Whistle, a thick sound of 'dikk' with the sphere being set in motion, and the majestic show will begin. Yes, billions of football lovers across the globe will have the ideal bliss as soon as hosts Germany and Costa Rica kick-start, in Munich on June 9, one of the most magnetic shows on earth -- the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the 18th edition of the prestigious international contest that started way back in 1930.

Thirty-two squads, divided into eight groups of four teams each, will be endeavouring 'much more than their normal' to seize the most treasured sporting treasure on the planet.

Though no one can pinpoint with cent per cent surety which lucky team will clinch the priceless treasure on July 9, a rough forecast can be made concerning the possible winners of the 2006 World Cup.

Brazil -- the undisputed and very formidable world champions, England, Germany, Argentina, France and Holland seem to have relatively brighter chances to reach and bag the final at the Berlin Olympiastadion (Berlin Olympic Stadium), Berlin on July 9.

Needless to say Brazil have everything to claim the world championship for the sixth time in Germany; a super star-studded line-up, unanimous global reputation, the supreme flair and passion to overcome any opposition on a given day, enduring stamina and lastly but most importantly the extra on-field skills -- the South American nation's football squad is richly secured from nearly every angle.

Celebrities like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos, Robinho, an experienced captain Cafu, and several others, can take the 2002 world champions to the victory stand with their masterpiece football expertise, both individually and collectively. Though the inspired Turkish team tested the Brazilians in the 2002 World Cup semifinal, a top 4-1 victory in the 2005 Confederations Cup final against Argentina is perhaps enough to endorse the 2006 World Cup chances of great Pele's compatriots.

A far better level of athleticism, which the football-crazy Brazilians have, also give them a solid chance to come out with flying colours in the July 9 finale (if they reach the final). This athleticism that results in some astonishing displays of extra skills on the field over and over, makes Brazil, FIFA's first-ranked team and the 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002 World Cup victors, the top favourites to retain the grand trophy.

The only minor worry for the Brazilians can be their untimely overconfidence, which can shatter their Cup dreams in a flash (please note that this can happen with any team/player). However, only time will tell whether the Brazilians, who mostly remain bubbly till the very end of the competition, let the game slip away at crucial moments of the 2006 World Cup.

For the 2006 World Cup Brazil have been placed in Group F along with Croatia, Australia and Japan.

Guess who were the most distressed group of individuals in the 2002 World Cup. Yes, those were the Germans, losing the final against the conquering Brazil 0-2. Michael Ballack's Germany, having clinched the world title thrice so far, get a nice chance once again in 2006 to finish the job this time. And the most noteworthy plus-point for the Germans in the 2006 contest is that the 1954, '74 and '90 victors will be in action in front of their own supporters.

Germany, in Group A with Costa Rica, Poland and Ecuador, are expected to advance to the next stage, though they can face very tough resistance after the preliminary phase.

Lately, there have been random calls in the media, raising the stylish David Beckham-led side's chances in the 2006 World Cup. Despite having won the world title only once, in 1966 at home, England have a few concrete and simple reasons to be counted among the front-runners at the 2006 competition.

Players like Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Frank Lampard along with Beckham, give England strong hope to reach the second round. On the other hand, question mark over star striker Wayne Rooney's fitness (broken foot) is also keeping the English camp's fate in the balance. The Manchester United player's inclusion in the playing eleven is crucial as England, if they progress to the more competitive second round of the World Cup, are expected to clash with Germany or Costa Rica. England will be wary of Theo Walcott, the 17-year-old, the World Cup's youngest; the Arsenal teenager will be under the spotlight too as England bid to win their second World Cup title.

England, the 2002 World Cup quarter-finalists, have been put in Group B with Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago and Sweden in the 2006 event.

It's often said that South Americans play football 'with heart'; their obsession while witnessing their games becomes quite obvious. Argentina, who last won the World Cup under the legendary Diego Maradona in 1986 at Mexico, can also be named among the real contenders because of the country's prime standing in the football world and its players who play fast, aggressive game.

Gabriel Batistuta, Hernan Crespo, Diego Simeone and Javier Zanetti, along with other teammates, shape a formidable Argentine line-up that would pose serious problems for their Group C members including Ivory Coast, Serbia & Montenegro and Holland.

