Hunain, Majid crash at first knockout hurdle in World Under-21 Snooker Championship

By Syed Khalid Mahmood 

Pakistan’s most promising youngsters, Hunain Aamir and Mohammad Majid Ali, after having given fine account of themselves in the league matches, crashed at the first hurdle in the knockout phase of the IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship 2012 in Wuxi, China.  

Zhou Yuelong of China outsmarted Hunain 5-2 with the frame scores of 14-81, 87-21, 69-42, 31-65, 56-48, 81-0, 80-47 while Noppon Saengkham of Thailand overwhelmed Majid 5-1 with the frame scores of 71-33, 61-18, 39-68,78-29, 95-6, 76-33 in their round of 32 matches.

Hunain and Majid, having been trained and coached by former world champion, Mohammad Yousuf, on the eve of their departure to China, had done extremely well to force their way into the knockout round on their maiden appearance in an international event but neither of them succeeded in sustaining the momentum of league matches and got eliminated before the pre-quarter-finals.

Pakistan’s national junior champion, Hunain, reached the last 32 by whacking Rhys Clark of Scotland 4-1 in the do-or-die encounter with the frame scores of 10-69, 85-5, 68-57, 78-44, 68-8.  

Majid, who ended runner-up the Jubilee Insurance National Junior Championship 2012 staged in Lahore in February, had booked his place in the last 32 by winning four of his first five matches before his last league outing against Alexander Gauss of Austria, who defeating him 4-2 with the frame scores of 47-64, 62-46, 70-44, 68-1, 55-64, 90-11.

Hunain finished fourth in Group G by winning and losing three matches each. He had emerged triumphant in the first couple of outings rather comfortably but lost the plot afterwards, succumbing to defeats in his next three games. He regrouped to win the last league fixture to stay afloat in the event.  

Lu Ning of China emerged the Group G champion with six wins in as many games while Alireza Khodaparast of Iran and Jurian Heusdens of Belgium finished second and third respectively in the points table.

Majid remained more consistent of the two, winning four of his six matches and finishing third in the points in Group C behind Zhu Yinghui of China and Mitchell Mann of England. Lalrina Rentheli of India, who came fourth, also qualified for the last 32.

A total of 63 cueists, divided in eight groups, entered the championship with 32 of them making it to the knockout stage.  

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Is bilateral cricket series between Pakistan and India really needed?

By Syed Khalid Mahmood 

That’s a million dollar or rather a billion rupee question! Do we really need bilateral cricket series between Pakistan and India? We can come to a logical conclusion only if we look at the situation professionally and realistically rather than sentimentally.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has ‘allocated’ three One-day Internationals and two Twenty20 Internationals to Pakistan in the coming winter during a period when the England cricketers will be vacationing for a couple of weeks between Test and limited overs series in India. 

It very clearly indicates that even the short series with Pakistan was not in the list of priorities of the Indian cricket authorities. 

There’s likelihood of them having been ‘advised’ by New Delhi to squeeze time for a few matches against their traditional rivals. 

The tour could be another diplomatic ploy of India who will be sending the message across that they don’t oppose anyone whether they like them or not. In this way they will also be obliging the Government of Pakistan with whom they don’t always have cordial relations.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is not in a position to pick and choose. They would not mind playing India anywhere in the world at anytime. 

They have no problems even if the tour is sandwiched between the England series. Pakistan and India have had this habit of uneven frequency when it comes to bilateral series. 

Sometimes they are unable to hold it at designated time due to ‘political’ tension and the gap has also gone into decades. Conversely when their ties improve they overdo it to the extent of diluting the trademark charm associated with Indo-Pak matches. 

The two neighbouring countries were engaged in three full Test series between 1952-53 and 1960-61 but it took 18 seasons to have the next series. India toured Pakistan in 1978-79 and the reciprocal visit took place the very next season. India came to Pakistan again in 1982-83 and Pakistan crossed the border in 1983-84. 

