Yousuf’s negative captaincy makes it easier for Ponting

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

There’s absolutely no element of surprise in finding Pakistan whitewashed at the hands of Australia in the just concluded three-Test series. The Australians were nowhere near to their best but still they were good enough to emerge triumphant on all three occasions.

There wasn’t hardly any contest in the first and third Tests with the home side dictating terms in the manner expected of them but they had a great escape in the second Test at Sydney.

The negative mindset of Mohammad Yousuf made things easier for his opposite number, Ricky Ponting who must have wondered how his team got away with it in the second Test after having conceded a massive first innings lead.

Ponting and his deputy Michael Clarke failed miserably in the first two Tests as did Marcus North, having given an impressive account of himself in his earlier games. While Ponting and Clarke rediscovered their form in the third and final Test, North just couldn’t do it even in conditions that were not demanding to say the least.

Yousuf, whose defensive approach perplexed everyone, was not able to put the Australian batsmen under any kind of pressure. He probably seemed to have taken it for granted that his team would be blasted in all three games.

Yousuf, having been handed over the leadership only after when the team members had revolted against Younis Khan during the series of One-day Internationals against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi, looked completely out of focus in the Test series in New Zealand as well as in Australia.

Pakistan were at a great disadvantage due to the weak captaincy of Yousuf. They were extremely lucky to have got away with in New Zealand where the rains prevented the hosts from completing a series win on the final day.

Pakistan obviously needed heavy dose of luck once again to compete when they crossed the border to exchange fire with the Aussies. As expected the Australians proved to be a tougher opponent than the Black Caps, who were handicapped by the loss of champion fast bowler Shane Bond in the last two Tests.

With a fragile batting line-up and an inexperienced bowling attack Pakistan had to face the music in Australia. But they found the hosts below their best and the eventual scoreline not withstanding they didn’t fare all that badly either.

Ponting’s adventure of electing to bat in the second Test at Sydney would be talked about for a long time. Australia could have wrapped up the game inside three days, had the skipper just inserted the opposition into bat. Instead the hosts remained in danger of losing the game until winning it narrowly in the end.

The Australian off-spinner, Nathan Hauritz, turned out to be the highest wicket-taker in the series. Not a great turner of the ball, he benefited greatly by the tendency of the Pakistan batsmen to have a go at them after being contained by the faster bowlers.

Rains threatened Australia’s bid to complete a whitewash in Hobart but Ponting’s sporting declaration on the fourth day covered up the odd stoppages.

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Pir Aftab Jilani declares PCB elections as illegal

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Federal Minister, Pir Syed Aftab Hussain Shah Jilani, has declared the ongoing elections being held under the auspices of the sitting officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as illegal.

Pir Aftab Jilani, who is himself the Co-Chairman of the PCB Constitution Committee, did not mince words in stating that the present officials of the Board were not authorized to hold the elections.

“The elections that they have been holding recently are against the rules. Only the newly appointed election commissioner would be entitled to organize the election process in accordance with the new constitution of the PCB,” Pir Aftan Jilani, Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, remarked in an interview the other day.

“I am really surprised to find the resources of the PCB being wasted on a futile exercise. The PCB Chairman, Ijaz Butt, must be aware of the fact that the present management didn’t have the authority to these elections. Yet they are going ahead with it thus engaging themselves in illegal activities. As a matter of fact the PCB is flouting even its own constitution by holding these elections,” he reckoned.

Pir Aftab Jilani, who remained the Federal Sports Minister for over a year, also expressed his disappointment with the working of the PCB resulting in the poor performances by the national team.

Pakistan’s cricket team has just been whitewashed in the Test series in Australia, after having shared the honours with the lowly-rated New Zealand a little while earlier.

“The Federal Ministry of Sports, which is the supreme body, advised the PCB on numerous occasions but they have continued to do things according to their own whims and wishes which caused embarrassment for the whole nation,” he stated.

Pir Aftab Jilani, himself a former first-class cricketer, believed that cricket in the country will flourish with the incorporation of the new constitution of the PCB worked out on democratic lines.

“Our goal is to strengthen the institution. Cricket is the most popular game of the country and it should be run in professional manner so that we could make most of the enormous talent that we have been blessed with,” he said.

Pir Aftab Jilani’s comments bring to light the inefficiency and bias in the affairs of the PCB. He agreed that the PCB has been a victim of dictatorship of late with Ijaz Butt calling the shots on his own.

It’s an open secret that the PCB Chairman has been making decision arbitrarily and he has often been summoned by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Sports headed by Jamshed Dasti.

There’s a feeling that Ijaz Butt has continued to survive at the helm of the affairs, despite the criticism by the media in particular and the public in general, because of his influential brother-in-law, Chaudhary Ahmed Mukhtar, Federal Minister for Defence, and a central figure of the ruling party.

