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olympics For
squash great Jansher Khan life begins again at 40 cricket Left-armer
Chaminda Vaas joins elite 400-wicket ODI club olympics United States' Michael Phelps picked up a record eight gold medals in swimming. He broke the previous record of compatriot Mark Spitz, who had grabbed seven gold medals at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972, also in swimming By Gul Hameed Bhatti The 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games got over last Sunday. But the post mortem goes on. It will
continue to be performed for many weeks in the near future, before other
sporting The tally of medals attained by various countries has been a topic under discussion from even before the Olympiad got under way. It continued while the mega event was actually on and it has been laid threadbare by the critics over the last full week. How many of the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of the participating nations picked up at least a medal each? Which were the top medal-winning countries? Which contestants went without any medals? Which nations have never won a medal at the Olympic Games? These were just some
of the questions that have almost plagued the minds of the This was a medal in hockey. After capturing three gold medals in the sport, in addition to three silver and two bronze for a total of eight, Pakistan's victorious run in Olympics hockey has run dry. There have been only two individual medals at this level attained by Pakistani athletes -- a bronze in wrestling at Rome 1960 and another bronze in boxing at Seoul 1988. But even that was twenty years ago. The facts and figures regarding the medals haul for various countries after Beijing is quite revealing. Of the record 204 NOCs represented in 2008, only 87 nations managed to gain at least a medal each. The other 117 got nothing. Thus, Pakistan should in fact take heart from the observation that they are not alone on this planet. There were seven
countries which won their first ever medals of any kind at the BAHRAIN'S GOLD MOST SIGNIFICANT Of the very first medals that a country picked up at the Olympic Games, the gold won by Bahrain's Rashid Ramzi was certainly the most significant. Ramzi out-sprinted the pack to win his country's first medal in the men's 1500 metres in a time of 3:32.94 minutes. The Moroccan-born Ramzi had made the semifinals of the 1500m event in Athens 2004. He had since gone on to make history by becoming the first man to win the 800m and 1500m at the same world championships, with his double success in Paris in 2005. The men's long jump final ended with a gold for Panama when reigning world champion Irving Saladino, 25, became the first Panamanian to win gold in an Olympic Athletics event and the second to win an Olympic medal. Track sprinter Lloyd Labeach brought Panama its other two Olympic medals at the 1948 London Games, two bronzes in both the 100m and 200m. By the time he had progressed to the finals, 2007 world champion Saladino had marked himself as the outstanding favorite for the 2008 Beijing Olympic gold. Saladino had what quite a few of his most qualified competitors had been lacking in this summer's Games -- consistency. He made a medal-winning jump of 8.34 metres. Although the now war-torn Afghanistan appeared in their first Olympic Games way back in 1936 at Berlin, and have since made it to 12 events out of 17, they had not won a medal before the 21-year-old Rohullah Nikpai took bronze in the men's -58kg taekwondo at Beijing. For Pakistan's western neighbour, this has been its biggest sporting achievement in years. Bruno Julie of Mauritius won for his country its first Olympic medal, a bronze, in the men's bantamweight (54kg) boxing competition. Serbia first featured in the Olympic Games back in 1912 at Stockholm, but then appeared as part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and at Athens 2004 as Serbia & Montenegro. The latter got into the Beijing Olympiad as a separate entity and Serbia earned their first Olympic medals. They, in fact, got three. One was a silver in men's swimming, a bronze in men's singles tennis -- through Novak Djokovic -- and another bronze in men's water polo. Sudan's first Olympic medal is a silver, gained by Ismail Ahmed Ismail in the men's 800 metres race. Tajikistan got a silver (in wrestling) and a bronze (in judo) at Beijing while little known Togo got a first bronze medal through Benjamin Boukpeti in the canoe/kayak-slalom event. LITTLE JOY FOR SAARC COUNTRIES While India and Afghanistan won medals at the Beijing Olympic Games, the other six members of the South Asian Association for Regional Corporation (SAARC) -- who have competed in 10 South Asian Federation (SAF) Games now known simply as the South Asian Games -- failed to win any. Pakistan, of course, have 10 previous medals to their credit, including three gold, but the remainder -- apart from Sri Lanka -- have never been successful in their various Olympiad appearances. