Test cricket at its best as Panesar, Anderson hang on

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

There could not have been a better Test match than the one between England and Australia at Cardiff in which the last pair of James Anderson and Monty Panesar displayed great composure while negotiating the final overs after Paul Collingwood and Graeme Swann had shown them the way.

Who says that Test cricket is dead or a thing of the past? Twenty20 matches certainly provide entertainment to the spectators over a short period of time but the kind of excitement and tension that a classic Test match like the one at Cardiff offer is simply unparallel.

The Cardiff Test was a timely reminder to the movers and shakers of the game, who looked like being concerned at the future of the five-day games, to get single-minded and be assured that there’s no substitute of a Test match yet.

The trains have existed even after the success of the aircrafts. People have a choice now. There are folks who derive greater pleasure in traveling by trains, mind you not the bullet trains but the conventional ones, for commuting purposes. 

The publishing industry has not collapsed after the advent of the internet. Neither has the newsmagazines closed down after the influx of e-magazines. Landline phone is still a more than useful mean for communication even though the market has been flooded by cell phones.

The Ashes 2009 could not have been to a more sensational start. After five days of absorbing cricket in which the fortunes fluctuated the end result was a just one I think. It was in the fitness of things that England managed to save the game after the rearguard action of their tail-enders.

Australia obviously looked the stronger team in the game but England’s refusal to give up spoke highly of their commitment and the fighting grit was commendable. Andrew Strauss may not be as inspirational leader like Mike Brearley or Michael Vaughan but he commands respect from his boys who stand right behind him.

The last couple of hours of the Cardiff Test will hang long in our memory with every defensive shot being cheered by the knowledgeable crowd. Trust me there were millions of cricket followers all over the world who remained glued to their television sets until Anderson and Panesar shook hands with the Australians to signal the end of the match.

Life has become fast they say. But ask Anderson, Panesar, members of the England cricket team and their large number of supporters. Each and every passing second was feeling like a century. The time had stopped, it looked like. The clocks had become rusty one thought.

Not many people would have given England a chance of saving the Test once Collingwood, who had battled out for more than five hours, was removed from the scene. With the last pair in everyone thought it was all over for the hosts. It looked a matter of a few balls really how Panesar played the first couple of balls he faced. 

But he grew in confidence and Anderson played as solidly as it was needed. They batted magnificently under pressure to deny Ricky Ponting the final wicket. The England tail-enders rose to the occasion, playing every ball on its merit. They cracked the loose ones too that allowed them to get nearer to safety. Their faces told the story. The tension was mounting but they were upto it.

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West Indian cricket in shambles once more

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The West Indian cricket authorities have had this habit of hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons for a number of years. The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has had numerous management problems in the past as well and they are facing the music once more.

There has indeed been something rotten in the state of their affairs causing controversies of various kinds from time to time. Lately they have been engaged in a tussle that has led them to field a second string outfit in the first Test against Bangladesh having started on July 9.

One has to understand the gravity of the situation and take into account the ground realities before blasting them for the unforeseen incidents that have brought the game into disrepute more than once.

It’s obviously not easy to have synchronization of thoughts when people from so many different countries sit on one platform. We must not overlook the fact that the WICB is a representative body of quite a few sovereign countries having kept this entity of the West Indies in tact for so many decades purely for the sake of cricket.

One has to recognize the passion of cricket these countries from the Caribbean have had. It’s the game of cricket that unites the nations and they are more than glad to play under the umbrella of the West Indies.

Yes it’s only cricket in which the independent sporting nations like Barbados, Jamaica and Guyana have joined hands. In all other disciplines they have their own identity and the athletes represent their respective countries.

Keeping in view these basic facts one can feel for the West Indian cricket administration that must be tough than running an organization like the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) or the Cricket Australia (CA).

The WICB officials, however, need to improve their working and develop a consensus in dealing with the problems as sensitive as the wages of their cricketers. They should be more rational in their approach and keep the interest of the game paramount at all times.

Whatever the administrative problems they should have tackled it and the matter should not have gone out of hands. Obviously fielding a second string side is not a good reflection of their capabilities in coping with the crisis.