Holland, third in latest FIFA world rankings, also have the skills to create some upsets in the 2006 football gala. Holland, the 1974 and '78 runners-up, are led by Philip Cocu. Mexico and Portugal are likely to resist Holland in the second round, of course only if Cocu's side manage to reach the second round.

When Zinedine Zidane guided France to a spectacular 3-0 win over the overwhelming favourites Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final, football admirers thought a new durable team have emerged on the world scene. This expectation gathered more attention when France, presently ranked eighth, trounced Italy 2-1 to win the European Championship in 2000. But the shocking first-round exit in the 2002 World Cup made the fans change their thoughts. With a solid forward like Thierry Henry in their squad, France will definitely go for the best to reverse their fortune this time, as the 2006 Cup will be the last World Cup outing for Zidane, one of France's main hopes in Germany.

Switzerland, Korea Republic and Togo have been included in Group G with France, who, if move to the second stage, will possibly meet Saudi Arabia or Spain.

The Group E encounter between Italy and Czech Republic on 22nd June at Hamburg can cautiously be anticipated as a very interesting one. Italy, having the services of Francesco Totti, Luca Toni and Christian Vieri, will face FIFA's second-ranked Czech Republic, who will naturally be very enterprising while considering the hype of their second rank, below no team but Brazil!

As regards the Muslim countries' chances in the 2006 World Cup, the situation, while taking a glance at their history, is very much bleak. Saudi Arabia, Tunisia (both Group H) and Iran (Group D), all will face uphill tasks right from the very first round. If Saudis have to tackle a strong Spain and Ukraine, Iran will be up against very skilled and balanced outfits of Portugal and Mexico. While Tunisia, who couldn't even reach the second round in 2002, have to show some improvement after four years.

The World Cup football tournament has been a very funny game; Uruguay, the winner of the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, haven't even qualified for the 2006 edition! How the time has changed. From the other angle, one can say that World Cup football is the most competitive sport too, starting from the very beginning, the qualifiers -- to the finals, after every four years.

So the stage is ready -- for the most enthralling and nail-biting show on earth, the show which would bring pride, nearly unthinkable, for the squad who would be declared the kings on July 9, undisputed kings. So it's a battle to grab the kingdom, a battle to be raged with mind-body coordination, not that to be raged with swords!

A thaw in Pakistan's relations with India has resulted in many a dream come true for the sports fans in the region in recent years. Star cricketers from both sides of the border have featured in numerous exciting duels and the hockey teams have been reliving the glory days of yesteryear.

There have been sporting exchanges in other games like kabaddi and polo while this spring Pakistan's tennis players travelled to Mumbai to feature in the country's first Davis Cup clash against India in 33 years and played a memorable match.

The country's boxing fans have long been waiting for a similar contest to take place between top pugilists from both sides of the divide. For them last week was made in heaven. From May 19 to 21, Pakistan hosted three of the leading boxers from India during the inaugural Pakistan-India 'Tasaadum' Series held in Karachi.

The hosts came back from 0-1 down to win the contest 2-1, a triumph that was celebrated by hundreds of jubilant fans who filled the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Sports Complex and by thousands more who watched the enthralling bouts live on television.

It was Asian Games champion Mehrullah -- the most famous of the Pakistani boxers -- who outclassed his featherweight rival Diwakar Prasad on the final day to win the glittering trophy for the home team.

The Indian squad which arrived in the city a few days ahead of the start of the series had promised some explosive action during the contest, the first of its kind in decades.

Indian coach Jaydev Bisht was visibly pleased with the warm reception he and his boys received on their arrival in Pakistan. He was also pleased with the fact that the Indian and Pakistani boxing communities were doing their bit in the peace process between the two neighbors by featuring in the series.

But the diminutive and soft-spoken Bisht also made it clear that the efforts to make friends in Pakistan would end once his boxers enter the ring. "We have come here to win," he had declared.

The Pakistani boxers and their officials were equally upbeat and had all the reasons in the world to feel that way. The host team had two very seasoned and accomplished boxers -- Mehrullah and Syed Asghar Ali Shah -- regarded among the best in Asia in their respective weight divisions. They had the home advantage and also had a big plus point in terms of a good warm-up their boxers have had ahead of the series against India. Two of the three local boxers playing in the series had finished as champions in the first phase of the Boxer League that concluded just a week before the start of the 'Tasaadum'.

