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cricket Are
the Greenshirts back on track? A few
steps to save Pakistan cricket football Mr
Cool Stephen Fleming says goodbye to international cricket Pakistan
cricket:
cricket The financial implications for the PCB might be daunting, and they need to devise some strategy to counter such a threat. If too many teams refuse to travel to Pakistan for security reasons, the PCB won't be able to make alternate arrangements overnight By Imran Farooqi Australia's refusal to honour their Future Test Programme (FTP) commitment has left Pakistan in a state of isolation. Though both the boards are giving the impression that the trip has actually been 'postponed' and not 'cancelled', in view of the pressing coming engagements of the two sides it is highly unlikely that the series will ever be held. It seems Pakistan will
have to make do with teams like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh to get some
cricket. Even roping Sri Lanka in has now become a bit tricky because of
their From the beginning Pakistan were reluctant to shift the series to Australia or any other country, whereas the Aussies were not prepared to come to Pakistan citing security reasons. Even the Pakistan Cricket Board's assurance of state level security to the visitors was not enough to persuade the Australians to soften their stance. The Australian players and the board's concern over the existing law and order condition in the country is quite genuine and understandable, but it does not seem to be the only reason behind their decision to shun the trip because the PCB had done everything under their control to allay those fears. Australia had had a gruelling Test and one-day series apart from a couple of Twenty20 games against Sri Lanka and India recently. They did win the Test rubbers against the two teams, but suffered a morale-shattering loss to India in the tri-series final. The win was no doubt historic from India's point of view -- their first one-day series triumph Down Under in 23 years -- it did create a massive dent in Australia's confidence and leave a question mark hanging over their reputation as the undisputed champions of limited-over cricket. After winning the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies the Aussies failed to qualify for the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup and then went down to a buoyant Indian side in the final edition of the triangular series. Australia are finding it difficult to come to terms with the loss which was their second in two years. The penultimate edition had seen them losing to arch foes England despite the fact the Aussies had won the preceding Ashes five-nil. These back-to-back losses have left a deep scar on their reputation and self-belief and they would certainly be looking to initiate some soul-searching exercises to find out the reason behind the sudden slump in their form. For this they need to spend some time away from the game. A brief period of mental and physical rest would enable them to assess and work on their weaknesses. Since several members of the current lot are scheduled to participate in the highly lucrative multi-million dollar Indian Premier League (IPL), why would they like to tour Pakistan instead 'putting their lives at great risk?' For teams like Australia, England, and New Zealand visiting places like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh is not always a very pleasant thought anyway. India cannot be included in this list because of its massive potential for tourism. By 'postponing' their Pakistan tour Australia are gaining on two fronts. One, they will have ample time to regroup and prepare themselves for their tour to the West Indies in May; two, they will be able to make a considerable amount of money by appearing in the IPL -- the newest phenomenon that has taken the cricketing world by storm. The Twenty20 cricket is not that taxing and is best for making quick bucks. The IPL certainly presents a more attractive option than a tour to Pakistan where conditions could be a lot tougher and requirements more demanding. On this issue Pakistan, as expected, could not get any support from India, who'll be organising the IPL next month. India enjoy an enviable clout at the ICC and could have used it to convince the Aussies to go ahead with their trip to Pakistan, but they did not. The IPL tops their priority list, all other things can wait. On their part, the ICC have stayed away from the matter and nothing positive can be expected from them. They are always quick to jump to the support of guilty whites, but when the victim is from the Asian states they invariably take a different stance and rules that are applied in white players' cases are not followed. Darrell Hair had caused irreparable damage to Pakistan cricket in 2006. Following Pakistan's relentless campaign he was dropped from the elite panel of umpires and has not since officiated at the Test or ODI level. Now that the dust has settled down a bit, the ICC has reinstated him and he will now be supervising games at the highest level again. Pakistan, of course, won't figure on the list of his assignments. India and Sri Lanka, too, have expressed their reservations over his performance on several occasions in past, yet he has been allowed to resume his international career after only 18 months. Had he been from an Asian country there's no way he could have thought of ever standing in an international game. But the silence maintained by the PCB officials over Hair's reinstatement is disgusting. Today he has been allowed to stand in international cricket, and tomorrow he might get a posting for Pakistan's matches. What will the PCB do then? There can be little doubt that Pakistan are the worst sufferers as far as boycotts by foreign teams are concerned. Australia have not toured during the last decade -- they last came here in 1998 -- whereas New Zealand and West Indies, too, have refused to complete or undertake their tours. If such a scenario exists for a couple more months Pakistan's hopes of hosting the ICC Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup may be seriously dashed. When one team is not willing to come to Pakistan, how can we expect so many countries to send their sides to a country that is nowadays more famous for bomb blasts and suicide bombings than its textile and agriculture sectors? In that case the financial implications for the PCB might be daunting, and they need to devise some strategy to counter such a threat. If too many teams refuse to travel to Pakistan for security reasons, the PCB won't be able to make alternate arrangements overnight. They need to start making preparations now before it's too late. Otherwise not only the people, but Pakistan's players also would be deprived of the sport we all love so much.
