Sir Syed Club lift Ejaz Farooqui Trophy

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

“Besides promoting cricket in the far flung areas of the zone, we have also made a point to increase the number of clubs to generate more activities at the club level.”

This was announced by Prof Ejaz Ahmed Farooqui, Chairman, Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) Zone II, during his speech in the prize distribution ceremony of the invitation cricket tournament named after him. Sir Syed Club annexed the title by overpowering United Gymkhana in the final.

“The registration of the Taisar Town Cricket Club augurs well for the development of the game. We will leave no stone unturned in promoting the sport in every nook and corner of the zone,” he added.

Prof Ejaz Farooqui expressed his satisfaction with the fact that their zone was throwing talent for the national competitions, firmly believing that the boys have the potential to rise to the next level.

Jamil Ahmed, Secretary, KCCA Zone II, revealed that as many as 32 teams took part in Prof Ejaz Ahmed Farooqui Invitation Tournament contested on knockout basis. He further disclosed that there was no entry fee for the tournament and even the balls used for the matches were provided by the organizing committee.

He noted with pride that all the matches of the tournament were staged on turf pitches in order to let the talented young cricketers get the maximum benefit by playing for their respective teams.

He acknowledged the support of the zonal chief, Prof Ejaz Ahmed Farooqui, who personally took care of all the expenses that occurred during the course of the tournament.

“Prof Ejaz Farooqui has been doing a great service to the game by patronizing the tournaments and other healthy activities. We are grateful to him for devoting his time and energy, besides arranging funds for the events that we have been able to organize from time to time during the last couple of years in particular,” Jamil Ahmed reckoned.

Sir Syed Club proved too good for United Gymkhana in the final to run away with the title. Batting first, United Gymkhana rattled up a challenging total of 242 in the allotted 40 overs with Shoaib Akhtar (78), Shoaib Jaffer (40) and Ahsan Khan (30) doing the bulk of the scoring.

United Gymkhana could have posted an even bigger total, had their innings not been derailed by off-spinner Owais Aslam, who returned the figures of 4 for 56. There were two wickets each for Ali Raza and Irfan Ali.

Brilliant batting from Azhar Ali and Waqas Mahboob helped Sir Syed Club reach the stiff target quite comfortably in the end. Azhar left after scoring an even hundred but Waqas remained undefeated with 83 to guide his team home with full two overs remaining.

Shoaib Lodhi, Zohaib Shera and Muzaffar Hussain were the successful bowlers for United Gymkhana but neither of them could do much to contain the free flowing pair of Azhar Ali and Waqas Mahboob.

Azhar Ali, for his superb century, was adjudged Man of the Match and he received the award with an added cash bonus of Rs 1,000 from chief guest Prof Ejaz Ahmed Farooqui.

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Pakistan exceed expectations, India falter and Korea complete Asia double

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

South Korea proved themselves the best team of the continent by regaining the Asia Cup hockey title at the Kuantan Hockey Stadium in Malaysia. Having claimed the gold medal in the Asian Games in Doha a couple of years ago they now have completed a rare double. They have also secured their place in the 2010 World Cup to be staged in India.

The Koreans were made to work extremely hard to earn a 1-0 victory over three-time champions Pakistan in the final with the winning goal coming just five minutes before the scheduled closing time of 70 minutes. Obviously the match would have gone into extra time, had that goal not be scored or for that matter if Pakistan equalized in the last five minutes which they couldn’t.

Not surprisingly the goal that settled the issue was scored by drag flick specialist and the man of the moment Kim Byung-hoon, who also finished as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals. 
The Player of the Tournament award, however, was clinched by his teammate You Hyo-sik while another Korean, Hon Eun-seong, was declared Man-of-the-Match in the final.

The tournament brought glories for the Koreans and their coach Cho Myung-ju could not have desired a better start to his stint. 

“Our team's superior attacking in the second half proved decisive. We were confident and expected a close match. The win will spur us for further success in the coming year," the new Korean coach remarked at the end of the final.

The Pakistan coach, Shahid Ali Khan, reckoned that his team's defeat coincided with their best performance of the tournament.

"We had good control of the match and ample chances to score. We are on the right track and we have improved with each match. We will only get better from here," he was quoted as saying.