Mehrullah had won the featherweight crown while Asghar, who was the Pakistan captain, had claimed the lightweight title. Young Nadir Khan -- the third member of the Pakistani team -- had suffered a loss in the final of the middleweight category against fellow Karachi boxer Dut Muhammad.

Nadir started the proceedings for Pakistan when he took on Indian captain Parvinder Singh in the opening bout of the series. The teenager presently making his bones as a middleweight started as an underdog against a more experienced and higher-rated Singh. He did put up a brave fight but there was little doubt in the fact that the Haryana-based Parvinder was the better fighter. He was clinical in his approach and worked his way to an impressive victory in the bout to give the visitors a perfect start in the series.

For many Pakistani supporters who were expecting their team to record 3-0 clean sweep in the series, it was a rude awakening. The responsibility to bring Pakistan back into contention now fell on the muscular shoulders of lightweight Asghar Ali.

The boxer from Hyderabad is an Asian Games silver medallist and also represented Pakistan in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. He was drawn against another youngster from Haryana, Jai Bhagwan.

"We are one down so there is obviously pressure on me," the Pakistan skipper had said after watching Nadir going down fighting against Parvinder. "I have to win tomorrow for us to stay alive in the series and feel confident to do that," he had stressed.

Asghar fulfilled his promise when he tactfully handled the talented Indian boxer on his way to a comfortable win. The Pakistan captain was expected to win but wanted to do that in style. He took control of the fight from the word go and pounded his opponent with some lethal blows to conjure up a convincing triumph.

It was now 1-1 and the stage was set for an explosive final bout between Mehrullah and Diwakar Prasad.

The vastly-talented Mehrullah is a local hero, having been born and brought up in the Lyari neighborhood of Karachi that houses the KPT Complex. He has a good following in the area which is why it was not surprising to see that Pakistan enjoyed an even more emphatic support from the crowd last Sunday evening.

Like Asghar, Mehrullah too was the favourite to win his bout. Prasad, who hails from Jamshedpur, is also a pretty good fighter and has represented India in top international events including the Olympics. But he was simply not in the same league as Mehrullah. After an interesting fight, it was the local hero who was celebrating as he was adjudged a comfortable winner, a result that helped Pakistan complete a successful comeback in the series.

"It was a memorable competition," Mehrullah said later. "I've figured in numerous important fights for Pakistan in my career but would rate this one among the most memorable ones because I was in action in front of my home crowd and it was a bout against an Indian boxer with the series tied at 1-1."

With the first episode of what promises to be a great rivalry between Pakistan and India on the boxing ring over, the pugilists from both sides are already waiting for round two on Indian soil. "It would be good to meet the Pakistani boxers in our own backyard," said Parvinder. "We would avenge this defeat there," he promised.

Olympic is not only a sporting event but a theme that brings sports, art and culture of different countries together on a platform in a peculiar way. Athletes from across the world gather after every four years at a place to demonstrate their respective sports, art and culture which are the traditional pillars of Olympism and a museum gives concrete form to this trinity.

The mission of an Olympic museum is to make visitors aware of the importance of the Olympic Movement; to show them by means of images and symbols that Olympism is not merely a matter of sports competition but rather a philosophy of life whose roots are deeply connected with human history.

Pakistan enjoys glorious sporting past and a long association with the grand event of Olympics. Hundreds of Pakistan athletes take part in this four-yearly mega tournament with great enthusiasm.

In 1983-84, International Olympic Committee (IOC) asked Pakistan to establish a museum to preserve the Olympic stuff in an appropriate way and accordingly the late Mr Naqi Butt, a pioneer of Pakistan sporting history, laid the foundation of the museum. Initially Mr Butt had only 10 books and some artifacts in his custody. Then Syed Wajid Ali Shah, another giant in Pakistan's Olympic movement, took over and offered his entire items to national Olympic Museum. The major credit goes to Syed Wajid Ali Shah for establishing such a wonderful museum which has many distinctions over the rest of Olympic Museums in the region.

Pakistan Olympic Museum (POM) is situated in the heart of the historic city of Lahore. Among other aspects that require official attention is the location of POM that cannot be called as ideal. The POM is presently housed in an old building that falls behind the office of Pakistan Olympic Association (POA). The building of Pakistan Olympic Museum was erected in 1964. Till 1973, the competitions of bodybuilding and weightlifting were used to be held at this spot when it was known as a sports hall.

