World champion Yousuf contracted to coach junior cueists

By Syed Khalid Mahmood 

 In a move that looked surprising but not totally unexpected, former world snooker champion Mohammad Yousuf has been appointed as coach and commandant for the training camp for the junior cueists starting in Islamabad on June 25.

The appointment of Yousuf, who clinched the World Championship in 1994 before annexing the Asian crown four years later, was confirmed by Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, President, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), on June 22, welcoming the veteran cueist with open arms contrary to the general expectations. 

He will be coaching the duo of Hunain Aamir and Mohammad Majid in the two-week camp to be held at the PSB Snooker Hall in Islamabad from June 25 to July 8. 

 “Yousuf will be the coach as well as the commandant of the camp to train the duo of Hunain and Majid, who will be representing Pakistan in the IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship 2012 scheduled to be staged in Wu Xi, China, from July 14 to 22,” the PBSA President revealed. 

“It’s a new beginning. Yousuf may have had stormy relationship with the PBSA but that’s history now. We have had cordial relations with him in the recent past, holding him in high esteem, and we look forward to having a long-term working relationship with him although the present assignment is a rather brief one,” Alamgir Shaikh observed. 

“It’s a very nice and appreciative gesture on part of Yousuf to have agreed to train the two youngsters, Hunain and Majid, at a token honorarium. We are grateful to him for taking up the assignment in the national interest,” the PBSA President acknowledged. 

Alamgir Shaikh didn’t rule out the possibility of Yousuf’s appointment as the national coach either at a later stage which was a clear enough indication that he was very much in the minds of the PBSA officials, alongwith Sanjay Sawant and Yasin Merchant, both of them from India. 

Yousuf has had his share of problems with the PBSA in the past, particularly when it was being headed by Ali Asghar Valika until 2008. He wasn’t particularly favourite with the present office-bearers either but he found them a little more accommodating and thus the deal has been inked. 

When contacted, Yousuf, known for calling a spade a spade, expressed his pleasure at being recognized by the PBSA and he too looked forward to having a long-term association with the controlling body of cue sports. 

“The contract for the two-week assignment has been signed. It was mutually agreed that I won’t be going to China with the boys with referee Shabbir Hussain Daruwala to accompany them as manager,” he disclosed. 

Yousuf reckoned that Hunain and Majid, the finalists of the Jubilee Insurance Junior Under-21 Snooker Championship 2012, possessed enormous talent and they stand a good chance of proving their mettle in the upcoming World Under-21 Championship. 

“I have never played against them in any of the national events but I have certainly watched them play closely. Both of them are skilled and enthusiastic. They should improve with experience and coaching,” Yousuf concluded.

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Asjad regains Jubilee Ranking snooker title

By Syed Khalid Mahmood 

Second seed Asjad Iqbal, after having toppled top seeded Mohammad Asif in the semifinals, faced no problems in taming unseeded Shehram Changezi in the final to win the Jubilee Insurance 3rd Ranking Snooker Championship 2012 which concluded at the Karachi Gymkhana on June 21. 

It was one of those tournaments where the seeded cueists were undone by those who were placed lower in the ranking. 

Besides Asjad and Asif, Sultan Mohammad was the only other seed to make it to the quarter-finals with the quintet of Mohammad Sajjad, Naveen Kumar Perwani, Abdul Sattar, Vishan Gir and Mohammad Majid Ali getting eliminated before the knockout stage of the 10-day competition. 

Asjad, who had clinched the Jubilee Ranking title in 2010, regained the trophy rather leisurely in the end as he won the best of 13-frame final 7-2 with the scores of 75-45, 77-29, 44-60, 61-23, 73-50, 81-38, 66-1, 0-83, 54-21. 

Shehram, having annexed the trophy in its debut edition in 2009, was unable to come to terms with Asjad in the final although he was the only cueist to have downed him during the course of marathon event whose league matches lasted seven days. 

The 23-year-old Asjad was rewarded with a cheque of Rs 70,000 which he received alongwith the winner trophy from chief guest Javed Ahmed, Managing Director, Jubilee Life Insurance Company Limited. 

Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Secretary Youth Affairs to the Government of Sindh, presented the cheque of Rs 40,000 alongwith the runner-up shield to the 29-year-old Shehram from Islamabad.

Ali Rahim, President, Karachi Gymkhana, in his brief remarks on the occasion, touched on the sporting history of the club and pledged to continue the tradition of supporting the cause of sports. The Gymkhana’s Convener Sports, Mian Shaukat Hussain, was also present on the occasion alongwith a few other members of the Managing Committee which included his predecessor Jahangir Moghul. 

Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, President, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), in his welcome address, praised the consistency of Asjad who has now won the last couple of national ranking tournaments within the space of a month. He also appreciated Shehram on his successful comeback in the domestic circuit. 

The PBSA President recognized the extensive media coverage of the event, besides acknowledging the support of sponsors Jubilee General Insurance Company Limited. Their Managing Director, Tahir Ahmed, has been particularly enthusiastic in supporting the cause of cue sports. 

Asjad, who lives in a village named Chak Chalis Shumaal, which is located 10 kilometres away from the town of Sargodha, was all smiles at winning the trophy. He proved that he was not overawed by the occasion and neither did the loss at the hands of Shehram earlier in the event deterred him from giving his best. 

He, however, admitted being under greater pressure in the semifinal against top seeded Mohammad Asif in the semifinal which he won 6-4 after trailing 1-4 at one stage. 

Shehram revealed that he was laid low by a stomach upset before the start of the final and he was unable to execute his plans to perfection in the all-important game.

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Dr Shah and PCB to jointly stage World XI series in July

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The international cricket in Pakistan may finally be resumed next month following an understanding reached between the Sindh Sports Minister, Dr Syed Mohammad Ali Shah, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman, Chaudhary Zaka Ashraf.

“I have had a lengthy informal meeting with the PCB Chairman in London recently. We have agreed in principle to make it a joint venture and the details are being worked out. We are due to meet again, this time formally, later this month to finalize the matter,” Dr Shah revealed in an interview the other day. 

“Since the PCB has showed willingness to work jointly with the Asghar Ali Shah Foundation for the resumption of international cricket in Pakistan, we may extend the Twenty20 series between World XI and Pakistan XI to three matches instead of the originally planned two. We can have matches in Karachi, Lahore or any other venue the PCB may desire,” the Sindh Sports Minister, showing flexibility, remarked. 

He had adopted a different stance earlier which led to the postponement of the two matches which he had announced to organize in Karachi on May 25 and 26. 

“It’s our mutual desire to hold the three-match T20 series in the middle of July, upon the return of Pakistan’s team from the tour of Sri Lanka. The period between July 14 and the start of Ramazan around July 21 is being considered as the window of opportunity. Since the T20 and ODI specialists will return home before the Test series, we can also play host to these matches a little bit earlier,” Dr Shah felt. 

When inquired about what role his Foundation will be playing in the event of the PCB hosting the matches, he explained that the Board will be looking after all the organizational matters and his body will only bring in the contracted players to Pakistan. 

Dr Shah has indicated that the contracts with the players will be revised if they were to appear in three matches instead of two. 

He was confident that all the players, who had signed to play in May, will be available to come for a short period for Pakistan in July. 

Sanath Jayasuriya, the former Sri Lankan all-rounder, is due to lead the World XI which also features Andrea Nel, Justin Kemp, Loots Bossman, Charl Langeveldt and Paul Adams (South Africa), Jerome Taylor, Adam Sanford and Jermaine Lawson (West Indies) and Owais Shah (England) with Alvin Kallicharran, former West Indian batting great, being the manager. 

There’s a strong possibility of these matches getting staged if the PCB Chairman indeed has made up his mind to work jointly with Dr Shah or even let him do it on his own. But the kind of system prevailing in the society nothing could be taken for granted. There’s still a long way to go it seems.

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Former world championYousuf ready to quit to become Pakistan snooker coach

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

 The Pakistan Billiards &  Snooker Association (PBSA), seeking a coach for the top-ranked national cueists, have another worthy option up their sleeves in the shape of former world champion Mohammad Yousuf, who has offered to hang his boots to take up the job.