There was another Indo-Pak series in Pakistan in 1984-85 followed by one in India in 1986-87. India came over in 1989-90 after which there was big pause. The ice melted in 1998-99 but there was again a yawning gap.

The ties resumed in 2003-04 and then the tours came every year which didn’t please many enthusiasts who felt it was being overdone for commercial reasons. 

The last series was staged in India in 2007-08 and since then there has been no bilateral series between them despite having played each other in the World Cup, Champions Trophy and Asia Cup. 

Now the BCCI has decided to revive Indo-Pak bilateral series, albeit in a hurried and to some extent unusual manner. They have offered to hold three ODIs in Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata, and the Twenty20 matches in Ahmedabad and Bangalore. 

The Indian cricketers would obviously feel burdened by playing Pakistan at a time when they must have hoped to be given a break when England fly back to enjoy Christmas and New Year at home. 

"We are professional cricketers. The series will have to be played and we have to get ready for it. Sentiment does not play any part since we are taught to be professionals on field,” skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni had reacted cautiously after the BCCI decision.

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Williamson’s captaincy, brilliant fielding revives New Zealand in Caribbean

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

It was neither New Zealand’s batting nor bowling which earned them an unlikely 88-run victory, against the run of play, over the West Indies in the third One-day International at the Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts, on July 11.

It was the outstanding ground fielding and the imaginative captaincy of the caretaker skipper, Kane Williamson, which led the turnaround and opened up the five-match series which seemed in the bag of the home side, boosted by the return of Chris Gayle. The visitors clinched their maiden win of the tour by effecting three run-outs bringing off a spectacular catch. 

The West Indians were the firm favourites to seal the series when they came out to chase a modest target of 250 on an easy paced pitch with short boundaries and quick outfield allowing no margin of error to the bowlers. 

With the victories in both the Twenty20 Internationals and the previous two ODIs, the home side was expected to race to the target rather leisurely in ideal batting conditions. The injury-hit New Zealanders were low in confidence but they demonstrated the virtues of athletic fielding and sensible leadership.

All credit to the 21-year-old Williamson to have displayed maturity beyond his age while setting the fields and making the bowling changes. 

It was quite extraordinary how intelligently he marshaled his troops when defending a low total. His decision to hand over the new ball to debutant Trent Boult was a bold move and it almost paid immediate dividends with Gayle just about getting yorked first ball. 

The pressure built on the explosive left-handed opener who was scalped by Tim Southee soon afterwards. Southee was also instrumental in sending back the dangerous Dwayne Bravo with a brilliant flat throw from the deep. 

But the most sensational piece of fielding was witnessed when Martin Guptill stopped a full-blooded cover drive and threw the stumps down within the blink of eye to find the striker Marlon Samuel well short of his crease.

The match was not over yet because the West Indian tail-enders were enjoying themselves with powerful slogs and it needed yet another brilliant fielding effort to break the threatening ninth wicket partnership. 

Now it was the skipper Williamson himself who made a diving stop at cover to cause a fatal misunderstanding that resulted in Sunil Narine getting run out by miles. 

Williamson’s captaincy skills are not limited to setting the field or incorporating the bowling changes. He also talks sense off the field and his post-match comments don’t seem to be coming from someone who will be turning 22 in a few weeks time. 

"It's a great shift in momentum, hopefully. Putting a few things into practice, lessons from the other games. It's nice to get a win in such a crucial game. I think the bowling performance was a little bit better executed in terms of the plans and what we wanted to achieve,” he remarked after completing the 88-run win. 

“Things went our way and hopefully that's the momentum shift we needed in the series. This was a sort of match where you must win and we showed that fight today which was really important. It was nice to step up and win this match and keep the series alive through a really strong fielding and bowling effort,” he noted.

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Dravid’s warning should open cash-hungry BCCI’s eyes

By Syed Khalid Mahmood 

The gentleman cricketer that Rahul Dravid has been all along, he rarely speaks anything silly or senseless. He stayed away from controversies despite being in the thick of things for around 15 years primarily because of his total commitment to the cause of his team.