There are disagreements and arguments everywhere but some cool heads are more likely to settle the issue rather than the hawkish elements prone to aggravating the problems by throwing caution to the wind.

The saner elements in the WICB should reassess the problems and make efforts to mend fences with the cricketers having boycotted the ongoing series. They should not allow the people with vested interests to dominate and fulfill their agenda of further destabilizing the West Indian cricket.

The West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) should also adopt flexible approach and they should not challenge the authority of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) that indeed remains the supreme body of the game in the region. The rigidity is not going to help in any way. Both the parties should reach a sort of agreement that doesn’t deprive their people the pleasure of watching their star players.

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Pakistan bridge squad to be recognized for BFAME glories

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The Pakistan Bridge Federation (PBF) has decided to recognize the national Open, Women and Seniors teams by holding a reception in their honour shortly for having performed exceptionally well in the recently concluded 15th Bridge Federation of Asia and Middle East (BFAME) Championship 2009 staged in the Jordanian town of Amman.

The Acting President and the Honorary Secretary of the PBF, Tariq Rasheed Khan, has announced that in order to fete the seniors team for emerging triumphant and the Open and women teams for having ended runners-up in their respective events, a programme would be organized to celebrate their success at the Aslam Bridge Hall, housed in the National Stadium, Karachi, sometime next week.

Pakistan, having had an excellent record in the Zonal Championship since its inception in 1985, lived upto the billing once more with the standout performance of the seniors outfit being the highlight of their trip to Jordan.

Tariq Rasheed Khan was the Team Leader besides being the captain of the Seniors team that brought glories for the nation in what has been acclaimed as the major regional bridge event.

The other members of the Pakistan Seniors outfit were Parvez Mirza, Rashid-ul-Ghazi, Khalid Javed, Saeed Akhtar and Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi. They came up with magnificent performance to win the trophy besides qualifying for the Seniors Bermuda Bowl World Championship to be held later this year in Brazil.

Pakistan’s Open as well as Women teams also accomplished the objective of qualifying for this year’s World Championships but both of them crashed in the final and had to be content with the runners-up slot.

The Pakistan women squad comprised of Rubina Agha, Zeenat Azwer, Fizza Adamjee, Qudsia Doosa, and Najam Abid who will now be representing the country in the Venice Cup World Championship in Brazil.

Pakistan’s Open team, featuring Masood Mazhar, Mirza Shouq Hussain, Hasan Jawwad Nawab Muhammad Yousuf Talpur, Khalid Mohiuddin and Mubashir Puri, earned the right to contest this year’s Bermuda Bowl World Championship but they could not prevent India from equaling Pakistan’s record of clinching the BFAME title six times.

The Jordanian Bridge Association (JBA) hosted the BFAME Championship, with the collaboration of the Bridge Federation of Asian and Middle East (BFAME), for a record fourth time.

Besides Pakistan and Jordan the other participating teams in the 15th BFAME Championships were from Bangladesh, India Kuwait, Palestine, Sri Lanka and Syria.

It may be recalled that the Pakistan Bridge Federation (PBF) had played host to the 14th edition of the BFAME Championships in 2007 and they were held with great fanfare at the picturesque Carlton Hotel in Karachi. The duo of Rehana Saigol and Tariq Rasheed Khan in particular had worked tirelessly to ensure the monumental success of the event against the heaviest of odds.

In fact the PBF had organized the event so successfully that they were approached to do it again out of turn in 2009. The BFAME officials were eager to hand over the hosting rights to the PBF once more but the deal could not materialize. The PBF, however, had volunteered to extend the technical support wherever the Championships were held.

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Sri Lanka’s rare comeback victory over Pakistan

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

Sri Lanka have had their worst moments in cricket history against Pakistan. No wonder the Sri Lankans, having floored the toughest of opponents in their backyard, have yet not won a Test series at home against Pakistan.

Although the Pakistanis were far too short on experience going into the first Test at Galle with three debutants they appeared the obvious favourites to go one up in the series when they took the field on the fourth morning with just 97 needed with eight wickets standing.