Later, Mian Abdul Wajid, who died three years ago, did a lot to bring the museum to its present state. It was through his untiring efforts that the museum grew both in terms of articles and in the way they are presented.

The sculptures of two Pakistan sporting legends -- Imran Khan (cricket) and Jehangir Khan (squash) on the main entrance provided the ideal impression what the POM had actually inside in it.

The photographs of all heads of the POA and other Pakistan sports legends gave the museum a festive look, different memorabilia and detailed information regarding different Olympic disciples further told the story. There are several individual and group photos of different medal winners of the country including 1984 Gold medal winning hockey team. In one of the rare pictures, the great Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah is shown playing snooker. In other invaluable snaps, the leaders of Pakistan Olympic Association are shown attending historic meetings with foreign officials.

There are plenty of artifacts to watch in the museum. One glass case features squash gear dating back five decades. Some souvenirs of early era were decorated in a large but impressive gallery. One corner of the hall was spared for hockey laurels which doubled the beauty of the museum.

There are hundreds of medals, shields and trophies on display, including the original Quaid-e-Azam and Runners-up trophies which are fought in the National Games Championship. Signed bat and hockey by the respective stalwarts, samples of cans used in previous dozens of Olympic events gave a true colour of Pakistan style of collection. The Olympic torch is considered an integral symbol of the Games and that's the reason POM had replicas of all Olympic flames. The way, POM officials arranged the articles, it reflects the real devotion and commitment of the concerned staff.

The National Olympic Museum provides a monumental memory lane of Pakistan's heroes in the sports field. It's rather a great source of inspiration for our youth to excel in the sports and create a name for the country. In other words we can say that POM is a commendable effort to preserve the sporting history of Pakistan. The way the rare articles and artifacts are displayed, it will help in promoting the spirit of sports among the next generations.

The dignitaries including Lt-Gen Salahuddin Tirmizi, M Athar Tahir, Syed Tariq Ali Bokhari, Brig Saulat Abbas, Lt-Gen Syed Arif Hasan, Lt-Gen Muhammad Aziz Khan, Col (retd) S K Tressler, Dr Khalid Aftab and Lt-Gen Zarrar Azim have visited the Pakistan Olympic Museum at different times. Various foreign officials from Qatar, Germany, England, Malaysia, India, China, Sri Lanka and Australia also paid a visit to museum and appreciated it the most.

Mehmood Naveed, the present Director of Pakistan Olympic Museum while talking to 'The News on Sunday' (TNS) expressed his desire to open the national Olympic Museum to the general public. "These articles are a national asset and we don't want to keep them folded in a dark room," he stressed. "We want to hold annual exhibitions in which people from all walks of life can gain awareness about these invaluable articles and Pakistan's sporting history," Naveed added.

He further said that the present president of the POA, Lt-Gen (retd) Syed Arif Hasan has expressed his desire to make the Olympic Museum an institution that we can all feel proud of and has initiated various steps for achieving this objective. "He is taking personal interest in this project and has even visited the Main Olympic Museum in Lausanne to get a first hand idea about how we should proceed."

When asked to highlight the advantages of Olympic Museum, Naveed was of the views that the POM, which reflects our past glory, can play an important role in inspiring the young generation to win back the lost sporting glory of the country and go a long way in educating our youth.

While informing about the history of Olympic Museum, Naveed told that it is a symbol of union of sport, art and culture. "The Olympic Museum is a concept which is called Olympism. Olympism is the philosophy of uniting sport, art and culture," he explained. "Pierre de Coubertin, who revived the Olympic Games, had the idea of creating an Olympic Museum. He proposed it for the first time in 1915 after setting up the headquarters of the IOC at Lausanne," he elaborated.

Commenting on Modern Olympic Museum, Naveed said: "Former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch made it a major priority to create a vast, first-rate Olympic Museum and Olympic Studies Centre in Lausanne in 1980 which genuinely corresponded to Pierre de Coubertin's wishes and promote the Olympic spirit."

While convincing the Pakistan sports greats, Naveed, who himself has represented the country and won bronze in 1988 South Asian Judo Championship in Bangladesh, said that our various world renowned sports stars have numerous medals, shields, trophies, certificates and much more in their custody, but unfortunately very few people to view these articles.