There was no cause of disappointment for Pakistan as far as the end result was concerned. They in fact exceeded expectations by having made it to the final after having overpowered teams like India and Malaysia and holding China, who eventually claimed the bronze medal, to a draw.

While the forwards came up with awesome display the performance of penalty corner specialist, Sohail Abbas, left a lot to be desired. The world record holder for the highest number of goals in international matches could score only one goal in the tournament and failed to capitalise on the three penalties that Pakistan earned in the final.

The defeat in the final now forces Pakistan to compete in the World Cup qualifiers to be held in November with China, Malaysia and Japan also in the fray.
India, having failed to qualify for the last year’s Olympic Games in Beijing, are assured of a spot in the next year’s World Cup by virtue of being of the hosts but they had yet another forgettable outing.

The defending champions were not even able to make it to the semifinals after failing to deliver in the league matches against Pakistan and China. They still have a long way to go to regain their position as one of the top teams in the hockey arena.

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Rajasthan, Bangalore sneak home in IPL thrillers

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

What an exciting couple of matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2009 were witnessed at the Kingsmead in Durban on May 14! Rajasthan Royals recorded a thrilling two-run victory over Mumbai Indians after Royal Challengers Bangalore had edged out Chennai Super Kings by two wickets earlier in the evening.

Nothing could be more recreational for a cricket fan than close contests that go to the wire, be it the any form of the game. Even the Twenty20 matches become boring for a while if the side batting first is bundled out cheaply or the team batting second loses far too many early wickets in pursuit of a substantial total.

But there was a spectacle in store for the lovers of the game in Durban and the millions of them watching the action live in different parts of the world. Both the matches turned out to be thrillers. In fact they could also be classified as nail-biters with the body language of the players in the middle and those in the hut reflecting the tension and anxiety.

Two of the all-time greats of the game, Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne, were up against each other in the Mumbai-Rajasthan game with both of them leading their respective outfits.

What a contest it turned out to be between the two! Warne knew he didn’t have many runs in the bank after his side had been restricted to 145 for seven in the allotted 20 overs. He needed early wickets to stay in the game and his bowlers responded by reducing their rivals to 23 for three.

Tendulkar, having demoted himself in the batting-order, joined master blaster Sanath Jayasuriya with their team in dire straits. Both the seasoned campaigners opted to rebuild by cutting out the risk element and their approach looked a bit unconventional for the shortest version of the game.

With the asking rate hovering around nine an over, Jayasuriya perished when he attempted to break the shackles. Tendulkar lived longer and counter-attacked with purpose to bring the target within striking distance.

Abhishek Nayar’s cameo put Mumbai in front and they looked certain to wrap up the issue with just six runs needed off the nine balls. But a sensational final over from Munaf Patel won the day for Rajasthan instead. Warne’s captaincy, besides his bowling, was spot on and Patel’s composure under pressure was truly outstanding.

Earlier in the day Royal Bangalore Challengers had overcome some nervous moments to defeat Chennai Super Kings by two wickets with just two balls to spare. Bangalore made heavy weather of a modest target of 130, cruising home only after some good work by their lower-order batsmen.Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli revived Bangalore after a disastrous start. With the asking rate not that high, the situation was ideal for Rahul Dravid to have gone on to bat in his typically assured fashion but this was not his day.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s proactive captaincy kept Bangalore under pressure as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. The match was wide open until the 19th over in which 12 runs came including of a six from Praveen Kumar.

With only five runs needed off the last over, Dhoni threw the ball to the tall New Zealander Jacob Oram who obliged the skipper by removing his compatriot Taylor on the very first ball to open up the contest once more. There could have been more drama had Laxmipatty Balaji not misfielded in the deep.

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PCB and ICC on a collision course

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has issued a legal notice to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and by the look of things the chances of an out of court settlement are remote at the moment.

The notice was issued to the ICC President, David Morgan, through Mark Gay of DLA Piper, London, an experienced hand in the field of sports legal issues, having previously represented PCB as well. 

In the legal notice the ICC has been asked to rescind the decision of the Executive Board being ultra vires and void. 

The PCB has also informed the ICC that they would be shortly referring the matter for determination by an arbitral tribunal appointed in accordance with the Rules of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland under the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee. 