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal have no Olympic medals in their kitty. India have been the most successful with as many as 11 medals in hockey alone -- eight gold, a silver and two bronze. At Beijing, they won their Olympic Games gold through rifle shooter Abhinav Bindra. They, in fact, got three this time. A bronze each was won in boxing and wrestling. This was India's best Olympics ever, previously they had not won more than two medals at a time. Now, they have a total of 20 to their credit. Sri Lanka had gained two Olympic medals -- a silver and a bronze -- both in athletics, one in 1948 and the other 52 years later at Sydney 2000. Sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe has since had her bronze converted to silver after Marion Jones of the United States had to surrender her gold from Sydney as she admitted to a doping offence. Jayasinghe appeared in the 200 metres event at Beijing -- she was also her country's flag bearer at the march past -- and after clearing her heat and the quarter-finals got into the semis. There she finished seventh and did not advance. RECORD REPRESENTATION OF NATIONS As mentioned earlier, 204 of the 205 Olympic fraternity members took part at Beijing, which was a record, up three from Athens 2004. Brunei Darussalam withdrew at the last moment as they failed to register their two athletes. Marshall Islands, Montenegro and Tuvalu made their debut at the Olympic Games. As many as thirty (30) nations competed with at least a 100 participants each, hosts Peoples Republic of China leading the way with a total of 639 out of 11,028 in all. China also ran away with the most gold medals, 51 out of a tally of an exact 100. United States took 110 medals, of which 36 were gold. The US competed with 596 athletes. Four countries sent only one athlete each. These were Dominica, Grenada, Nauru and the United Republic of Tanzania. A total of 71 nations were represented by five athletes or less. Naturally, thus, attention was focused on the outstanding individual performers. United States' Michael Phelps picked up a record eight gold medals in swimming. He broke the previous record of compatriot Mark Spitz, who had grabbed seven gold medals at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972, also in swimming. There were as many as 132 participants at Beijing who took at least two medals each. Apart from Phelps, there were four men and women who claimed three gold medals each. Jamaica's Usain Bolt boggled the senses. He was certainly one of the top performers of the Games, also going on to break three world records -- in both the 100 and 200 metres sprints as well as the 4x100 metres relay. Australia's Stephanie Rice in women's swimming, Great Britain's Chris Hoy in men's cycling-track and China's Kai Zou in men's gymnastics also bagged three gold medals each. Among the double gold medallists, Germany's Britta Steffen (women's swimming), Angelo Taylor of the US (men's athletics), Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba (women's athletics) and Kenenisa Bekele (men's athletics), Great Britain's Rebecca Adlington (women's swimming) and China's table tennis players Yining Zhang (women's) and Lin Ma (men's) stood out. The United States' Natalie Coughlin took six medals in women's swimming -- one gold, three silver and three bronze. Nastia Liukin, also of the US, won five medals in women's gymnastics -- one gold, three silver and one bronze. Woman swimmer Kirsty Coventry bagged all of Zimbabwe's four medals. These included a gold in addition to three silvers. The
writer is Group Editor Sports of 'The News' gulhbhatti@hotmail.com bhatti.gulhameed@gmail.com BEIJING
OLYMPICS 2008 Country G S B Total 1 China 51 21 28 100 2 United States 36 38 36 110 3 Russian Fed 23 21 28 72 4 Great Britain 19 13 15 47 5 Germany 16 10 15 41 6 Australia 14 15 17 46 7 Korea 13 10 8 31 8 Japan 9 6 10 25 9 Italy 8 10 10 28 10 France 7 16 17 40
For squash great Jansher Khan life begins again at 40 'I personally believe being deprived of at least three Olympic medals, probably gold medals, during my career,' says Jansher who saw three Olympic Games pass by while he was the world's number one player by a big margin By Khalid Hussain On June 15 this year,