It remains to be seen for how long Ijaz Butt will be stay there because there are signs of pressures from within the government for a change.

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National Accountability Bureau summons Cricket Board official

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned Razaullah Khan, veteran cricket organizer and a former councilor of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), to appear in person next week.

Razaullah Khan, presently serving the PCB as the Coordinator for Grounds in Sindh, has confirmed that he has been directed to appear in person at the NAB office in Rawalpindi on January 19 at 9.30 am.

“My complaint number 34/09 was submitted to the NAB a few months ago and after thoroughly scrutinizing the matter they have now summoned me to find an answer to some missing elements and to resolve certain queries. I have also been asked to bring along relevant documents to support my allegations,” he revealed.

“I had submitted a request to the Chief Justice of Pakistan for taking a suo motto action against the officials of the PCB found by the Auditor General of Pakistan to have been involved in the embezzlement of funds to the tune of Rupees seven billion,” Razaullah Khan, one of the most outspoken cricket personalities of the country, revealed.

“Alongwith my application to the Chief Justice I had submitted a copy of the report of the Auditor General of Pakistan that details the corrupt practices of the PCB officials. I had also brought the matter to the notice of Chaudhary Nisar Ali, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, by sending him a copy of the same report,” he added.

Razaullah Khan, who has been associated with the game of cricket in various capacities for nearly half a century now, did not mince words in stating that he has had to approach the Chief Justice after having failed to get any response from the government agencies.

“I communicated to the Chief Justice that I approached him after having knocked at the various doors without any response. The people in the government have their own reasons of not initiating action against the former PCB officials even though the report of the Auditor General of Pakistan has found them guilty,” Razaullah Khan said.

“The Auditor General of Pakistan had compiled the report after being assigned the task by the President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, who is also the Patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board,” the former PCB Council member stated.

“Exemplary punishment must be given to the PCB officials for having misused the public money and having derived huge personal benefits besides having obliged their near and dear ones,” he pleaded.

Razaullah Khan didn’t expect the present officials of the PCB to move against their predecessors because in his opinion there still were quite a few employees in the Board having sympathy with their former bosses.

Razaullah Khan has been known and feared for calling a spade a spade. He has had the knack of bringing to light the facts that generally were concealed by the people with the vested interests. He has not been afraid to blast his own colleagues if he found any fault in them.

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POA chief regrets inadequate preparation for South Asian Games

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The top functionary of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) has regretted inadequate training and international exposure to the athletes ahead of the 11th South Asian Games scheduled to commence in Dhaka later this month.

General Syed Arif Hasan, President, POA, in a recent chat, observed that Pakistan would have stood a chance of claiming many more medals if the athletes were provided the desired training and exposure at the international level.

“For reasons beyond our control we were unable to execute the plan that would have helped improve our record in the upcoming regional Games in which our athletes had fared rather well in the past,” he stated.

He described the current year (2010) as one of the most important ones for Pakistan during which the country has to participate in as many as three multi-sports events are to be held. The South Asian Games would be followed by the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.

When inquired about the problems, the POA chief singled out the lack of funds as the biggest obstacle in carrying out their plans.

“Obviously we are not in a position to implement our plans in the desired manner due to scarcity of funds. We have had to contain our activities that didn’t help in making advancement in the field of sports,” he said.

He looked forward to the governmental support in future in order to accomplish the cherished goals of the national Olympic body.

“Making the use of the available resources we are putting together our strongest possible squad for the upcoming South Asian Games and we are hoping that our athletes will come up with encouraging performance in Dhaka,” the POA chief added.

The 2010 South Asian Games is scheduled to take place from January 29 to February 8. This will be the third time that the Bangladeshi capital hosts the Games, thus becoming the fourth city to host the Games multiple times after Colombo, Kathmandu and Islamabad.

Besides Pakistan and hosts Bangladesh the athletes from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives and Bhutan would be taking part in the 11-day extravaganza.

It’s indeed a pity that Pakistan’s athletes have been denied the opportunity of gearing up for the mega events. Whether it’s the lack of coordination between the concerned bodies or any politics involved between them it’s the country that’s going to suffer more likely than not.

The Federal Ministry of Sports and the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) have their own set of priorities and for the time being at least they don’t seem to be in any mood to proactively make things happen.

The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) on their part should also shoulder the blame for not having taken the measures to arrest the decline in standard of sports in the recent past. They were not short of funds until their marketing arm, the Pakistan Sports Trust (PST), was feeding the federations.

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Jalaluddin being victimized by PCB once more

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Former Test fast bowler, Jalaluddin, is not new to victimization or injustices. He and his department, Pakistan Customs, have been at the receiving end on the numerous occasions in the past as well.