The PCB officials feel hard done by the ICC decision taken by its Executive Board on April 17. The PCB has contended that the views of the Sri Lankan captain, Mahela Jayawerdene, and ICC match referee, Chris Broad, were presented but the interview CD of the bus driver of Sri Lanka team that PCB had sent to ICC was never presented at the meeting and its transcript was circulated by e-mail to members after the meeting instead. 

The PCB functionaries have complained that they were not provided with an opportunity to explain their position and in a slip shod manner, a decision was passed by at the Executive Board meeting whereby PCB was stripped off its right to co-host the 2011 World Cup with the safety and security concerns being the basis of this decision.

“It’s very surprising that this decision was passed in a meeting which was not even authorized to do so. As per procedure, it is the IDI Board and not the Executive Board that is only authorized to make recommendation to the Meeting of Members of ICC which is the Annual Conference and which is alone authorized to take decision on it. The ICC Executive Board in which this decision was made on April 17, has purposed to exercise a power which vests only in IDI,” the PCB Chairman claimed.

"The PCB has not yet received the minutes of the said meeting of Executive Board, therefore the exact tenure of the decision is not known. But in reality, the decision of ICC is actually being acted upon. We can see that the Central Organizing Committee (which originally comprised of representatives of all four co-hosts) convened its meeting in Mumbai wherein PCB was not invited,” he added.

The PCB chief did not mince words in stating that the ICC Executive Board, while taking this decision, completely failed to take into account that the law and order situation in the entire sub-continent is not exemplary; 

He pointed out that Bangladesh recently faced mutiny by its armed forces and refused to host Pakistan on accounts of security concerns which resulted in cancellation of Pakistan Series in Bangladesh in March 2009. 

“Sri Lanka is embroiled in a long standing civil war. India due to law and order situation had to relocate IPL Series to South Africa although the official reason given is IPL schedule clash with the national elections. Recently Australia refused to send its Tennis Team to India for Davis Cup which was due to be held in Chennai, India. If security and safety was the only reason, no security assessment of the other three co-hosts has been done,” he added.

Ijaz Butt reckoned that under the host agreement, prior to taking any decision on relocation of matches, the PCB should first have been given an option to remedy the situation which was never done. 

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PCB organize offshore ODI series successfully

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

With the reluctance of the foreign teams to tour Pakistan on one pretext or the other, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been left with no option but to stage their ‘home’ matches outside the country.

The Australians in particular had not been willing to play in Pakistan for quite a while now. In the same period many teams toured Pakistan and expressed their satisfaction with the conditions but the Aussies refused to budge an inch.

It was quite an effort on part of the PCB Chairman, Ijaz Butt, to have convinced the Australian cricket authorities to play the earlier postponed series against Pakistan. The Australians were originally due to tour Pakistan the previous season but they had expressed their inability to come to this part of the world.

It was during Ijaz Butt’s visit to Australia earlier this season when he persuaded the Cricket Australia (CA) to play the series of five One-day Internationals alongwith a Twenty20 International in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the months of April and May.

Ijaz Butt, having taken over as the chief of the PCB only a few months before his visit to Australia, did a commendable job because Pakistan was desperately short of international cricket in the recent past. In fact Pakistan had not played a single Test match in the year of 2008 at a time when every nation had a crowded calendar.

The home series against Sri Lanka was also an accomplishment of the present Board, after the Indians had cancelled their tour to Pakistan this winter. 

It was a pity, however, that the Sri Lankan cricket team came under an attack at the fag end of their tour. They had played the series of three One-day Internationals as well as the first Test at the National Stadium, Karachi. It was during the second and final Test match at the Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore, when the bus carrying the visiting team was fired upon leading to immediate termination of the series.

The pressure was once more on the PCB as the foreign teams were unlikely to play in Pakistan in the near future. In fact the Australians were reportedly having second thoughts about playing the series against Pakistan in UAE.

It went to the credit of the PCB officials not to have allowed Australia run away. The PCB took the measures to ensure that the security arrangements for the matches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi were to the satisfaction of the Australians. 

The additional security costs certainly hurt the PCB as it reduced their profits substantially but the shrewd handling of the financial affairs by their Honorary Treasurer, Mohammad Naeem, enabled them to stay afloat despite heavily burdened.