The PBSA, by the look of things, have been on the lookout for a seasoned coach to arrest the decline at the top in the recent past but they didn’t succeed in roping in Yasin Merchant or Sanjay Sawant, both Indians, due to the non-availability of funds. 

Yousuf has announced it publicly besides making it known to the PBSA that he was willing to quit the game, as desired by the, if he was appointed coach of the national snooker team. He looked forward to coaching the young cueists to bring back glories for the country if provided the opportunity. 

“Having read in the newspapers that the PBSA officials desired his immediate retirement from playing snooker to be considered for the job of the national coach, I have informed them that I will be more than glad to quit the game if they me the job,” he disclosed.

“It’s the desire of every top athlete, at the twilight of career, to payback to the sport by means of coaching or in any other capacity. I am no exception. It’s my wish to serve the game which has given me name, fame and everything,” Yousuf remarked. 

“Regarding the point of abiding by the code of conduct of the PBSA, I have always felt that nobody is above the law. I have had the habit of calling a spade a spade which cost me dearly but that’s how I have lived all my life. I respect the law and hope that the others do the same. But I may not keep quiet if injustices are being done,” he added. 

Yousuf, who won the World Snooker Championship in 1994 and then the Asian Snooker Championship in 1998, was not prepared to coach the cueists free of cost, however. 

 “Well snooker is my bread and butter. I am employed at an organization as a snooker coach. I expect to be given a decent honorariam by the PBSA if they acquire my services. It can be mutually worked out,” he said. 

 “The ball is in the court of the PBSA. If their officials realize that my expertise could be helpful in improving the skills of our cueists I am very much available for the assignment.,” the master cueist declared. 

Yousuf has been in terrific form of late, having performed very impressively in the league matches of the 4th NBP Ranking Snooker Championship 2012 being staged at the Defence Authority Creek Club in Karachi. 

The PBSA has yet not responded to his offer and it remains to be seen if the matter will be discussed in the upcoming Executive Committee meeting of the Association due to be held shortly. The pressure seems to be on them for appointing a coach, after disastrous performance in the Asian Championship in Doha recently.

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Z A Nizami recognizes SSUET cricketers

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The Chancellor of Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET), Engr Z A Nizami, has renewed the pledge that all the talented sports persons will be supported and patronised by the institution in order to breed healthy competition in the society.  

He was speaking at a reception in the honour of the SSUET cricket team which finished runners-up in the recently held Red Bull Tri-nation Cricket Championship in Sri Lanka besides having clinched the national Inter-Varsities title.

The SSUET had qualified for the Sri Lankan event by winning the National Inter-Varsities championship.

“We would like our students to excel in the fields of education as well as sports. We facilitate them to let them display their talent in extra-curricular activities,” Engr Nizami remarked in his brief speech.

Former Test cricketer, Salahuddin Ahmed Sallu, who was the chief guest in the ceremony, observed that the outstanding athletes should be provided special assistance and facilities to pursue their education while unfolding their talents in the field of sports.  

“The students should also pay due attention to their studies in order to succeed in their future life. The curriculum should be designed in such a manner that allowed them sufficient time in the playgrounds,” Salahuddin, who has also been chairman of the national selection committee, urged.

He lauded the role of the SSUET, named after the visionary leader Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, in promoting sports alongwith education and congratulated their team for the good show in the Saarc event and for winning the national Inter-Varsities title.

“It’s a collective responsibility to have a kind of environment where we could produce dashing students, active athletes and above all good human beings,” he added. Chancellor Nizami and Salahuddin later distributed certificates of financial assistance among the members of the winning team. 

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Imran to defend NBP title; Shehram granted wild-card entry

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Imran Shahzad, who used to be the premier cueist of the country until the start of the year, will be defending his title in the fourth edition of the NBP Ranking Snooker Championship 2012 starting at the Defence Authority Creek Club in Karachi on May 21.

Meanwhile the controversial Shehram Changezi has been given wild card entry in the event whose details were unveiled by Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, President, Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), in a media briefing on May 17. 