The outcome of the series would be having no bearing on the international ranking of the two teams, yet one should not discourage the younger lot for their improved show as compared to their disappointing outings abroad in recent years By Gul Nasreen Though not a big achievement, yet our national hockey team's improved performance in China recently is something to cheer about at least for a while. While those at the helm of the hockey affairs are profusely praising their lads for 'performing par excellence', some analysts term it as a 'flash in the pan'. Anyway, the recent win against the Asian silver-medallists has at least brought a temporary sigh of relief to the hockey lovers, who were dumbfounded after Pakistan's dismal show in the 29th Champions Trophy in Malaysia where Pakistan finished at seventh place -- the lowest for them in the history of the CT -- in Kuala Lumpur in December last year. The 3-2 Test series win at Changzhou has at least revived the fans' trust in the 'cricketers-like' inconsistent hockeywallas, who face a stiff challenge ahead at the Beijing Olympics in August this year. Coming back to their show in China recently, Pakistan started the series on a very disturbing note by losing the first encounter. However, they won three consecutive matches afterwards by outclassing the hosts (China) with impressive margins. Their game was at the peak when they beat China 5-0 in the fourth match at Changzhou taking a lead of 3-1 in the series. The general impression after the fourth match was that Pakistan will stretch their lead to 4-1 and will win the last match also very convincingly to further bamboozle the hosts. However, in the fifth and final match, they appeared to be complacent to the core of their hearts. They did not seem to be resolute to do something. Not opting for aggression, they yielded to the 'attacking hockey' of the hosts, who beat them convincingly 4-0. Winning a match by 5-0 and then losing another one by 4-0 is something that makes one think twice before terming the Pakistan's 3-2 series win as a 'convincing' and consistent one. Instead of going for a 'kill' after taking 3-1 comfortable lead in the series, they only showed complacency within their ranks. It was only after China took a 2-0 lead in the match, that Pakistan tried hard to make a comeback but it was too late then and all their efforts fizzled out as the hosts' defense withstood the pressure in style. China dominated them in almost all departments of the game. Pakistan totally nullified the earlier impression that by keeping the defence tight and closing all the gaps and with 'going-well' deep defenders, they will not allow the Chinese forwards to penetrate into their striking area. On the contrary, the Chinese players scored at will. Individually, forward Shakeel Abbasi was consistent in scoring in this particular series. The way he used to storm the opponents' goal area by netting goals after beating the defenders and custodian of the goal was a treat to watch. The magnificent striker Shakeel Abbasi, displaying a deadly form in the series, flicked the ball home from acute angles on more than one occasion. The former captain Rehan Butt, who was dropped from last year's November-December Champions Trophy in Malaysia, equally played well. He executed many an excellent move from the midfield. Recalled centre-half Muhammad Saqlain, who was out of the team for quite sometime, was a totally changed man as he played in a very disciplined way, silencing his detractors who were deadly against his inclusion in the team, citing his past undisciplined moves on the ground for which he was fined and even banned on more than one occasion. With his brilliant assistance and intelligent moves and by settings up the attackers with precision, the Pakistan forwards were just unstoppable at times. It may be mentioned here that Pakistan had tried to strengthen its team for the series by making a number of changes in the side. The 18-member team was named by the new selection committee of which hockey great Islahuddin Siddiqui is the chairman after he was replaced by Khawaja Zakauddin as manager-coach of the Pakistan team till the August Beijing Olympics. Three former captains -- Rehan Butt, Salman Akbar and Mohammad Saqlain -- were playing in the team. Most importantly, Zeeshan Ashraf handled the squad that included three former captains well on the ground. Another striking was of the series was that it provided maximum opportunities to new faces, who played up to expectations to a certain extent. As many as five players -- Irfan Aslam, Fareed Ahmed, Mohammad Atiq, Mohammad Zubair and Shafqat Rasool -- of the Pakistan juniors team were part of this senior squad. Among the younger lot, the energetic Waqas Sharif emerged as a prolific scorer as he used to switch to the centre in style on a number of occasions. The half line which included many newcomers functioned well and with deep defender Mohammad Atiq, who was a newcomer in the side, the defense was good in most of the encounters. Forwards Waqas Sharif and Shafqat Rasool and Haider Abbas were really giving their best. The forwards both experienced and newcomers -- Waqas Sharif, Rehan Butt, Shakeel Abbasi, Shafqat Rasool, Mohammad Zubair and Haider Abbas -- were combining well and were well assisted by the midfielders. Some hockey detractors are of the view that Pakistan's 3-2 