Dravid, who always believed in giving more than cent percent to the team, has served a warning to the all-powerful Board of Control for Cricket in Indian (BCCI) whose officials have been under fire for having compromised on the future of the game by engaging in activities purely for commercial reasons.  

A team man to the core all his life, Dravid’s observations during the launch of his book ‘Timeless Steel’ in Mumbai on July 4 would not only caution the young breed of Indian cricketers but more importantly they should open the eyes of the movers and shakers in the BCCI, who often tend to forget their responsibilities of administering the game in a balanced manner. 

Dravid felt that there is no match for the satisfaction that can be derived from playing Test cricket adding that he didn't want to judge the youngsters on or blame them for their choices but that he wanted to challenge them to give Test cricket a fair go.

"There are more options now. It’s very hard for me to be judgemental about kids of today. Unfair. I had gone through a commerce degree in college, and not very successfully. When I grew up, if I wanted to be a successful professional cricketer - and making a living out of the sport became a part of that - the only option for me was to be a successful Test cricketer. There was no other way in which you could make a professional living out of the sport. I would have still played it, but I would have probably looked to do something else professionally if I wasn't good enough," he remarked. 

"People now have the option of not necessarily playing Test cricket but making a living out of the game. And, you know, who's to blame kids for taking that option? Who's to blame kids for using that opportunity if they feel they are not good enough for Test cricket? If they are not good enough for Test cricket, I am sure they will feel. Look at least I needn't make a living out of this game. Let me at least play this, which is giving me money,” Dravid said. 

"I won't like to judge them on that, but I will like to challenge them. What I'll like to tell young kids is that the greatest satisfaction you are going to get is by playing Test cricket and playing in some of these great stadiums of the world. That will give you the greatest personal satisfaction, so don't sell yourself short. Try and achieve. It is possible. It can be done. There might be kids in this era who will take that soft option. Some won't. We will be able to see in time. Every era there have been people who have fallen by the wayside," he reckoned.

"People like Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Manoj Tiwary, or whoever the youngsters are, have grown up watching and idolising Test cricket. It's the kids like Samit (his own son aged 7) who will have grown up watching the IPL. That will be the challenge. What will those kids want? I don't see this as an immediate problem. I see it as a long-term issue,” he warned. 

"By long term I mean ten years, when those kind of kids grow up, what will their aspirations be? If one of the young kinds wants to play, will he want to play for a franchise? You have to understand that at the end of the day players are also performers, and they want to perform. When you look at the IPL, it's a great stage to perform. Played in front of full stadiums, there is a great viewership on television, you are playing with some of the best players in the world, you are playing at some of the greatest stadiums in the country. It's a great stage to perform. That challenge is going to arise in ten years' time, and I think we have got to address it right now," the former Indian captain cautioned.

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Sindh Government sponsors Punjab’s cueists

By Syed Khalid Mahmood 

The Pakistan Billiards & Snooker Association (PBSA), after being denied financial support by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and the Government of Punjab, has been obliged by the Government of Sindh, having taken the responsibility of sponsoring the cueists, both of them belonging to Punjab, for the World Under-21 Snooker Championship 2012 to be held in China from July 14 to 22.

Syed Faisal Ali Sabzwari, Sindh Minister for Youth Affairs, handed over a cheque of Rs 246,500 to Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, President, PBSA, in a simple ceremony, conducted by Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Secretary Youth Affairs, Government of Sindh, at the Karachi Gymkhana on June 29. 

It’s indeed an unprecedented move in which a provincial government has come out to extend financial support to athletes belonging to a different province in the larger national interest. 

In his brief speech on the occasion, Faisal Sabzwari revealed that the PBSA had submitted the request to meet the total cost of participation of the two cueists, being Rs 493,000, but it took quite an effort on part of his Ministry even to get the 50% of the cost because of the budget constraints. 