"National Olympic Museum provides a platform to those sporting greats through which they can make their articles accessible to all. They have open choice whether to donate their sporting belongings or give on loan to national museum," he explained. He also urged the sports federations of the country to give their articles to POM on loan.

To another question, Naveed informed that the sports lovers can see each and every article of National Olympic Museum on POA website www.nocpakistan.com shortly. "A link 'Olympic Museum' is being developed and it will be ready within a couple of months," he told.

Answering a query, Naveed stated that the present accommodation of POM is not enough for keeping the invaluable articles in a proper way. "It's simply impossible for us to display all the pieces properly in the only available hall in the museum. We badly needed a vast accommodation to display our history in an appropriate way," he maintained. "More than half of the articles are still packed in the store that we can't display due to narrowness of the space," Naveed disclosed.

To a question Naveed informed that in National Olympic Museum, visitors can find information about not only the Olympics but that of different sporting events. "POM had another unmatchable characteristic having articles of Asian Games, SAF, Commonwealth and National Games etc, whereas many other Olympic museums of the world restricted only to Olympic articles. We also preserved our pure regional sports items like 'gulli danda'," he said.

While explaining his plans, the soft-spoken director of the museum said, "We are planning to release an Audio-Visual Olympic Museum Programme on CD which will depict our sporting achievements. We are also planning to invite students of different schools and colleges under a regular schedule to give the young generation a chance to have a close look at the sporting history of the country. "The exchange programme with other sports museums of the country is also under consideration. In this way we could be able to give more variety to our collection," he said.

Naveed, who also holds the office of secretary Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF), further informed that "we are also pondering to launch an annual exhibition of our articles to make them accessible to common people," he continued.

While comparing the Pakistan Olympic Museum with others, Naveed proudly said that he has been to Japan, Kuwait, India, Thailand, UAE, Bangladesh and Germany etc but found these countries behind Pakistan as far as Olympic Museums are concerned. "We have an edge in both number and variety of Olympic articles," he concluded.

It is the game of cricket and it is always at the mercy of rain and its evil sister bad light. It is always played between two teams and supervised by a neutral factor, the umpires, but is many times interrupted by rain as an unbridled agent of nature that can turn a victory into defeat. This is not so with other games like hockey, football, tennis or golf. Thus many games have been absolutely rain washed, many others ended in a loss for the expected winner, and still many shortened to a terribly brief competition.

Instances are rampant. Of course, it is the drawn match between Sri Lanka and the hosts England during the ongoing series, that has inspired this piece of writing, many recent examples can be cited here as examples of rain-affected cricket; the Pakistan team's tour to Sri Lanka, South Africa's visit to India and West Indies in Zimbabwe.

It was certainly the record ninth-wicket stand of 105 by Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Kulasekara that knitted one of the great escapes in Test history by turning a definite defeat into a drawn deal, but the bad light (the evil sister of rain) proved the last nail in the coffin. If the weather had remained neutral, England could have had about 30 overs to reach a target that must have been less than 200 runs.

The tourists had been just 62 runs ahead losing eight wickets when pacemen Vaas and Kulasekara set out for the record partnership in overcast, swing-friendly conditions. England's fallible slip fielding marked by nine catch drops throughout the series opener was definitely another reason. Nevertheless, the 129-year cricket history provided only three examples that a team won after following-on, with Australia the losers side in all of the three incidents -- against England first at Sydney in 1895 and then at Headingley in 1981 and against India in Calcutta in 2000.

The very recent West Indies tour of Zimbabwe comprising seven One-day Internationals had been virtually slashed to just five one-day matches series when the third and sixth one-dayers ended without result. The reason was rain.

While the sixth one-dayer had to be abandoned when rain interrupted, Zimbabwe who were playing at 72 for two in the 13th over in reply to West Indiesí 263, the third one-dayer could not see a single ball bowled. Even more recent opening one-day match between India and hosts West Indies was delayed by an hour, after early morning showers drenched the Jamaican capital. However, a new irrigation system installed in the outfield work wonders when diligent ground-staff worked hard to dry the field.

Earlier in March, the first one-dayer between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the Premadasa International Stadium on March 17 was washed out, after a spectacular mid-innings thunderstorm drenched Colombo, flooding the stadium within minutes and denying Sri Lanka the chance to take a 1-0 lead in the series after a fine performance in the field that restricted Pakistan to a modest 201 for eight.