win over China is not a recognised one by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) as it carried no importance for the FIH as the matches were supervised by Chinese Umpires. But they seem to be wrong in their assumption. A win is 'win' after all. It's true that the outcome of the series would be having no bearing on the international ranking of the two teams, yet one should not discourage the younger lot for their improved show as compared to their disappointing outings abroad in recent years. These analysts also attribute the Pakistan's win in the second, third and fourth matches against the hosts to the changes in the Chinese national team. They term it as victories against the second string of China and not a full Chinese national outfit. However, the need of the hour is that such negative criticism should be avoided to devalue the lads' victories against China. There is no denying the fact that their overall show is a manifestation of their earlier 'inconsistency', yet winning the series at this juncture of time when the team is facing a stiff challenge ahead in the form of Beijing Olympics, they should be encouraged in their endeavors. The victory is also significant in the backdrop of China's standing in Asian hockey. The fact is that China in recent years has emerged as a force to reckon with in Asian hockey. China's victory over Pakistan in the 2006 Doha Asian Games semifinal and the humiliation former champions Pakistan had suffered to finish third behind China speaks volumes of the China's better performance than Pakistan in Asian hockey. To conclude one would also agree with the statement of the team manager-cum-coach, who was quoted to have said: "Basically it was a training tour and the objective was to give team members exposure of foreign country as well as to adapt to the conditions of China where the team would again visit in August for Olympics Games."
The PCB has been applying a strategy of making a few former cricketers as their friends and rest their foes. This is purely nonsensical By
Khurram Shahzad Cricket is the richest and best organised sport of the country. With its large network of associations and clubs, it is also prosperous in raw talent. And above all, a strong board is looking after and supervising everything. But, this vast infrastructure, extraordinary glamour and a flow of money could not get us a big win in the last two decades. After winning the 1992
World Cup, we gradually fell to low standards in international
competitions and besides qualifying for 1999 World Cup final, we failed
to win any of big events. Surprisingly, Pakistan's winning rate was much better in the 1980s and early 1990s when money and glamour was relatively less in the game than today. When Pakistan started adding luxuries and modernism into the game, they slowly lost the top positions, which were once specified for them. The governments kept changing the cricket board administrations with every new set-up at the federal level but none could meet the expectations of the people. In 2000 President Musharraf appointed Lt Gen Tauqir Zia as PCB Chairman to improve the game and ensure discipline. After a few years, he went away gifting a good network of stadiums and academies to national cricket but without any major change in results and players' attitudes. He was followed by diplomat Shaharyar M Khan, who could only revive the bilateral series with India. Then a professional doctor, Nasim Ashraf, brought in the corporate culture, more money and league cricket. However, the fans are still waiting for a cheerful win by our national team. All the managements of the cricket board in recent years surely did their best to bring our national team at par with Australia, South Africa, England and other top teams. But there are many areas which have been ignored by all of them, which may be a reason of our downfall. The key points are as under: (1) The selection process for our national team has been badly spoiled with the passage of time. Nobody could ensure the merit for selection of selectors and players. Even after getting paid selectors, we are unable to guarantee the accurate selection of the final playing XIs. This is one major element which is halting our performance and one of the hurdles. The PCB must ensure a selection committee and process which should be above of all kinds of pressure. Not only the national team but outfits of every level should be chosen purely on merit. (2) The age factor is another element which has affected the performance of our players. Normally we get a youngster in the national pool at U-16 level. But, majority of the players who succeed in getting selected at this level, are over age. Their selection becomes possible only by their pushers those are associations and influential people. This overage dilemma surrounds all other levels including the national team. Our top all-rounders usually reach the limit of 40s before retirement and the talented youngsters waste their precious and peak time in waiting. The board should not compromise while preferring upcoming junior players over old and out of form regular members of the team. This will not only encourage the youngsters and add variety to national teams but also put pressure on relatively permanent members of team to perform. (3) The present board has taken a much effective step of involving all regional