campaigners.
Australia, in the coming years, could face similar crisis as the West Indies did after having ruled the world for quite sometime in the 1980s. The West Indians have never really recovered after having created a situation where the senior pros were asked to pack up.

Hayden’s absence will be sorely felt at the top of the order. He was the man who provided Australia, more often than not, the cracking start that demoralized the opposing teams. The big left-hander was not afraid to take the aerial route if the ball was pitched in his zone even in the first over of a Test match.

Australia indeed have a system in place that keeps throwing talented youngsters. Their academies groom the gifted teenagers and the standard of their domestic cricket is indeed higher than in any other country. But neither of these factors means that the seasoned guys like Hayden should be pressurized to quit the scene the moment they come up with below par performance.

The Australians have their own lifestyle but they have become little arrogant with the success they have accomplished in the past. But by letting go their stalwarts one by one, when they still had some years of cricket left in them, the concerned authorities are taking too big a risk.

Australia are yet to recover from the shock of losing people like Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist, all of whom were the tend-setters in their respective fields. Hayden was also one of them who symbolized aggressive cricket.
The departure of McGrath, Warne, Gilchrist and Hayden means they have now lost four genuine match-winners. The majority of the Australian triumphs during the era of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting were engineered by this quartet.

Damien Martyn, Justin Langer and Jason Gillespie were also brilliant cricketers but they were more often in the support cast. Their exit also deprived Australia of invaluable experience but their replacements did good enough to keep the momentum going. But it may not be possible to cover the losses of the once in generation kind of cricketers.

How quickly would Australia find a replacement for Hayden remains to be seen. He was a dasher who took the match away with the blink of an eye. His punishing knocks allowed Australia to dominate their rivals from the outset. It’s quite unlikely that any youngster would be able to fill in his shoes right away.

Enormous pressure was building on Hayden in his own country when runs had dried up off his bat this summer and he chose to call it a day gracefully like Gilchrist had done a year before him.

Hayden will be missed in international cricket. His awesome batting display will live in memory of those having watched him. The big man was the destructive opening batsman who had a most memorable World Cup in the Caribbean in 2007. The bowlers, particularly the new ball operators, would be relieved with his exit from the scene.

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Kevin Pietersen’s aggression was just a bit too much

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Excess of anything is bad. Kevin Pietersen has been known for his aggression but the recent events have proved that he has been found wanting as the England captain and he has quit the job.

One of his prime responsibilities was proper coordination with coach Peter Moores to achieve their mutual objective of putting England in the top draw. As things have come out in the open now they had difference of opinion on issues leaving little chance of reconciliation.

Both Pietersen and Moores have been displaced now and England look to a new set of leaders to guide them in what promises to be an action-packed year with the showpiece Ashes battle just months away.

Pietersen’s tenure as captain turned out to be a brief one. He proved to be a mixed bad really. He looked positive at home last summer but he failed to impress in the demanding conditions during the winter tour of India.

The recent events could be a blessing in disguise for England because Pietersen was never a long-term prospect as a skipper. He lacked the wisdom and most importantly didn’t have the patience needed in a successful leader. He had an ordinary series in India where he had failed miserably in lifting the morale of the side.

Andrew Strauss may prove a better captain and England might benefit more with him being at the helm of the affairs. He appears to be more suited for the job primarily because of his temperament.
India, undoubtedly, were the better outfit but England should have offered stiffer resistance. Pietersen’s body language didn’t suggest that he was the kind of inspiring captain that was required to handle the situation.
Individual brilliance and leadership are two different things. There is no one who will dispute his abilities as a batsman. He is a wonderfully gifted cricketer who can take the game away on his own. He is innovative as a batsman who can tame the best of bowlers with his positive approach.

But leading the side required a lot of additional skills that he sadly lacked. He had the passion for doing things completely in his own way. That might have been acceptable in some other teams but that was never going to work in the system in operation in England.
It was the prerogative of the Board to appoint the coach. Obviously Pieterson was the not the captain at the time when Moores was selected for the job of coaching the team so he might not have been consulted on this issue.
Pieterson had every right to have a say in the matters relating to the team but he was also required to develop a working relationship with the coach. You can’t have the cake and eat it too as the saying goes. The disagreements and differences were all but natural. But they should not have come out in the open. Both of them needed, being professionals, to handle the situation amicably in order to prevent the embarrassing situation they got it that ultimately cost them their jobs.

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Happy Birthday Rahul Dravid

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Rahul Dravid turns 36 today. The batting maestro didn’t have a particularly good time in the middle the whole of last year and he needs to take a fresh guard on January 11, 2009 to be able to weather the storm for quite a few more years.