Since abandoning the match was a shocking loss on a commercial level, the Sri Lankan authorities had to reschedule the itinerary ensuring one reserved day for every one-dayer. But rain continued its interference, and the first Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Colombo lost its first day's play on March 26 because of a heavy downpour. The match ended in a draw when Pakistan needed just 120 runs to win with six wickets in hand.

In India this April, the fifth One-day International scheduled to be played in Guwahati during the recent India-England series had to be abandoned without a ball being bowled. Again in India, the recent South African tour to India ended in 2-2 draw when the third one-dayer of the tourists was rained off because the waterlogged ground, due to the incessant rain, made it impossible to bowl even a single ball.

Among other examples in the year 2005, the fifth ODI between the hosts Zimbabwe and Kenya scheduled to be played at Harare on March 4, 2005 could not witness a single ball bowled because of incessant rain, while the fourth One-day international between South Africa and the hosts New Zealand at Kingsmead on November 4, 2005 had to be cancelled because of rain only after 20 overs' play when the tourists were 79 for two.

However, there have been some examples of victory of cricketers' will to win over the bad light. In an exclusive example, bad light that plays the role of evil sister of rain tried its best to support the hosts England during the ICC Champions Trophy 2004 final but the victory fell into the lap of West Indies when they took a critical decision of continuing to play even in the extremely bad light in the last overs of the final at the Brit Oval, London on September 25.

Another similar example had taken place in December 2000 when, despite the poor visibility, England decided to continue play in Karachi, thus working out a historic victory against Pakistan and breaking the record of Pakistan's status as being undefeatable at National Stadium in its 46 years history.

In certain cases, rain played havoc with a particular team such as South Africa or the whole tournament such as Videocon Cup in Holland. The second semifinal of World Cup 1992 at Sydney Cricket Ground on March 22 was reduced to a cricket tragedy because of the rain, a relentless agent of nature, and the simple calculations for revising the target. England eased into the final of the World Cup when rain interrupted the target attaining rivals South Africa who needed just 22 runs off 13 balls, but rendered them into an inevitable loser with the revised target of 22 runs off one ball only.

The rain interfered into the matters such as it had nurtured a grudge against the two teams; the league match between South Africa and England was also hit by rain, and the target had to be revised for England; they lost nine overs but their target of 237 was reduced by only 11 runs only.

The first ever cricket tournament in Holland, the Videocon Cup from August 21 to 30, 2004 at VRA Ground, Amstelveen, was an event with which the rain played havoc. Though the final could see all the 100 overs bowled, the tournament comprising three one-days followed by one final, scheduled to be played at the same ground, was reduced to just two complete games, as the first match between Pakistan and India could be decided through the Duckworth-Lewis Method. Pakistan won the game by 66 runs when India were all out 127 in reply to Pakistan's 196.

The second match ended without result when India could not play in response to Australia's 175 for seven, the rain had left it impossible for India to play even a single ball of the innings. The third match between Australia and Pakistan had to be abandoned without a ball bowled, because rain did not allow the players to enter the ground.

The rain-affected situation resulted in public furore and the sponsors' discontentment on different occasions. When Australia was asked to reschedule their Videocon Cup matches against India and Pakistan in Holland, they refused to play three games in four days. The Guwahati police had to fire tear gas on cricket fans who turned violent after the fifth one-day international between India and England was abandoned this April. The fans attacked policemen, tore down fencing and pelted stones at television cameras. While the organisers hired helicopters to dry the ground, Assam Cricket Association also protested the umpires' decision. The crowd disturbance put in doubt the future of Guwahati as a Test venue, as the ICC asked for a report on events.

While the England team was itself unhappy over the 'victory' that eased them into the final, it also stirred the cricket authorities to work out some viable formula. Thus, recognising the imperfection of a straight run-rate calculation when a second innings has to be shortened after rain, the World Cup committee adopted a scheme whereby the reduction in the target was made according to the lowest-scoring overs of the side which batted first. This was the Duckworth-Lewis Method that is now applied for resetting targets. It was invented by statistician Frank Duckworth and a Mathematics lecturer Tony Lewis.