bodies in decision making. But it has failed like all predecessors on the issue of lobbying and power groups within the board management and team. These groups have been formed by some officials, former players, parents of players and a few media persons. These are backdoor powerbrokers that not only impact the policies of the board but also influence the formation of team and board itself. Their negative role must be restricted in Pakistan Cricket. (4) Terrorism has spoiled social sector activities in the country. Cricket is also one of the departments hit by this element. Refusal of visits by top international teams like Australia has badly damaged the game in country. It is understood that the PCB is helpless in this regard, but they should take remedial steps to provide alternate quality competitions to local fans. Because, absence of international teams from Pakistan will not only damage the PCB financially but the game will also be hurt in popularity. (5) A few officials of the board have been 'all in all' of everything from the last many years. This has made the board structure stagnant as they have been using the same old tactics to keep their grip over various affairs. A way out is needed to be found for enhancement of their performance. (6) The PCB has been applying a strategy of making a few former cricketers friends and rest foes. It is purely nonsensical. They should devise a plan to take everyone along and use the experience and wisdom of every cricketer, and not of only those who are part of pressure groups. (7) The country has now sufficient grounds and academies in the country. But their proper use is required and professional training should be shifted to grassroots, which is the villages, government schools and street teams: because raw talent comes from there. People at the helm of affairs are certainly aware of all these issues. But implementation of an accurate policy to settle them is need of the hour. The top boss must take his personal interest to remove all these drawbacks. We have been grounded in all other sports but hopes still rest with cricket. If the authorities don't take such steps in time, we may not be able to overcome the disaster after a few years. More and more leagues, over the years, both at national and international levels have been introduced in the footballing circuit which has further boosted the development and progress of the game By Muhammad Shahbaz Zahid Football is as big a sport as it can get. With billions of followers worldwide, the game is growing at a rapid pace every day. More and more leagues, over the years, both at national and international levels have been introduced in the footballing circuit which has further boosted the development and progress of the game. From Asia to Europe
and Africa to America, the game of football (called soccer in some And the most important part of the footballing spirit is its players, who take the liking for the game up to a different echelon. They are the ones who portray their skills on the field, create huge fan following, wave the flags of their countries and give their best to win trophies and honours for their teams -- be it their national or club. Let's take a look at some of the biggest names in the games who are considered to be the best footballers on the planet. CRISTIANO RONALDO: Not a lookalike but having a similar name that of Brazil's legendary striker Ronaldo, the Portuguese wonder-kid has taken over the football world by storm. Born in Funchal, the 23-year-old can play in different roles on the field -- most prominently as a striker, a winger or even in the midfield. Ronaldo, after playing for local club Sporting Lisbon in his early days, was signed up by English club Manchester United in 2003. And since then, his journey towards the top tier of best footballers in the world has been unstoppable. Ronaldo's stature grew so much early on that he was only able to play just 2 matches for the national U-21 team and invited for the senior camp quickly. To honour his form and contributions on the field, he has been given 53 chances to play for the national senior team, during which he has scored sixteen goals. An embarrassing moment during the 2006 World Cup in Germany occurred when Portugal defeated England on penalties in the quarter-finals. Ronaldo was accused of playing a trick against his Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney during the match, which led to Rooney's sending off. Though it was expected that Ronaldo would receive harsh treatment from Rooney as well as from English and Manchester United fans, but Ronaldo's heroics for the club helped him stop his image from getting tarnished. This season has been the breakthrough spell for Ronaldo. Though nobody doubted his class and technique before, but Ronaldo, has this season, silenced his strongest of critics after having scored at will for his club. He is the top goalscorer for now in the English Premier League (EPL) after scoring an impressive 25 goals in the league (stats updated till 27th of March). After winning the FA and League Cups and a Community Shield with United, Ronaldo helped the English giants to yet another League title in 2007 and his 34 goals (in all competitions) this season surely guarantees the Red Devils of yet another crown, at least that of EPL. To cap that, United are also in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League