The championship is being sponsored by National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) for the fourth year running. Iqbal Qasim, Head of the NBP Sports & CSR Division, who is also chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board’s selection committee, presented a cheque of Rs 850,000 to the PBSA officials as sponsorship fee. 

In his brief remarks on the occasion, Iqbal Qasim, known to be a man of few words, vowed to continue extending support to cue sports in future as well but he expected the cueists to perform better at the international level to be considered for employment at the bank. 

The Islamabad-based Shehram, who spearheaded the movement against the PBSA four years ago, has been granted a wild card for the second ranking tournament of the year whereas in the past the Association had only done so for the National Championship at the start of the year. 

Although the PBSA President was tight-lipped about the behaviour of the cueists in the recent past, he did disclose that there was a revolt-like situation on the eve of the National Championship a few months ago and the Association was prompted to delay the implementation of the desired changes in the format of the national events. 

The PBSA went another step forward in accommodating the cueists by allowing entry to Yasir Nadeem, also from Islamabad, which has raised the number of participants to 41 instead of the planned 40. 

Alamgir Shaikh pointed out that the cost of staging the championship has enhanced manifolds by raising the allowances of the outstation cueists, who will be paid Rs1,500 per day for not only for the entire length of the event but also for a day before and after it. 

“The total prize money on offer is Rs 174,000 but the amount to be paid to the cueists in the head of allowances would be more than four lacs. We considering increasing the winning purse but we couldn’t more in the available resources,” the PBSA chief reasoned. 

He expressed his immense displeasure at the disappointing performance of Mohammad Asif and Sultan Mohammad in the recently held Asian Snooker Championship in Doha, Qatar, and hinted at the possibilities of them being issued show-cause notice for not delivering the goods in the continental event. 

He, however, defended the decision of the PBSA to send two officials with two cueists, arguing that he had gone to Doha to present Pakistan’s case for bidding for the Asian Championship while Munawwar Shaikh traveled as manager, adding that the Association didn’t have to bear the costs of the fifth member of the squad, referee Shabbir Hussain Daruwala. 

Alamgir Shaikh didn’t rule out the possibility of appointing Mohammad Yousuf, a former world champion, as Pakistan’s coach provided the outspoken cueist was willing to abide by the PBSA Code of conduct besides quitting domestic circuit. 

“We haven’t signed any deal with India’s Sanjay Sawant or Yasin Merchant because we have yet not been released the funds by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) for this purpose. We would be more than glad to consider Yousuf, whose contribution to the Pakistan snooker is enormous, if he is prepared to do it voluntarily,” the PBSA President concluded.

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Resumption of international cricket in Pakistan delayed

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The resumption of international cricket in Pakistan has been delayed by at least six more weeks due to the tussle between the Sindh Sports Minister, Dr Syed Mohammad Ali Shah, and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which has led to the postponement of the two Twenty20 games between a World XI and a Pakistan team, which were due to be staged in Karachi on May 25 and 26.  

It looks like that Chaudhary Zaka Ashraf, Chairman PCB, and his cronies are not eager to for the revival of international cricket in the country and the policies of Ijaz Butt are being followed.

There was a faint hope that Zaka Ashraf might prove different than his predecessor but the manner in which he handled the request of Dr Shah has convinced everyone that he has no plans to boost the Pakistan cricket which has been at the rock bottom since the ‘rule’ of Ijaz Butt.

“We had received a letter from the PCB in which it was suggested to consider postponing the visit for period to be mutually worked out. Now the matches are most likely to be staged on July 14 and 15 upon the return of Pakistan’s team from the tour of Sri Lanka. The final decision in this regard, however, will be taken in a meeting between Dr Shah and Zaka Ashraf,” a handout issued from the office of the Sindh Sports Minister on May 16 said.  

“All the contracted players of World XI, alongwith manager Alvin Kallicharran, were ready to come over to Pakistan. The air tickets had been arranged and they would have reached Karachi on May 24. Since the Pakistan team was not available, it was not considered worthwhile to field a second XI to face World XI. The broadcasters also desired the national team, not a second XI, for marketing purposes,” it added.