In theory Sri Lanka also stood a chance and with the history of the ground on their side they could have been expected of stretching the tourists on the weary track. But with Pakistan’s reputation of doing the improbable most frequently against Sri Lanka, not many people thought of anything else except a Pakistan win within the first couple of hours of the morning session.

But the fourth morning of the game witnessed a drama that brutally exposed Pakistan’s brittle batting. The match was certainly over before the luncheon break, as was being anticipated, but the roles were reversed. It was the home side that picked up eight wickets inside the morning session to earn a famous victory.

It was not for the first time when the Sri Lankans had fought back from the dead in an international cricket game but there hardly had even been such an instance of them doing it against Pakistan.

Left-armers Thilan Thushara and Rangana Herath turned it around for the hosts with superb spells as Pakistan lost their last eight wickets for just 46. Sri Lanka won the first Test by 50 runs, a margin that looked quite substantial in the context of the game.

Although Pakistan have lost the game, it would be the hosts who would be asked more questions. The failure of their established top-order batsmen against an inexperienced bowling attack would certainly make them concerned as they prepare to close the series in the second Test.

Kumar Sangakkara, captaining his country for the first time in a Test match, was found wanting with the bat in both innings as was his predecessor Mahela Jayawardene, who had an outstanding record at the ground. It’s not often that both these great batsmen fail twice in a match.

The Sri Lankan think-tank may also have a re-look at the composition of their side that narrowly escaped defeat at the hands of a team playing a Test match abroad after more than a year and a half. The hosts will also be wondering if to consider Ajantha Mendis an attacking option against the Pakistan batsmen who have treated him as another ordinary spinner.

Pakistan, although jolted on the fourth morning, might not need any sessions or drills because they could derive pleasure for having pushed the fancied hosts to the wall on the first three days, exceeding all expectations.

Mohammad Yousuf staged his comeback in the national team with yet another century that allowed Pakistan to take the first innings lead. The trio of debutant bowlers, Mohammad Aamer, Abdur Rauf and Saeed Ajmal performed exceptionally well. Even skipper Younis Khan excelled in his new role of a medium-pacer, claiming no less than four wickets in the game. 

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Yet another unimpressive series win for India

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

It were the rains, for a change, that allowed India to clinch the ODI series in the Caribbean. Although India were in the driving seat when the torrential downpour brought an early end to the fourth and final one-dayer in St Lucia but going by their past record they could have easily lost the focus and settled for a drawn series.

It’s not often when the rains have brought joys in the Indian camp but after having watched them surrender in the second game at the Sabina Park, the rainy weather of St Lucia certainly seemed to have proved a blessing in disguise for them.

The Indians had landed in the Caribbean soon after their miserable campaign in the ICC World Twenty20 in England where they had not only been dethroned but also humiliated in a most disgracing fashion.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his boys had very little time to regroup after the debacle in England but they were still the overwhelming favourites to prevail over the West Indies, who had gone on to reach the semifinals of the World Twenty20 event against all odds.

The Indians had arrived in the Caribbean with even bigger reputation in the past but failed to deliver with the 2007 World Cup being their worst outing in a major competition for quite sometime. They had fared miserably in the ODI series there in 2006 as well even though they were in possession of a formidable outfit under the command of Rahul Dravid.

The Indian fans, therefore, must not have taken anything for granted when Dhoni, a known aggressor, arrived with a very strong combination at his disposal. They knew that they would have greater pains to endure if they were to expect the Indians to translate their dominance into emphatic wins.

Yuvraj Singh’s dazzling knock in the first game gladdened their hearts even though the heartbeats must have stopped occasionally when the West Indians, more famous for choking under pressure than bringing about heroics, came perilously close to the Indian total.

The second game of the series was yet another classic example of India’s self destruction. As we have seen so many times in the past the ordinary mortals came up with the performance of their lifetime against India. It was the turn of Ravi Rampaul to steal the limelight at the expense of the fancied Indians.

After watching the events of the second ODI at the Sabina Park one had become completely unsure which way the series would be going. Nothing could have been ruled out if the Indians decided to play for fun and not for glory.