Jalaluddin’s career as a fast bowler was cut short due to non-cricketing reasons. He wasn’t provided the opportunity to do justice to his talents even after having stolen the limelight by becoming the first bowler to perform a hat-trick in One-day Internationals.

He has learnt to live the hard way. Instead of feeling disheartened or demoralized he has continued to work with fierce determination. Despite the obstacles he has been in the thick of things. His Customs Cricket Academy (CCA) is a living example of his dedication and commitment.

By sheer hard work he has managed to become the most sought after cricket coach of the country. He has been given odd assignments but he has not yet been granted the recognition he deserves.

Lately he is crossing swords with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over the issue of departmental representation. He has accused the PCB officials of wrongdoings while blocking his election in their Governing Board.

Speaking in a hurriedly called press conference at Karachi’s Days Inn Hotel on January 14, Jalaluddin alleged that his department, Pakistan Customs, as well as Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL), were intentionally kept out of the PCB to be held in Lahore the following day (January 15).

He produced the letter of the PCB’s Election Commissioner, Abdul Sami Khan, in which only seven departments, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Habib Bank Limited (HBL), National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), have been extended the invitation to attend today’s meeting to elect one representative of the departments.

Jalaluddin, verifying his claims by documentary evidence, asserted that he had already been elected as the representative of the departments to the Governing Board of the PCB, following the expiry of the tenure of the previous member, Abdul Raqeeb of HBL, who is currently accompanying the national cricket team as manager on the tour of Australia.

“There were nine departments who held the voting rights. Five of them, NBP, SNGPL, Pakistan Customs, SSGCL and KRL, issued letters to vote for me. Therefore I was elected to be the representative of the departments in the Governing Board of the PCB by virtue of having the support of the majority of them,” Jalaluddin stated while circulating the copies of the letters of the concerned departments to this effect.

“Instead of accepting the verdict of the departments, some elements in the PCB began conspiring against me for reasons not known to me yet. Even members of the Governing Board, whose tenure has already expired last November, started played dirty game with me and they also persuaded the Chairman of the PCB, Ijaz Butt, to be a part of this campaign,” he contended.

“When I was already nominated as their representative by the majority of the nine departments there was no logic whatsoever in convening a meeting to hold the elections in which my own department has not even be invited,” he complained.

Jalaluddin has approached the Federal Secretary of Sports, Anis-ul-Hasnain Musavi and the Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports, Jamshed Dastti, to intervene in the matter and ensure justice with him.

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Prof Ejaz Farooqui crowned as Super Chairman

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

In recognition of his momentous services to the game of cricket, the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) proudly declared Prof Ejaz Ahmed Farooqui, Chairman Zone II, as the Super Chairman.

Prof Siraj-ul-Islam Bokhari, Honorary Secretary, KCCA, minced no words in stating that Prof Ejaz Farooqui has turned out to be the standout chairman as far as the seven zones of the Association were concerned.

Speaking in the reception held in the honour of Prof Ejaz Farooqui on his recent election as the Vice President of the Arts Council of Pakistan, Prof Siraj Bokhari recognized the most significant contribution towards the cause of cricket at the grassroots level made by the KCCA Zone II during the past three years.

“It’s very gladdening to note that the KCCA Zone II has been the hub of cricket activities in the city eversince Prof Ejaz Farooqui was elected as their chairman. His outstanding leadership skills have brought about a distinct change and there have been more tournaments in their zone than anywhere else,” the KCCA Secretary noted.

The founder of Urdu cricket commentary and a former President of the KCCA, Munir Hussain, also paid glowing tributes to Prof Ejaz Farooqui, describing him as the man of the moment.

He acknowledged that the club cricket, having remained alive in Karachi over the years, has graduated to another level with the proactive approach of devoted personalities like Prof Ejaz Farooqui.

Munir Hussain backed Prof Ejaz Farooqui for the post of the Vice President of the KCCA urging its council to incorporate the necessary changes in their constitution to get him on board without wasting any more time.

The other speakers who showered Prof Ejaz Farooqui with praise in the reception held at the KDA Officers Club on January 12 were Mahboob Shah, a former international umpire who stood in the final of the 1987 World Cup, Senator Prof Saeed Siddiqui, Chairman, Sindh Board of Technical Education, and Mohammad Ahmed Shah, Honorary Secretary, Arts Council of Pakistan.

It was only three years ago when Prof Ejaz Farooqui had been elected as the Chairman of the Zone II of the KCCA in the elections held under the auspices of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

He has been chiefly responsible for bringing the Zone II to life during the last three years.

What he has done for the zone in particular and for the cause of cricket in general is truly exemplary. He has led the zone admirably and his great personal interest in promoting the game has brought about a revolution of sorts at the club level.

He had had a vision to carry out development work in every nook and corner of the zone. He has been concentrating for creating more facilities in Surjani Town and Khuda Ki Basti.