Dr Shah, who had vowed to hold both the Twenty20 matches later this month despite the lukewarm response from the PCB, was not available for comment, having proceeded abroad for treatment. He is expected to return in a week.

Having extended invitation to President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani to be the guest of honour in first and second matches respectively, Dr Shah, a former member of the PCB Governing Council, had seemed confident of getting the permission to hold the two night games at Karachi’s National Stadium besides the national team.  

Dr Shah’s Asghar Ali Shah Foundation, with the support of the Government of Sindh, had roped in quite a few international cricketers for what basically were charity matches to raise funds for the flood-hit victims.

Sanath Jayasuriya, the former Sri Lankan all-rounder, was due to lead the World XI which also featured Andrea Nel, Justin Kemp, Loots Bossman, Charl Langeveldt and Paul Adams (South Africa), Jerome Taylor, Adam Sanford and Jermaine Lawson (West Indies) and Owais Shah (England).

Dr Shah had announced in a media briefing just the other week that all the 12 contracted players were paid signing fee of 10 percent while the balance amount was to be disbursed in two installments upon their arrival in Pakistan.

Although it has not been confirmed officially yet but there are indications that the contracted players were briefed about the possibilities of the postponement of the two matches for a few months and they would be obliged to fulfill their commitment at a later stage. 

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Shahid Afridi to boost Rotary International’s Polio Eradication Campaign

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Rotary International, one of the leading voluntary service organizations of the world, has been joined by Shahid Khan Afridi, Pakistan’s former captain and one of the most popular cricketers, in the Polio Eradication Campaign.  

The FATA-born Shahid Afridi, who is also famous with his nickname of Boom Boom, has agreed to become a brand ambassador for the Rotary International’s National Polio Plus Committee.

Aziz Memon, Chairman, Rotary International’s National Polio Plus Committee, was excited to have Shahid Afridi, who is the heartthrob of millions of people, on board.

Shahid Afridi, an enterprising all-round cricketer who has remained a crowd-puller all along, has agreed to be a brand ambassador of Rotary International and the formal agreement in this regard will be inked shortly.

“Being ethnic Pashtun, he will be especially instrumental in influencing high-risk groups in the regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) He is a sporting icon who enjoys massive popularity. We are looking forward to roll-out communications campaign prior to the July polio rounds,” Aziz Memon, who has also been the Governor of Rotary International’s District 3270 covering Pakistan and Afghanistan, reckoned.

“By joining hands in a noble cause Shahid Afridi has once again proved that he cares for the community. He brings smiles on their faces with his aggressive intent in the cricket field. He will be featuring in our polio ads free of cost,” Aziz Memon, who himself played the lead role in roping in the dashing cricketer, disclosed.

“We already have had photo-shoots and video recording at a cricket ground in Karachi. Shahid Afridi has given his message in Urdu as well as Pushto, urging the people to cooperate with the vaccination teams so that every child could be administered polio drops without hassles,” the Rotary leader added.

“His appearance in the polio ad will surely get huge mileage because of immense popularity, particularly in the Pushto-speaking areas. Last year 79% of the polio cases came from Pushtoon families. We are confident that Shahid Afridi’s cricketing credentials will come handy in eradicating polio from this region,” Aziz Memon hoped.

“We are trying our level best to eradicate this deadly disease from Pakistan and we are mobilizing all our resources to do it as soon as possible. The Rotarians alongwith all other stake-holders are on board to kick polio out of Pakistan,” he emphasized.

Meanwhile according to the latest Pakistan Polio Eradication Bulletin; published on May 15, no new polio case was reported in the past one week. “As of May 14, 2012, Pakistan has reported a total of 16 polio cases (13 type-1, 2 type-3 & 1 mixture type-1 & 3) from 10 districts/tribal agencies,” it said.

The NIDs have been completed in Killa Abdullah, Pishin and Quetta districts in Balochistan and the second phase of the staggered NIDs was carried out in Peshawar district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where a Vaccination passage, as per short interval additional dose strategy, has also commenced in Nowshera and Lakki Marwat districts.  

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