Jansher Khan celebrated his 40th birthday in a way he had "I'd always wanted to spend one of my birthdays with just my sisters and my immediate family. It just happened that I managed to have one on my 40th birthday," says Jansher in an interview with 'The News on Sunday'. "My eldest sister is around 60 years old and she reminds me of my late mother," he says. Ten years after effectively giving up professional squash, Jansher is enjoying life with his family. A record eight-time World Open champion, who was the planet's number one squash player for ten consecutive years -- another record -- seldom gave time to his near and dear ones in his younger days. As a 17-year-old, Jansher shot to international fame by winning the world junior title in Brisbane in 1986 and for the next 13 years or so adopted the role of a journeyman, travelling to every nook and corner of the world and clinching international titles in places ranging from England to Japan and South Africa to Brazil. "I could rarely give time to my family in those days," he says. "It was just squash and more squash for me," recalls the man who turned out to be the last of Pakistan's squash emperors. Jansher began his squash as a lanky 12-year-old, who couldn't get enough of the game. "I was simply in love with the game and even after so many years that love is very much alive in me." A cocky young man, Jansher talked big even before becoming a world champion. When he was making his bones as a junior player, Jahangir Khan was the undisputed king of the squash world. He was simply unbeatable. But then came a young teenager from a modest Peshawar locality, telling the world that he is going to beat that 'unsquashable' champion. "They used to laugh at me," Jansher remembers with a smile. "Nobody took me seriously. They all thought I was insane." But Jansher wasn't mad. He became the reason why Jahangir's reign as the world champion ended in the early nineties. Jansher is the only player who could claim that he beat the great Jahangir again and again even when the champion was still in his prime. "Those were the days," says Jansher. "Today I believe part of my success was possible because I really wanted to be like Jahangir or even better than him." In his prime, Jansher claimed he was the greatest squash player ever. But now he has mellowed down a bit. "Jahangir is the greatest, there is no doubt about that. You can also count me in that category if you like." As a squash player, Jansher matched Jahangir's credentials apart from the coveted British Open title. Jahangir won it for a record ten times while Jansher could claim it on six occasions. But Jansher went on to lift eight World Open crown titles, two more than won by Jahangir. When Jansher played in the final of the 1998 British Open in Birmingham, I was there to cover it. In spite of badly injured knees, Jansher somehow managed to reach the final of the tournament through sheer willpower and past reputation. Had he beaten Peter Nicol -- who was then representing Scotland -- Jansher would have won his 100th international title. But he lost in the final and was never able to win any title again in spite of making a couple of comeback attempts after recovering from the knee problem. He turned out to be a victim of the nervous nineties. Does he regret not completing a century of titles? "I have no regrets," he replies. ìAllah has given more success during my career as a professional squash player than I had ever imagined. I couldn't have asked for more," he says. But this August, he did regret about one achievement he was 'deprived of' during an illustrious career. Not really a TV buff, Jansher did take out time to watch the Olympics in Beijing and acknowledged the event's reputation as the world's greatest sporting spectacle. "Olympics are big," he says. "And I've always wondered why squash is not a part of this huge event." Jansher believes that he has been deprived of at least three Olympics medals by the Olympic bosses who have been ignoring squash for years. "I remember playing in the Spanish Open in Madrid in 1990 when the (then) president of the International Olympic committee (Juan Antonio) Samaranch visited the event. There was a lot of talk about squash becoming part of the Olympics at that time and the campaign continues even today but without any luck." He adds: "I personally believe being deprived of at least three Olympic medals, probably gold medals, during my career," says Jansher who saw three Olympic Games ñ Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta -- (1996) -- pass by while he was the world's number one player by a big margin. Jansher points out that squash has everything it takes to be an Olympic sport. "Squash is a challenging sport that is now played in more than 120 countries of the world. It's beyond my comprehension why it still can't make it to the Olympics." He laments the fact that even if squash is now included in the Olympics, chances of a Pakistani player winning a medal there would be very slim. And that brought us to the thorny subject of the present status of Pakistan squash. "Don't even ask about it," he says. "Seriously, our squash has gone from bad to worse over the years and I don't see any positive changes in the present scenario." Jansher claims that it is now up to former players like him and Jahangir to take up the challenge and produce future champions for