Dravid, undoubtedly the most accomplished batsman of his generation, has still a role to play in the Indian cricket team that boasts of the most potent batting line-up in the world. His presence at number three provides the balance to an outfit whose intent is to play for win.

India today has many outstanding young batsmen who can take the fight to the opposition with their brilliant stroke-play. But how many of them have the capacity to graft an innings or to occupy the crease for a long time in Test matches. The Indian youngsters are doing well in the limited overs contests but they have to look to the seasoned campaigners in the longer version of the game.

Dravid provides stability to the Indian batting. He has the technique as well as the temperament to grind the bowling, a tendency not common in youngsters anywhere in the world. He adds value to the team with his grit and fighting qualities.

I totally agree with the Indian chief selector Kris Srikkanth who has very clearly stated that Dravid will be one of the key elements of the team during the upcoming tour of New Zealand.

"He's a batsman with over 10,000 runs in Test cricket. He is also among the greatest batsmen the world has produced. If you don't give Dravid the extra leeway, whom are you going to give it to?” he very rightly questioned to the critics having gone an extra mile in lamenting Dravid.

"We have specific plans. During the forthcoming series in New Zealand, a player like Dravid will be very crucial for us. There will be bounce and movement for the pacemen there. If India are to progress to the No. 1 ranking, it has to beat New Zealand in New Zealand. Dravid will be a key member of the line-up at the No. 3 slot," Srikkanth was quoted as saying.

It’s very heartening indeed to find the chief selector backing the player undergoing a lean patch. I think Srikkanth deserves credit here for not having got carried away. Obviously he and his panel of selectors much have been under immense pressure to dump Dravid for the tour of New Zealand.

Indeed Dravid has endured a lean patch in 2008. But why do people so conveniently ignore the fact that he held the Indian batting together from the time he entered the Test arena in 1996 until 2007. An ordinary year after 11 golden years doesn’t necessarily mean that the man is finished.

His greatness has been beyond doubt. He has scored heavily in every continent of the world. He has delivered where the others have found wanting. He has won India more Test matches than anyone else. It’s just a matter of time for him to regain his touch. His bat has the power to silence the guns of his critics.

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Victorious skipper Smith out of action for a while

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The loss of victorious skipper Graeme Smith, due to an elbow injury, will be a big blow to South Africa’s chances of pocketing the upcoming series of One-day Internationals against Australia.
Smith, a picture of courage and fortitude, had played the third and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground despite not being fully fit but he suffered another injury during the course of his innings on the second day and it cost his team dearly.

As usual he was dominating the Australian bowlers when he was hit on his gloves by Mitchell Johnson and he was force to retire. The South Africans were jolted by his non-presence in the field.

Having the scores of 48, 108, 62 and 75 in the previous four innings, he was in complete command of the situation when he had to leave the field abruptly. He did make an attempt to stay at the crease but the first-aid at the ground was not enough to treat the serious injury.

The complexion of the Sydney Test changed with the premature exit of Smith. The incoming batsmen tried to make up but none of them could play the kind of attacking knock the skipper was capable of playing. His knocks had been instrumental in guiding his team to victories in both the previous games.

South Africa, who might have entertained hopes of getting a first innings lead even after Michael Clarke and the tail-enders had extended the Australian total to 445, finished far too many in arrears to add to their discomfort.

Smith’s absence was felt in the field too when Australia came out in pursuit of quick runs in their second innings. It became evident soon that the acting skipper Neil McKenzie lacked the skills to handle the bowlers and set proper fields for them.

The best way of restricting the flow of run was by picking up the wickets but McKenzie appeared more interested in saving the boundaries by spreading the field. What he probably overlooked the fact that his fast bowlers were likely to be more effective when supported by attacking fields.

It was a pity to find a bowler of the caliber of Dale Steyn, who was adjudged Man of the Match in only the previous game, was left to operate with a solitary slip. The edges were found and they went into gaps. The South Africans would have been much better off playing normal cricket instead of going on to the defensive.

One is not sure if Ricky Ponting would have declared the innings as early as he did if Smith was fit. The Australian skipper bought more time for his bowlers by setting a challenging target. It could have been a different story to relate had Ponting delayed the declaration by adopting safety first approach.

Smith reappeared on the field only in the final session of the game in pursuit of salvaging a draw. He came out to bat at number eleven with more than half an hour’s play left. The wounded tiger refused to give up and it was only at the fag end when he picked by Johnson. 

Smith’s batting and captaincy will both be missed in the ODI series but he had to take the break in an effort to be fit by the time these two teams resume their Test rivalry as early as next month. 