 “We have decided to sponsor the two teenaged cueists, Hunain Aamir and Mohammad Majid, for the sake of the country’s representation in a global event which will be helpful in promoting Pakistan’s soft image abroad. This act of ours will also send positive signals to the youth of the country that the government does go beyond lip-service,” the Sindh Youth Minister remarked. 

“Our department, despite meager resources, has been following multi-dimensional approach having been prepared to go the extra mile for creating opportunities for youth as we have just demonstrated by sponsoring two young cueists from Punjab,” he added. 

Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, in his welcome address, described the sponsorship of the Punjab cueists by the Government of Sindh as setting of a new trend. 

Alamgir Anwar Shaikh, while acknowledging the support of the Government of Sindh, told the whole story how the PBSA request had been turned down by the Federal Government as well as the Government of Punjab. 

“We are truly grateful to the Youth Affairs department of Sindh to have come to our rescue and bailing us out when those who were actually responsible for it had cold shouldered us. In fact we were treated very harshly by the Youth Affairs department of Punjab who were not even prepared to listen to us,” the PBSA President stated. 

He expected the duo of Hunain and Majid, who will be representing the country in the World Under-21 Championship to be staged in Wu Xi, China to reproduce the kind of performance they showed during the Asian Under-21 Championship in Goa, India, earlier this year. 

“Both of them are exceptionally talented cueists. They are currently been trained and coached by Mohammad Yousuf, a former world champion, in Islamabad. They have tremendous potential and we are confident that they will bring laurels for the country in future,” Alamgir Shaikh reckoned.

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Yuvraj’s comeback to add value to ICC World Twenty20 2012

By Syed Khalid Mahmood 

The gladdening news is that Yuvraj Singh, the champion Indian all-rounder who was declared Player of the Tournament in the World Cup 2011, has aimed a comeback in the ICC World Twenty20 2012 to be held in Sri Lanka in September. 

Yuvraj, recovering from treatment for cancer, has begun training at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. He has clarified that he’s in no mood to rush his comeback but he remained hopeful for representing the country in the upcoming T20 event which would itself be boosted by his return. 

"I will be in the NCA for a while now. I want to come back and play for India, that's my goal. It's not very easy on the body. I have gone through a lot and my body has gone through a lot of shock. People are expecting me to come back very quickly, but I don't want to rush. I will have to take my time and come back 100% fit,” the explosive left-handed batsman, whose left-arm spin also works in the limited overs games, was quoted as saying. 

"I am feeling good. My body will become stronger stage by stage. Twenty20 world cup is my target. Hopefully I can be ready little before that," Yuvraj said. Yuvraj was diagnosed with a type of cancer called ‘mediastinal seminoma’ a germ-cell tumour located between his two lungs, in February. 


He underwent three sessions of chemotherapy in Indianapolis, at the IU Simon Cancer Centre at the Indiana University Medical Centre. He finished the last cycle of chemotherapy in mid-March, and his response had left his medical team fairly confident that he would not suffer a relapse. 


The daring all-rounder has remained confident he will return to playing cricket for India but says he is neither in a hurry nor anxious to do so, and that cancer changed his approach to both life and the sport. 


 In his first media conference on returning to India after receiving treatment in the USA Yuvraj had stated his chemotherapy cycles often left him ‘depressed’ and in tears, but having cancer had taught him a lot. 

"Cancer may be the best thing to have happened to me and maybe I will realise this in the future. There were more bad days than good. I haven't played cricket for one year, and it has been the toughest battle of my life,” he observed. 


He had avoided watching cricket on TV during treatment in USA, stating that there was a little bit of frustration when he watched the team play. He found himself inspired by the practical approach of fellow chemotherapy patients. 


He discovered that he now belonged to another larger group of people, a group he called ‘the cancer family.’ The disease, Yuvraj said, had made him appreciate friends, family, health and happiness over fame, popularity, success or money. 


Yuvraj's treatment in the USA had involved working with Dr Lawrence Einhorn, the doctor who helped Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong recover from a form of cancer that had been considered terminal.

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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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