Pakistan. "Pakistan can have world champions again," he stresses. "But there are no short-cuts. We will have to work on a 5-10 year plan to be able to become world champions again." Jansher has asked Jahangir to join him in his 'save Pakistan squash campaign'. "As players we won a lot of laurels for this country," he says. "I firmly believe that we can still do a lot for Pakistan squash to help regain its lost glory." Jansher plans to launch a talent-hunt drive soon and will be sniffing for young blood in several parts of the country especially his native Peshawar. "I want to find around 10 boys aged around 8 to 10 and train them for the future," he says. He has been talking about such an academy for years now without taking any action on the project. Is he serious now? "I am dead serious and believe I can do it," he asserts. "If I'm able to produce a world champion for Pakistan I'll count it as my 100th title," he signs off. Only time will tell whether, the great Jansher will be able to complete his century. The
writer is Sports Editor of 'The News' Karachi khalidhraj@gmail.com
cricket All stakeholders and other elements of the civil society need to sit together and devise a new national code of conduct. There must be an airing of complaints and an acknowledgement of sins. The debate should be no holds barred and free ranging By Dr Nauman Niaz There had been intense
pressure and it seemed that Dr Nasim Ashraf couldn't ride out Let us face it. While the resignation of Dr Nasim may defuse the crisis somewhat it would make him look bad. Retrospectively, Dr Nasim may seek to pin the blame of management failure, on bad advice but this will not reduce his personal culpability. He was the one who took the decisions and whatever the form of advice, he cannot escape responsibility. Why did Nasim resign promptly? He may also have calculated that while the dissent was getting intense -- and the way people were changing loyalties, this could translate into his automatic removal from power. He resigned and he may well have had a point because while political conditions predicate removals from power, there has to be a mechanism which actually, physically, makes it happen. Dr Nasim's tenure was like a dictatorship or a quasi democracy and it ended as he was metaphorically knocked down. Who is going to
replace Dr Nasim Ashraf? It isn't a million dollar question. Democracy
is Time has come that we need to invigorate all institutions -- sports and cricket in particular should have the first priority. The last regime, by its ham handed actions showed that nothing was sacred, whether the policies or the players. It's hapless spin doctoring with its simple credo of denial and untrue statistics, only added insult to the injury. Now what's next? A new national concord is a must. All stakeholders and other elements of the civil society need to sit together and devise a new national code of conduct. There must be an airing of complaints and an acknowledgement of sins. The debate should be no holds barred and free ranging, a sort of truth and reconciliation commission. Out of this might emerge a consensus that can help this nation move forward -- there have been indicators but, it seems, it will not happen. Similarly in cricket we have to recognise new rules of the game. If we are ready to go down this road, we may have that elusive professional stability that has been lacking since long. It is a huge task and some may even consider it quixotic but without thinking the unthinkable, we don't stand a chance. Ijaz Butt, Pakistan's tenacious ex-opener and reserve wicket-keeper must have realised that there's no feeling in sports quite as deflating as launching your first draft, and finding that you have the third or last overall pick. Butt, to some is likely to replace Dr Nasim as PCB's next chairman. At 70 with tons of experience, if health permits, he shouldn't be a bad choice. Except maybe when he deliberately sits down at the one yard-line because other power players have started manipulating -- that's not a pleasant feeling. Butt, candid, straightforward and an impressive gentleman has had his best days in cricket. And if brought in the position of power, he should be able to function reasonably, but as far as it goes, having the first pick is as bad as it gets.In this draft-game Arif Ali Khan Abbasi, ex-CEO of the PCB and Managing Director PIA and Majid Khan are potentially very useful players in the run. With Ijaz Butt the hottest bet, his political clout being the strongest at the epicentre, still picking at the turn is difficult. Arif and Majid are also front runners, with a particular group filtering Lieutenant General Tauqir Zia's name in the PPP circles. You're looking at second-tier backs, and this group can be a minefield. Zaheer Abbas has also jumped in the fray. These are horrible stretches. If you enter the draft without any sense of