and with Ronaldo is such superb nick, a European crown for the team from Manchester after their wonderful triumph in 1999 looks strong on the cards. Ronaldo's form has been so brilliant that he just broke United legend George Best's goalscoring record recently and was amongst the top three footballers of the world in recent ceremony. LIONEL MESSI: The new Maradona in the making could become even better in a few years time if he continues on with his energy and enthusiasm that has made him one of the most wanted names in the game. The Argentine prodigy, born in Rosario, has emerged as the most prolific talent available. After joining Barcelona's youth system in 2000, the 20-year-old Messi has settled in Spain quite well. After making his official debut for Barca in 2004, Messi helped his club in winning two successive Primera Liga (Spanish league) titles and a Champions League crown against Arsenal in the 2006 final. And it wasn't the first time that Messi has tasted success on the field. Messi was the player of the tournament when he led Argentina U-20s to World Cup title in 2005. The same year, he made his debut for the senior team. Messi was also an integral part of Argentina's 2006 World Cup campaign. Since joining Barca's senior team, Messi has scored 41 goals for them in 100 matches (in all competitions). Messi is a player fast as lightening and has the ability to tear apart defences. His control on the ball is unbelievable and passing skills are exceptional as well. Messi was announced as the second best player in the world (in 2007) awards but he promises he will grab the top spot soon. Though he has been hampered with injuries over the last one year, his charisma and style makes him the most valuable asset Barca and Argentina have these days. FRANCK RIBERY: Smallish in stature but big at heart, the Frenchman, born in Boulogne-sur-Mer, is the next Zinedine Zidane on the horizon. After making his name for Turkish club Galatasaray in 2005, Ribery signed up for French giants Marseille five months later. That's where the true success story started. Ribery, the 24-year-old, had two successful seasons with Marseille and was on top of the wish-lists everywhere as soon as the transfer windows opened. Ribery helped Marseille finished second in 2006-07 season which could have made his wish come true of playing in the Champions League but he chose for another option. He joined Germany's big guns Bayern Munich, who themselves failed to qualify for the elite European competition this season. Ribery had attracted another big clubs such as Spanish champions Real Madrid and England's Arsenal after his successful run in the World Cup for France, helping them reach the final, but his decision to join Bayern stunned many. For Bayern's fans, this season has been enormous as Ribery has shown his true class. Bayern are on top of the ladder in Germany and are eyeing the league title after their failure last season. Ribery has teamed up beautifully with other new Bayern signings such as Italy's Luca Toni and Germany's Miroslav Klose. Ribery is firing on all cylinders at the moment and it wouldn't be a surprise to any one if he reaches the heights once his former teammate Zidane reached in the sporting world. KAKA: He is the most wonderful player present at the moment. The heartthrob of millions of fans around the world, the Brazilian ace has won and achieved everything that is to be won and achieved in the world of football. The 25-year-old, who was born in Brasilia, started playing for local side Sao Paulo, who were themselves the biggest club in Brazil at that moment. In 2003, Italian hotshots AC Milan brought Kaka for a hefty sum and since then Milan have revolved around him. Kaka is also an important member in the Brazil squad. He was a part their World Cup-winning team in 2002 and helped Brazil reach the quarter-finals of the following edition. With Brazil, he has also won the Confederations Cup in 2005. It's the club which has showered more spotlight on Kaka. After winning the Serie A (Italian league) a year after joining Milan, Kaka also won the Italian Super Cup the same year. Going across the continent of Europe, his famousness grew more after Milan won the UEFA Super Cup in 2003 and 2007 and the coveted Champions League title last year as well. The win against Liverpool in 2007 was the highlight of Kaka's career. He grabbed all the honours available after that victory including the World Player of the Year award -- an achievement that every player dreams of. A total of sixteen individual awards were given to Kaka -- another breathtaking feat -- which has cemented his name in the list of greatest ever players seen on the football pitch. WAYNE ROONEY: The 22-year-old striker is one of the few good players England has produced in recent times. Born in Liverpool, Rooney grew up supporting Everton, a team from Merseyside, and went on to play for them. In October 2002, Rooney became the youngest ever goalscorer in the EPL history (though this record has been broken afterwards). Rooney stayed for two seasons at Everton and later joined Manchester United, who offered him a 31-million pound deal. He thus got the honour of being the most expensive teenage football player. It was a dream start of Rooney in a United shirt when he scored a hat-trick for them against Fenerbahce in their Champions League match. Rooney's fortunes have changed since then as he has won the EPL title, a Community Shield and a League Cup with United. FA Cup seems to be missing from his collection after United finished runners-up in 2005 and 2007. Rooney is an important part of the Lions -- the English national team -- and sometimes plays as a lone striker provided by a backup from a strong midfield which includes the likes of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. England hasn't found a good striker since the early days of Michael Owen and though Owen has returned to the starting XI, Rooney still remains the man to lead England. The