Mohammad Naeem, Honorary Treasurer, PCB, may be a man of few words but he’s believed to be having a proven record as a financial wizard. The Pakistan cricket needs his wisdom more at a time when the chips are downs and the revenues have dropped. 

He has done a great service to the game of cricket by having stationed himself in the UAE for the period of time when the series was being played. His financial administration helped the PCB in saving some bucks.

The services of Mohammad Naeem will be needed for a few more offshore series because Pakistan may have to play host to quite a few ‘home’ matches abroad in the near future. 

All in all the PCB has done a fabulous job by staging the series against Australia successfully in the UAE. There are a few indications that the PCB might be more interested in staging in staging their future games in the UAE than at any other neutral venue.

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PCB’s belated move to challenge ICC

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

As they say better late than never. The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ijaz Butt, has stood up to challenge a decision of the International Cricket Council (ICC) taken  a few weeks ago. It appears as if the PCB took their time in assessing the pros and cons before finally deciding to act.

The ICC, in their board meeting in Dubai on April 17, had decided to strip Pakistan of hosting rights for the next World Cup because of the uncertain security situation in the country.

"It is a regrettable decision but our number one priority is to create certainty and deliver a safe, secure and successful event and the uncertainty created by events within Pakistan created a huge question mark over our ability to do just that,." the ICC President, David Morgan, had said in the statement issued after the meeting.

Now the PCB Chairman, after having spent some time in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has changed his tone and is using a different language against the governing body of the tone.

Ijaz Butt, in a media briefing at the Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore, the headquarters of Pakistan, upon his return from the UAE, came down hard at the ICC decision.

He was highly critical of the manner in which the ICC decision was taken describing it as "legally flawed...unfair and discriminatory" announcing that Pakistan intended to fight for its right as co-hosts for the mega event. The PCB has also issued a legal notice to the ICC.

"We are most concerned about the manner in which the ICC took this decision, There was no notice prior to the meeting that a decision of this nature would be taken. There was neither proper security assessment of Pakistan nor of the other co-hosts of the 2011 Tournament. We believe that more could and should have been done to review the actual situation to deal with the matter on a non-discriminatory basis. We will push for the matter to be expedited," Ijaz Butt announced.

The PCB Chairman claimed that the status of the 2011 World Cup was not on the original agenda of the ICC Board meeting on April 17 and 18 implying that Pakistan wasn't given a fair opportunity to defend its case as a co-host. 

"This issue was not on the agenda. There was a discussion of the Sri Lankan attacks on the agenda and this topic came up. They never gave us notice and it was not on the agenda. We want to revoke the decision full stop," he added.

The PCB Chairman was of the opinion that there was also uncertain security environments in the other co-hosts, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and that provisions were in place for such decisions to be taken as late as 18 months before an ICC event, something that would have given the board time to prepare a security plan and for inspections to be carried out. 

Talking about the legal notice, Ijaz Butt clarified that it has been sent to the ICC President David Morgan and was in accordance with the ICC's constitution as the PCB was asking for the matter to be referred to the disputes resolution committee. 

"The matter has been submitted to the President of the ICC's dispute resolution committee. He can either refer the matter to the dispute resolution committee which is made up of ICC's officials or to the independent arbitration before the court of arbitration sport court. The PCB preferred impartial arbitration in the interest of justice, equity and fairplay," Ijaz Butt remarked.

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Pakistan enter Asia Cup with high hopes

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Pakistan, who ruled the world of hockey for a long time, start their campaign in the Asia Cup with a game against the super fit China, having improved in leaps and bounds in the recent past.

History, however, is on Pakistan’s side, having annexed the trophy in the first three editions of the continental competition in 1982, 1985 and 1989. They are being billed as one of the favourites again even though they have had a rough ride in the hockey arena during the last few years.

The enigmatic Pakistan side had plunged into their lowest ebb by failing to win any medal in the last edition of the Asia Cup held in Chennai in 2007 where hosts India, South Korea and Malaysia had shared glories.

This tournament provides an opportunity to revive the country's hockey fortunes as Pakistan would be spared of appearing in the qualifying event for the next year’s World Cup if they win the title here.