where specific players are likely to get picked, then there's a very good chance that you'll hate your team at the end of the day. That's why we need to discuss. There are arguments to be made for Zaheer Abbas and even Majid Khan too. Zaheer, one feels hasn't been at the top tier of management whilst Majid presumably is too straightforward, too eccentric and too rigid a man to end up in negotiated settlements. Ignore these names for a moment. And add another. Aamer Sohail? He could be reliable, too, of course. It's easy to be seduced by his virtues when picking at the turn. He never misses finer points and he delivers a remarkable number of touchdown passes. Nonetheless, he could be a new player in this league so his arrival has to be fantasy-wise. And then we have Intikhab Alam, stolid, composed and shrewd. Nonetheless it depends if he has his weight in the political circles or not. So we have plenty of hopefuls and everyone must be ready to stand up and take the challenge. Dr Zafar Altaf, to all is an ex-Federal Secretary, to me he is a philosopher. His choice could be enticing too. It's 2008 and paradise has already turned into hell. Where it is ritually complained that the PCB is weak, inconsistent, lacking in leadership, we now know exactly what the body will do on every issue before it. In case if the work-space and dynamics of cricket management has to be changed then its democratic tools have to become stable, its economy vital, and working should be beyond the dreams of avarice; PCB has to be reorganised, its size cut, obsolete manpower disposed of; that is to say, the emphasis has to move from taking the game to new frontiers for its benefit and furtherance. We also need to have a stable organisation not only supporting the national team but also providing content for the consumption of its domestic market. And in a lot of ways this is actually no big deal. And we have to keep in mind there are worse cultural values to be pervaded by; and well, most agendas are alike, no matter where they're from, and unlike India our commercial sectors are rapacious and vulgar. Over time, as the central social contradictions of the post-independence dispensation sought resolution, cricket participants adjusted to a series of syntheses that indicated the power of dictatorial process to sweep all before it. Regrettably, Pakistan cricket got confused, divided between self-interest and petty intrigues. One needed to locate the explanation for Fazal Mahmood's genius with the political fabric of the fatal player-power and regional divide discourse, affirming Pakistan cricket's right to re-define the methodology of the game, and redefine its aesthetic within the indigenous epistemology. Imran Khan's Pakistan in the 1980s until the most glorified cricketing moment, a win in the World Cup 1992 registered the fact that Pakistanis had become, not the best players, as was the case with the AH Kardar, Hanif Mohammad and Fazal Mahmood generation, but the best team in the world. Pakistanis in the 1990s didn't become the best team in spite of their history, but because of it, an argument whose supportive evidence is to be found within the power-conflict and its erosion with the arrival of top bowlers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Pakistan players basked in the glory of conquest, however weren't reminded of both the struggle for entry of their predecessors as well as the institutional work of people like AH Kardar and even Mian Mohammad Saeed. This was the time, when during victorious stints, top players lost their way, trudging on the self-destructive alleyways. Regrettably, inferior management and disruption of institutionalisation saw people changing the behaviour of the cricket organisation in order to claim and consume it as their own. This process of ownership couldn't be understood though described as gloriously Pakistani, a testament to our cross-roads culture and the survivalist mentality it has bred. One's concern is with the deep-seated political fragmentation that exists without our half-hearted and self-centered attempts at nation building. Cricket couldn't become a metaphor for it as it slipped into incompetent hands. Clearly, the tensions exist within this 'disrupted' institution we call the Pakistan cricket team; but these unhealed mentalities are worse as we go, though we have greater cause to be disturbed by the culture of mismanagement that permeates the financial business of the cricket establishment. One needs to outline clear views with respect to the uprooting of this low-productivity culture, and offer suggestions for reform, the problem of determining whose product is Pakistan cricket, remains central to the politics of management and the economics of financial distribution. One needs to put our predicaments on the table, and indicate wider parameters within which the discourse should take place.