writer is a staff member at 'The News' Karachi shehnu@gmail.com
Mr Cool Stephen Fleming says goodbye to international cricket He was a source of great strength to New Zealand in the top order, whether clipping the ball off his legs, directing the ball square off the wicket or launching into drives By Khurram Mahmood Former New Zealand captain ended his International career on a disappointing note as his team lost the last match and the three-Test series against England by 2-1 at Napier last week. However, personally Fleming scored fifties (59 and 66) in both innings of his last appearance, but the home side failed to make the Test and series memorable for its former skipper's farewell. In February 1997 when
regular skipper Lee Germon missed a Test due to fitness Stephen Fleming was respected as one of the finest captains in the current world of cricket. He was an aggressive leader. He led New Zealand in every Test -- except the home Test series against South Africa in 1997 -- for the next eight years. Under his leadership the Black Caps won their first major tournament when New Zealand beat India in the final of the first ICC Champions Trophy at Nairobi in October 2000. He was the most successful Test captain for his country -- leading New Zealand to victory 28 times and winning Test series against India, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. In Test cricket, he has played 111 matches and scored 7172 with a respectable average of over 40 with the help of nine centuries and 46 half-centuries. A total of 171 catches are also in his fold. He led the New Zealand in 80 Tests, the second-highest tally after Allan Border's 93 Tests as skipper. Under Fleming's leadership New Zealand won 28 Tests and lost 27 while 25 Tests ended as drawn. As skipper his batting performance was much better as compared to as non-captain. He hit eight centuries out of nine scored as skipper. Most batsmen feel comfortable on their home grounds and score more runs than when playing abroad. But surprisingly Fleming's overseas average (45.92) in 57 Tests is much better than his home average of 33.87 in 54 Tests. As a fielder too, Fleming was one of the leading catchers with 171 catches, only behind Austalia's Mark Waugh's record 181 catches. Stephen Paul Fleming made his first-class debut in January 1992 for Canterbury in Hamilton at the age of 18, but failed to open his account and was out for a duck. His first major innings came in his debut Test against India at Hamilton when he scored 92 and received the Man of the Match award. On his ODI debut also against India at Napier he missed his first hundred and was run out on 90 off 107 deliveries. He took 23 Tests to score his first hundred when he made 129 against England in Auckland in January 1997. In 2004, Fleming was declared New Zealand's Cricketer of the Year after his tremendous performance including his highest Test score (274 not out) against Sri Lanka in Colombo and 192 against Pakistan in Hamilton. Fleming's presence and leadership qualities had a tremendous impact on the team and he will be missed by the Black Caps. He has made a huge contribution to cricket in New Zealand. When the opening pair failed to get settled in One-day Internationals, he took the responsibility and promoted himself as an opener. He has also scored three centuries and 15 half-centuries as an opener. He scored his career best score of 134 not out against South Africa also as an opener. He was a source of great strength to New Zealand in the top order, whether clipping the ball off his legs, directing the ball square off the wicket or launching into drives. Fleming has evolved as a batsman and there is a marked improvement in his off-side play. He has also provided the New Zealand team with a great sense of continuity and stability. In July 2004 Fleming led his side to victory in the tri-series with West Indies and England. New Zealand cruised to a 107-run win in the final against West Indies at Lord's and Fleming was named Player of the Series for his 254 runs at 50.80. Fleming continued his outstanding performance with 202 against Bangladesh in Chittagong in October 2004 and became not only New Zealand's most capped Test player but also surpassed Martin Crowe's highest Test run record of 5444. Fleming has a record 218 ODIs as captain with a winning percentage of 48.04. In October 2006 he broke Arjuna Ranatunga's record of 193 One-day Internationals as captain and became the world's most experienced ODI leader. In April last year he quit as New Zealand's limited-overs captain after being beaten in the semifinal of the World Cup in Kingston. In February this year he announced his retirement from Tests, effective after the home series against England.