The good work carried out by the zone during the past three years has been yielding results and they continue to be motivated by their chairman who urges the need to work with greater zeal to accomplish more success.

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Record participation expected in Dreamworld Car Rally on Jaunary 17

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Over three hundred entries are expected in the tenth edition of the Dreamworld Treasure Hunt Car Rally 2010 to be held in Karachi on January 17.

The car rally is being organized by the Team Dreamworld for the tenth year running in what has gone on to become one of the most sought after annual events of the metropolis in which over 1800 cars have participated in its decade-long history.

The rally comprises of a 70-kilometer lap crossing almost all popular locations of Karachi, one of the largest cities of the world, and the lap is distributed among eight check points to let vehicles follow the concept of safety through limited speed.

The time check points are established at different locations in the city with each check point providing the contestants with a clue or a puzzle which should be solved in order to discover the next checkpoint for ultimately reaching the fortune at the Dreamworld resort. Each check point registers the time for each car in for which the points are awarded to the contestants for efficient time management.

The final destination of this treasure hunt would be the Dreamworld Resort where, after a ceremony of fun and entertainment, the final winner would be announced on the basis of the time management points awarded with dozens of prizes.

Handsome cash rewards to the tune of Rs 150,000 await the outstanding performers while there would be consolation prizes for every participant of the car rally.

The best driver award carries a purse of Rs 50,000 while the runner-up would be becoming richer by Rs.25, 000. The best lady driver will be presented Rs 15,000 while there would be a cash award of Rs 15,000 for the youngest driver.

The oldest model as well as the latest model cars will be given Rs 15,000 each with another Rs 15,000 purse reserved for the best decorated car.

Every participant would be getting a share in the numerous discount vouchers on offer while complimentary meals, soft drinks and energy drinks will also be arranged for the participants besides gift hampers containing various items for every car.

It may be recalled that a record number of 254 families had participated in the Dreamworld Treasure Hunt Car Rally 2009 that was hailed as one of the most memorable sporting extravaganza in town. The event was aired on ATV in 2 episodes of 40 minutes each.

Dreamworld Resort has emerged as one of the leading sports clubs of the country besides offering numerous other facilities to its members. It’s located adjacent to Gulshan-e-Maymar, off Super Highway. It is indeed accessible from all parts of the city and the driving time has reduced substantially with the construction of so many flyovers and underpasses of late.

It’s very heartening indeed to find so many sporting events being held at the Dreamworld Resort from time to time. From car rally to cricket and from cue sports to mind sports they remain on the lookout for bringing in more life at the resort. Their golf course is also a centre of attraction.

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Spirit moves mountains

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The present England side led by Andrew Strauss demonstrated once more the virtues of commitment and determination. For the third time in eight Tests they managed to save the game with the skin of their teeth.

England don’t have too many flamboyant characters at the moment who could take the fight to the opponents but they are certainly blessed with iron-willed individuals whose never-say-die approach is truly inspirational.

When you have the likes of Paul Collingwood in your ranks you can be rest assured that the team would not go down without fighting. Not surprisingly Collingwood has been instrumental in saving all the three Tests that have gone to the wire. His level of concentration and the ability to withstand the pressures have served the England cause immensely in the recent times.

Cricket is obviously a team game and Collingwood alone cannot be expected to the job. The credit must also be given to their captain Strauss for having kept his boys motivated all along. It’s a tougher job to give your best when the chips are down and strong leadership skills are needed to get the best out of the teammates.

Strauss, as I have emphasized on many questions, is the man for the job. He has been chiefly responsibly for turning it around for England despite not being in possession of a world-beating unit. He has provided a classic example of doing his best with the available resources.

England can now look forward to the fourth and final Test with high hopes of pocketing the series. They have retained the one-nil lead meaning they can’t lose the series even if South Africa bounce back to end the series on a winning note.
Graham Onions has been England’s batting hero in two of the last three Tests.

Although fast bowling is his forte and he comes in to bat at number eleven he has shown the reslience that would make even the seasoned batsmen proud.
Mind you it’s not easy negotiating the deliveries when surrounded by so many fieldsmen and the bowlers going for the kill. It tests the technique of the greatest of batsmen when they are pushed into that situation.

Number 10 and 11, James Anderson and Monty Panesar, had saved a Test match against Australia in Cardiff last summer. The great escape had lifted the morale of the home team and they went on to regain the Ashes.

Onions has now done it two times. Like the first Test of the ongoing series he had the responsibility of seeing off the last six deliveries of the match. On both occasions he came up trumps.

South Africa were earlier frustrated by the pair of Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood who batted for well over four hours on the fifth and final day. Their 112-run partnership lasted no less than 57 overs and as Graeme Smith found out once more it was broken just too late to force the issue.

England, having won the second Test handsomely sandwiched between the two hard-fought draws, can now look forward to a rare series win abroad.

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