Left-armer Chaminda Vaas joins elite 400-wicket ODI club 'The two Ws together made life miserable for batsmen. Wasim was a very clever bowler and he was much more lethal than any other while Waqar was totally different from his countryman' By Khurram Mahmood India beat hosts Sri
Lanka in the fourth One-day International at Colombo last week Though Sri Lanka lost the decisive fourth ODI, it became memorable for its premier fast bowler Chaminda Vaas. During the Indian innings when Yuvraj Singh was caught at short midwicket by Mahela Jayawardene, Chaminda Vaas joined the elite 400 ODI wickets club. Vaas is the second Sri Lankan and fourth bowler in the history of One-day Internationals to have achieved the feat. It was Vaas's 322nd ODI match. Former Pakistan captain and fast bowler Wasim Akram still leads the 400 plus club with a record 512 One-day International wickets. Sri Lanka's master spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is just behind him with 477 wickets while another Pakistani fast bowler Waqar Younis (416) stands at the third place. Having the longest name in the world of cricket -- Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas -- the left-arm pace bowler is one of the most successful new-ball bowlers Sri Lanka has ever produced. He has played a vital role for Sri Lankan cricket. He is also considered a valuable all-rounder due to his batting skills. He has scored 2,025 runs in One-day Internationals. Chaminda Vaas, now 34, has some records in his fold as he has the record of best bowling performance (8-19) in One-day Internationals, against Zimbabwe in Colombo in 2001. Vaas is only the third ODI bowler to have taken two hat-tricks in ODIs alongside Pakistan's Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq. He grabbed his hat-tricks against Zimbabwe in Colombo in 2001 and a unique record of taking three wickets in the first three balls of the match against Bangladesh in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. Vaas has taken five or more wickets in an ODI four times in his career so far. He has also bagged 348 wickets and scored 2,998 runs in 107 Tests matches he has played at an averge of 24.17 including one hundred and 13 fifties. In recent times, Vaas has cut down his pace and now mostly depends on his line, length and accuracy. But for quite sometime his wicket taking ability has been an issue of concern for his skipper Mahela Jayawardene due to which the opposition top orders were building their partnerships and scoring quickly. Though in the middle Muralitharan and now Ajantha Mendis can check the flow of runs and are also taking wickets, the solid foundation provided by Vaas has most of the time allowed the Sri Lanka team to prosper. Vaas bowled 148 deliveries for getting his 400th wicket after taking his 399th wicket of Indian opener Gautam Gambhir in the ODI series opener in Dambulla. According to Vaas the 1996 World Cup win is the biggest moment of his career. "There have been a few good performances along the way, but winning the World Cup remains the greatest memory," he recalled. With an open heart Vaas accepted that he was not the most naturally gifted cricketer of the island. "There were a lot of guys more talented than me, but I worked harder. Nothing comes easy, you've got to make the most of your talent. I work hard on my game." Regarding the other 400-wicket elite club members, Vaas paid tribute to Wasim and Waqar. "The two Ws together made life miserable for batsmen. Wasim was a very clever bowler and he was much more lethal than any other while Waqar was totally different from his countryman." Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jaywardene, paid his tribute to the lanky pacer for his contribution. "Vaas and Murali have done the job for us for quite some time now." The