Pakistan
cricket: Umar Gul is a strong guy both mentally and emotionally and may well be able to return to international cricket By Dr Nauman Niaz Pakistan cricket is a dead space, a story of missed opportunities. For how long more we will see it being decimated, persistently asking for a burial -- for how long we would live ensnared in the traps of the non-technocrats being asked to administer country's top sport, with them trying to consistently fogging our minds, challenging our intelligence, our thoughts running in all directions, thoroughly confused and fears of cricket's survival looming larger than even on a horizon like absolute darkness? With so much deceit
and falsehood in our work-space, in every direction, so much There are some of those nagging questions that simply refuse to go away as we face each day, the newspapers and television channels not slapping us with bad news, not confounding us more and more, not expounding on and on. They tell us that everything is brilliant, that Dr Nasim Ashraf has done marvellously and that the game in the country is on the rise, climbing the skies. Some of the stories they tell are good, some true and some incisive but they do precious little to clear the cobwebs into which all Pakistan cricket seem to have gotten entangled -- on most occasions, our game has been run by inept, incapable and absurdly self-centered non-technocrats. Out there we have a meeting of the Board of Governors and now have a separate Director for Domestic Cricket. The Chairman PCB in his recent press conference smartly justified the new appointment, first highlighting that Mr Sultan Rana has had international experience in management and further elaborated opining that since the Director Cricket Operations was burdened with international cricket and the related issues, there was a desperate need to fill the vacancy to look after domestic cricket. One wonders with Australia refusing to come to the country and with barely any cricket scheduled for Pakistan in ICC's Future Tours Program (FTP), what the extremely 'busy' Director Cricket Operations was doing? And also why did PCB hire the services of Shafiq Ahmad Paapa, the General Manager Domestic Cricket? Is Sultan Rana going to use a magic wand? In this era, another benign Chairman PCB, Dr Nasim Ashraf is getting into some serious trouble as the people have developed a severe infection after an overdose of his golden period of reforms, corporate culture, constitutional divinity and progressive thinking. Those who are rallying for the increasingly besieged Chairman -- and there is never a shortage of this home grown variety, raising full throated slogans exhorting the people to drop everything and strengthen Dr Nasim's hands. Everyone who has a stake in the business at hand so to speak rallies round the theme. Loud slogans rent the air and vows made in utter seriousness. Watching all this with increasing amusement, a famous Karachi cricketer remarked that it was good everyone was putting their shoulder to the wheel and strengthening Dr Nasim's hands, but he asked, 'what about his feet?' By the time Dr Nasim's would be able to grasp the essence of this lucid line of thinking, the big statue would be coming tumbling down. More news on cricket -- Umar Gul is on the injury list. He works really hard. Regrettably, he was never rehabilitated properly after he had his back fractured against India at Lahore in 2003-04 picking a haul of five wickets in a match winning performance. He returned to international cricket and progressed manfully, technically overpowering his two top contemporaries, Shoaib Akhtar and Asif in terms of performance and perseverance. He appeared in the last Test of the three-match series against South Africa in 2007 and was not available on Pakistan's gruelling tour to India. Pakistan badly needed him there. What we heard was that he had a recurrence of back injury and he had to fly to Sydney for reassessment and treatment. According to a board official, doctors confirmed that there was degeneration of a bone in his back, a condition that was initially spotted three years ago; around the same time of the first injury. "It was initially spotted three years ago and the MRI before the Delhi Test showed this again," Shafqat Naghmi, the Pakistan board's chief operating officer was quoted saying. As revealed from one of my friends from Clovelly Family Chiropody Centre in