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Dilshan the unlikely hero in record win

By Syed Khalid Mahmood
Tillakaratne Dilshan has been around for quite sometime, having made some useful contributions during his international career. He has played his role in the middle-order and also provided the odd breakthrough whenever the champion bowlers in the Sri Lankan side were at the receiving end for a while.
But Dilshan produced a sensational all-round performance in the second Test against Bangladesh at Chittagong’s Divisional Stadium playing the lead role in Sri Lanka’s record 465-run win.

It was the fifth biggest margin of victory in terms of runs but it was Sri Lanka’s highest ever so far. They rattled Bangladesh for 158 on the penultimate day to complete one of the most crushing victories of Test history.

Dilshan stole the limelight by scoring a century in both innings and if it was not enough he picked up four quick wickets for just 10 runs to the fourth evening to make the game his own. He followed up his brilliant knock of 162 in the first innings with another one of 143 in the second outing. 

Mind you Bangladesh were in high spirits after having gone down fighting in the first Test. They were looking quite ominous on the opening day of the second Test as well and it was Dilshan’s knock that allowed Sri Lanka to snatch the initiative. His 162 helped his team register a first innings score of 384 that represented quite a recovery.

The devastating spin duo of Ajantha Mendis and Mutiah Muralitharan forced the Bangladeshi batsmen to submission but Sri Lanka still faced challenges to set a daunting task for the hosts who had batted so bravely in the first Test while chasing an improbable target of 521.

Sri Lanka needed to put a big total in their second innings to dictate terms and it was Dilshan who came up with the most impressive batting display. He completed his second century of the game in style.

Bangladesh had done so well in the Mirpur Test that the Sri Lankan skipper, Mahela Jayawardene, delayed the declaration until the overall lead was over 600. If the target of 521 in the first Test was improbable the task of getting 624 in the second Test was impossible.

Bangladesh had five sessions to negotiate but they knew the task was an uphill one and they had to play even better than they had done at Mirpur. They were confronting the most lethal spin attack in the world on a wearing pitch. Not many sides would be expected to come to terms with Mendis and Muralitharan in such environment.

There was hardly any surprise in watching the mystery spinner Mendis picking up wickets at regular intervals but there certainly was an element of shock when the Bangladesh lower-order succumbed to the friendly off-spin of Dilshan. 

It was Dilshan whose spell ensured the Sri Lankan victory on the fourth evening and it allowed them the luxury of an additional day for sightseeing in the Bangladesh port city. It was a match Dilshan is going to remember all his life.

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Australia’s consolation victory at Sydney

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Ricky Ponting’s sporting declaration on the fourth afternoon had provided South Africa a rare opportunity of inflicting a whitewash over Australia. The kind of performance the visitors had come up with in the earlier two Tests one thought that the Australians had taken a big risk even though Graeme Smith was unlikely to bat.
Ponting’s gamble paid immediate dividends when the makeshift opener, Morne Morkel, was picked up for nothing. But the resolute batting by Neil McKenzie and Hashim Amla late on the fourth day kept the game alive and there were possibilities of all three results on the fifth day.
Obviously Australia held the advantage entering the last day but the inexperience of their bowling attack was a factor that prompted even the experts to believe that the South Africans had a realistic chance of knocking off the runs.
An exciting contest was in prospect at the Sydney Cricket Ground where Australia had pulled off a dramatic win over India in the closing stages last year. The inconsistent umpiring of Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson had helped the hosts greatly in taming the Indians but the Australians managed to down the high-flying South Africans without that kind of outside support.
Like the Sydney Test against India last year, the game went into the final session with the visitors fighting hard to save it. The injured Graeme Smith came in to bat at number eleven to bat out the remaining overs but the objective could not be achieved. 


But it was a very courageous act of the South African captain to have walked to the middle despite carrying a serious injury that had forced him to retire in the first innings. Smith had a broken left-hand and his right elbow was equally sore but he occupied the crease for nearly half an hour with Makhaya Ntini. 
Ntini, nor known for his batting skills, surprised many with his rearguard action. He and his new ball partner Dale Steyn, who enhanced his batting credentials with his gritty knock in the previous game, had earlier frustrated the home side for 75 minutes.

Smith and Ntini were in the process of salvaging a draw when left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson went through the gate of the South African skipper with just five minutes remaining to give Australia a consolation victory. A year ago it was the part-time left-arm spin of Michael Clarke that had earned the hosts a win over India. 

Smith’s ambition of saving the Test could not be fulfilled but he would be leaving Australia, prematurely due to injury, as a man highly satisfied and elated. It’s after all for the first time that South Africa have won a Test series in Australia.
Ponting, under fire for not delivering the goods, had a rare moment to celebrate in the recent times. The inexperience bowling attack at his disposal comprising of Peter Siddle, Mitchell Johnson, Doug Bollinger, Nathan Hauritz and Andrew McDonald won the game that allowed Australia to retain the number one world ranking. 

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