writer works at 'The News on Sunday' in Karachi khurrams87@yahoo.com CHAMINDA
VAAS: ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL CAREER SUMMARY Mat Inns Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI Ave Econ SR 4w Asia XI 1 1 9.0 1 59 1 1/59 59.00 6.55 54.0 0 Sri Lanka 321 319 2620.1 278 10955 399 8/19 27.45 4.18 39.4 9 v Australia 40 40 348.3 26 1676 47 4/56 35.65 4.80 44.4 1 v Bangladesh 12 12 90.1 20 261 19 6/25 13.73 2.89 28.4 0 v Bermuda 1 1 6.0 3 11 1 1/11 11.00 1.83 36.0 0 v Canada 1 1 7.0 4 15 3 3/15 5.00 2.14 14.0 0 v England 30 30 252.4 25 1121 32 3/13 35.03 4.43 47.3 0 v ICC World XI 1 1 9.0 1 59 1 1/59 59.00 6.55 54.0 0 v India 61 60 474.4 45 2213 70 5/14 31.61 4.66 40.6 0 v Ireland 1 1 5.4 1 18 1 1/18 18.00 3.17 34.0 0 v Kenya 4 4 37.0 4 151 7 3/41 21.57 4.08 31.7 0 v Netherlands 1 1 6.0 2 11 1 1/11 11.00 1.83 36.0 0 v New Zealand 35 34 283.2 32 1089 49 5/39 22.22 3.84 34.6 3 v Pakistan 56 56 456.4 33 2012 61 3/30 32.98 4.40 44.9 0 v South Africa 34 34 275.3 26 1120 40 4/33 28.00 4.06 41.3 1 v West Indies 20 20 159.0 30 487 26 4/22 18.73 3.06 36.6 1 v Zimbabwe 25 25 218.0 27 770 42 8/19 18.33 3.53 31.1 3 Home 77 77 574.0 70 2229 81 8/19 27.51 3.88 42.5 1 Away 115 113 965.5 93 4235 151 5/39 28.04 4.38 38.3 6 Neutral 130 130 1089.2 116 4550 168 6/25 27.08 4.17 38.9 2
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activities attract the attention of countries and sports fans alike.
However, it would be interesting if the Olympics are viewed from yet
another angle after several others have already been looked at and got
over with.
sports enthusiasts. Of course, we know that Pakistan have returned home
empty-handed from their fourth successive Olympiad, since having failed
to win anything at Atlanta in 1996. Their last Olympic Games medal of
any kind was a bronze, which they gained at Barcelona in 1992.
Olympic Games. As many as eighty (80) nations have never won any medals.
There were thirty-eight (38) participants at Beijing, who had previously
collected medals at various Olympic Games but went without at the 2008
event earlier this month.
always wanted to. The list of invitees was quite short -- just his
immediate family (his wife and five kids) and six sisters. Even
Jansher's brothers including Mohibullah Khan -- his mentor -- were
ignored. It was a day-long party at his Peshawar residence with lots of
food and chatting.
the storm. Overstaying in the United States didn't help and returning
home he tendered his resignation on a flimsy excuse. It had to be
flimsy. Dr Nasim resigned keeping in view General Pervez Musharraf's
exit from the office of the President of Pakistan. Nonetheless, it
didn't really help him losing public face.
on a high in Pakistan. It's time that the ruling party with Mr Asif Ali
Zardari as its presidential choice must realise that he would be in the
middle of plentiful of horrible stretches. What does the future hold? In
simple terms we have been fooled by repackaging of policies and people.
and took an unassailable lead of 3-1 in the five-match ODI series. After
having lost the Test series 2-1, India bounced back in the shorter
version of the game and their young guns gave another title to their
lucky captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.