the New South Wales Dr Michael Black, who studied in Egypt (Cairo) and Macau, clinically and biomechanically assessed Umar. The initial physical examination revealed that there was pain on palpation of L3 and L5 vertebral spinus process and right vertebral facet joints. There was an evidence of leg shortening, pelvic torsion was also evident. There is also a pelvic rotation, limited range of motion of the left prone leg extension. And not only his back showed structural deformities but he has mild to moderate problems in his neck. He has limited cervical range of motion with forward head carriage and right shoulder internally rotated. Ironically, he has a dropped right navicular and both wrists having restricted range of motion. He has poor deep core muscle tone and exhibits generalised hyper-mobility through most joints. A CT Scan was also done to check the lower extremity leg length that indicated an insignificant shortening (2mms). It is clinically insignificant and shouldn't impede Gul from making a pivot during bowling. Interestingly, being a physician one would emphatically suggest that Umar needs high-skilled clinical rehabilitation. And despite tall claims from the PCB, there seems little evidence that anyone, may it be the huge panel of doctors or the management has the ability, the aptness, attitude and knowledge base to help Gul saving his career. Ironically, because of my abrasive writings and comments on television, I have made few friends at the PCB. Since it's not really possible to clinically support Gul I would like to make the following clinical and biomechanical recommendations: u Bowling action of Gul, a bowler with thumping left foot on delivery causes locking up of the left sacroiliac joint and posterior tilting of left ileum resulting in pelvic torsion. u This can cause LBP at the sacroiliac joints and L3-L5 vertebral segments. u Stress fractures to the L5 and PARS inter articular is also a common problem in younger bowlers with this presentation. u With increased work load and playing stress there would be increased symptoms (lumbosacral stiffness and pain) unless these biomechanical changes are addressed. u Recommended joint mobilisation/adjustments to restricted S3 segment and basic lumbar roll adjustments to the restricted lumbar segments. u Also recommended are mobilisation/adjustments to the right/left wrist and right elbow (specially the right radial head in addition the right wrist extensor muscles require soft tissue therapy/work and stretching to decrease the chance of increased tendonitis occurring at the lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow). u Rehabilitation should include DCN stability and pelvic stability exercises. u Prevention of functional injuries is best addressed prior to pain, obvious symptoms/response quickly to treatment. u Addressing these issues will make Gul to avoid the likely fracture risks. Umar is a strong guy both mentally and emotionally may well be able to return to international cricket. And if he does, no credit should be given to the PCB or Dr Nasim Ashraf. Nasim is already ducking for cover as homemade pellets fly over him-an insanity descended on Lahore's hot corridors of power at the PCB with naÔve and strange appointments that eventually let Dr Nasim terribly down. If nothing else, the directors including those well-entrenched in the Communications, Marketing, HR and Cricket Operations departments could be threatened that should they fail to deliver the goods, they may even receive an injection -- sorry injunction from the newly sworn in National Assembly and a fresh Prime Minister, slapping them all into submission. If all this does not happen, I am afraid the game of cricket, here or in sunnier climes, is going to receive a deluge of new administrators fresh from the different pastures -- that wouldn't do much for the game I am afraid -- they may well still!
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rising cricket ranking in recent years.
areas) is almost worshipped like a god. The die-hard fans of the game
just can't ignore the thrills and chills of the sport they love to
extreme levels.
reasons, Fleming was appointed New Zealand's youngest Test captain at
the age of 23 years and 319 days against England at Christchurch.
distortion of naked truth could anyone really blame if people from
cricket management have looked, felt or acted like headless species?