Pakistan will be relying heavily on its veteran quartet of custodian Salman Akbar, full back Sohail Abbas, half back Waseem Ahmed and forward Rehan Butt who are staging a comeback in the team after enjoying rich experience in Dutch league.

With the return of the vastly experienced players and in the presence of talented forwards Tariq Aziz, Akhtar, Waqas Sharif and Waqas Akbar, Pakistan look the most formidable side to have entered the eight-nation tournament.

Pakistan, having struggled in the recent past as they finished a disappointing eighth in the Beijing Olympics last August, would be needed to get into their grooves to regain their lost glories in the field of hockey.

Pakistan, who finished a poor fourth in the five-nation contest in Ipoh last month, must come up with improved performance here to build the momentum for the major events ahead. The return of the seasoned campaigners boosts their chances and they are expected to rise to the occasion for the revival of national sport in the country.

Pakistan have been drawn in the tough Pool B with arch-rivals and defending champions India, China and Bangladesh while the Pool A contains South Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka and hosts Malaysia.
 
Pakistan must win at least a couple of league matches in their bid to advance in semifinal knock-out stage that indeed is their first target. Then they would be just two more wins away from the title.

On the other hand, the eight-time Olympic champions India, who failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games staged in Beijing, would also be aspiring to make amends by retaining the Asia Cup they won at home a couple of years ago.

The Indians, however, are on a high of late after having finished runners-up in four-nation Punjab Gold Cup and then the title win in the Azlan Shah after a lapse of 13 years. 

Besides Pakistan and India, South Korea and Malaysia can also fancy their chances of clinching the trophy with China being the dark horses. Unlike the past an Indo-Pak final, however, could not be guaranteed in the prevailing circumstances with the other teams also possessing the credentials go the distance.

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Australia unable to break T20 jinx against Pakistan

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) have witnessed quite a few famous conquests of the Pakistan cricket team over the years. After Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, it was the turn of Dubai to provide the perfect settings for them.

No wonder the Pakistan cricket authorities would desire hosting their ‘home’ Tests also in the UAE where they could find the environment more homely than anywhere else.

The one-off Twenty20 International between Pakistan and Australia at the Dubai Sports City Stadium on May 7 was yet another example of a fancied team biting the dust against all odds.
The Australians were whacked by seven wickets which was their second successive defeat against Pakistan in T20 International, after having suffered fate in inaugural the World Twenty20 in 2007.

Generally you don’t expect a team having collected 40 runs in the first four overs without losing any wicket to be bowled out for little over 100. Similarly there are very few examples when the change bowlers do the business after the premier bowlers have been hit out of the attack.

The Australians have been known for their grit and determination. They have been the team to beat in any form of the game for the past many years. The manner in which they collapsed was, therefore, mind-boggling to say the least.

It was not the way the Aussies play their cricket. Their state outfits are supposed to be so well-knit and trained but their national team passed the impression that they were a bunch of novices.

Shane Watson and Brad Haddin, who opened the innings, had provided Australia the start they needed to build a formidable total. The score was 42 without loss at the end of four over and one thought that the foundation had been laid for an onslaught by the efficient middle-order, well versed with the demands of T20 cricket.

A total in the region of 180 to 200 was being talked about after Shoaib Akhtar and Sohail Tanvir, the new ball operators, had been put to sword in their first couple of overs. Enter Umar Gul and the complexion of the game started changing. He took a wicket with his first ball to break the threatening opening partnership.

Shahid Afridi sliced through their middle-order as he picked wickets two wickets with his first two balls. The double wicket maiden over rocked the Australians and suddenly they were in danger of being bowled out. The lower-order was unable to get going either and they were routed for 108 their second lowest total in the T20 Internationals.

Umar Gul returned the dream figures of 4 for 8 while Shahid Afridi returned no less sensational figures of 3 for 14. They were the perfect presents for the stand-in skipper Misbah-ul-Haq who had to take over the leadership after Younis Khan was ruled out of the game due to illness.

The absence of Younis was not felt either in the field or when Pakistan came out to chase the modest total. Kamran Akmal picked up from where he had left in the fifth and final One-day Internationals. It was all too easy for Pakistan in the end.

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