The Indians were in complete command of the situation in the third one-dayer at St Lucia that was hit by the weather but their supporters didn’t know until Dhoni struck a six in the final over if they would actually win the contest. One would not have been little surprised if India lost because they have had this rare quality of throwing it away when least expected to do so.

The Indians got off to a flying start in the fourth and final game too with Ishant Sharma producing lethal deliveries first to unsettle and then to remove Chris Gayle for a duck. Ashish Nehra was also bowling very well from the other end and the West Indian batsmen were barely surviving before the rains came to halt the action.

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Record breaking Federer overpowers Roddick in epic Wimbledon final

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

It’s quite extraordinary how the sport of tennis keeps producing great characters who win the hearts of the millions with their artistry. Almost every era has had a living legend having charmed the followers of the game.

It was the turn of Roger Federer of Switzerland to rewrite the tennis history on July 5. By overpowering Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon 2009 final he has now become the greatest men's champion. It was his sixth Wimbledon crown and also a record 15th Grand Slam title.

The Swiss master broke the record of Pete Sampras who was watching the action in the Royal Box along with fellow legends Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver.

When Sampras had set the record in 2002 by winning the US Open final, not many people expected it to be bettered. But the emergence of the hugely talented Federer changed the course of history and it had appeared a matter of time for the record to be broken and it finally has happened.

The 27-year-old Federer, however, was made to work extremely hard to earn the sixth Wimbledon title and his duel with Roddick lasted no less than four hours and 16 minutes as it went to the wire. He had to bring all his expertise into play to overcome his threatening rival with the scores of 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 16-14.

Victory always tastes sweeter after such epic contests and Federer had every reason to feel on top of the world after having finally floored Roddick who had simply refused to give up. He ensured that there was no repeat of the last year’s final when he had been edged out in five-set final by his nemesis Rafael Nadal.

Federer must have become accustomed to withstanding the courageous fightbacks from his rivals. He has been engaged in numerous close battles and quite remarkably he has emerged triumphant more often than not. 

Federer was certainly tested to his limits by Roddick and the tennis fans were kept glued to their seats wherever they were because the outcome was in doubt. History of sorts was created as Federer and Roddick fought it out what became the longest fifth set in Wimbledon's history.

Federer, like a true champion, kept his cool even at the tightest and tensest moments. He was observed motivating himself with a quietly growled Come-on. His Come-ons were not as loud or as aggressive as many of the past legends but there was no lack of intensity as he went for the kill.

“Tennis is cruel sometimes. I went through some five setters in Grand Slam finals too and ended up losing. It's hard. He [Roddick] did great. He's not going to let his head hang down. He's going to come back strong and play great in the States. I think it's one of the best matches we played against each other. I really thought I had to play my very, very best to come through,” a visibly exhausted Federer observed after completing the most significant triumph of his illustrious career yet. 

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Chief Justice approached for taking note of PCB irregularities

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary, has been approached for taking suo motto action against the former officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) having been found guilty of massive financial irregularities by the Auditor General of Pakistan.

Razaullah Khan, the longest serving council member of the PCB, who has been known and feared for calling a spade a spade, has once more taken the initiative of bringing to book the people having been engaged in malpractices of the highest order.

“Yes I have submitted a request to the Chief Justice for taking a suo motto action against Dr Nasim Ashraf, Shafqat Naghmi and others who have been found involved in the embezzlement of funds to the tune of Rupees seven billion,” Razaullah Khan remarked in an interview recently.

“Alongwith my application to the Chief Justice I have submitted a copy of the report of the Auditor General of Pakistan that details the corrupt practices of the PCB officials. I have 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 have communicated to the Chief Justice that I have 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 has compiled the report after they had been 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 revealed.

“Now when the report has come out and it has been very clearly pointed out that the former officials of the PCB were guilty of financial embezzlement there is no reason why they should not taken to task. I have appealed to the Chief Justice to take suo motto action and register a case against them,” Razaullah Khan 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.

“It was a common belief that Dr Nasim Ashraf and Shafqat Naghmi were running the affairs of the PCB at their whims. The recent report by the Auditor General of Pakistan has only confirmed that they have deprived the nation of billions of rupees,” Razaullah Khan believed.

He 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 masters.

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