If one intends to talk about Mohammad Hafeez, one must begin with the experience of suffering and ignominy that drives many selectors to engage in rationalisation. Every day these selectors shuttle their options, and some of these are not appropriate. In the age of modern methodology, one can rationally explain how situations are different. We can explain how the relevant policies work or fail, at least within the limits of current scene.

Selection is a tricky process. We cannot really explain why one player gets in and the other does not. Now, if two people walk toward a cliff, and one jumps off and the other does not, we can explain rationally why one dies and one lives; we can grasp the connection between will and the laws, and perhaps even circumstances that lead to the decision to jump in the first place.

In Mohammad Hafeez's case, one can contemptibly assess that his arrival on the international stage, hope of permanency and then rapid deterioration could easily be attributed to technical breaches and self-destruction.

Hafeez's batting style and method put him at extra-risk (though of course, many batsmen lead high-risk lives and suffer no consequences such as Shahid Afridi). But often failure is guiltless. It is not jumping off a cliff but being struck by a bolt of lightning. To blame the selectors and fate does not answer the fundamental existential question: Why were there breaches in Hafeez's technique? Or why he has been ignored despite outstanding recent performances?

The selectors have no real answers to these questions. They can explain how they were compelled to overlook Hafeez's talent and recent form; how he is not fitting into a team which actually is going through a top-order turmoil; what are the factors they need to keep in mind before picking people with different method of play etc.

Mohammad Hafeez came up in leaps and bounds. Making his One-day International debut against Zimbabwe at Sharjah, Hafeez fell for only 12 in his maiden innings. He fielded brilliantly, took a blinder at point and bowled imaginatively. In his second match, against Sri Lanka, he whacked his maiden half-century (50) in 116 minutes off 103 deliveries with three fours. Pakistan won the championship without Hafeez doing much in the later half of the tournament. However, he had done enough to board the plane to Sri Lanka to play in the Bank of Alflah Cup.

At the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, opening the innings for Pakistan against Sri Lanka, under rain-laden clouds, Hafeez made 53 most impressive runs. He batted for 176 minutes and faced 114 balls with two fours. He was duly named Man of the Match.

The tournament went ahead and Hafeez was exposed with his fralities outside the off-stump. He angled his bat and played away from his body making life difficult for him with the ball doing the talking. However, he was retained for the tour of England. Now was the real test for him.

In the first match of the NatWest Challenge at Old Trafford with Pakistan needing 205 runs to win, Hafeez opened the innings with Imran Nazir and was involved in a 60-run first wicket stand. He made a plush 69 in 162 minutes off 112 balls with eight fours to see his team triumphing and also earned himself the Man of the Match award. Before being considered for a Test place against Bangladesh at the National Stadium Karachi, Hafeez had played 12 One-day Internationals for Pakistan scoring 278 runs with a highest of 69 against England at 23.16. His aggregate included three half-centuries besides having taken 11 wickets at 22.36 with the best of 3 for 31. As one of the smartest fielders in the Pakistan camp, Hafeez boasted taking seven catches in only twelve matches.

Now came the time to make his Test debut. Hafeez was chosen along with Yasir Hameed, Umar Gul and Shabbir Ahmed to take on the Bangladeshis at Karachi. When Pakistan started the first innings in reply to Bangladesh's 288, Hafeez went for a premature pull shot and got square on, instead slicing the ball from Mashrafe Bin Mortaza to point. He could only make two and the tongues wagged about his more open method of play.

Yasir Hameed dominated Pakistan's first innings with a mind-boggling 170 on debut and Hafeez looked apprehensive and smitten in the dressing room. Next time out he corrected himself a bit and went onto add 102 runs for the first-wicket unbroken partnership on day four. He was 36 not out with Yasir on 68. Yasir looked more flamboyant and Hafeez was trying to get his form back.

His 36 not out had taken 40 overs. On day five Pakistan won but not before Hafeez had made 50 on debut in 218 minutes off 151 balls with six fours. Bangladesh's left-arm spinner Mohammad Rafique bowled him with a straighter one. Yasir Hameed who got another hundred in the second innings went onto win the Man of the Match award, quite deservedly ahead of Hafeez and Shabbir who had taken a haul of eight wickets in the match with five of them coming in Bangladesh's second innings.

Moving onto Peshawar, Hafeez had much to prove. With Habibul Bashar, Javed Omar and Shoaib Akhtar dominating the first innings, Hafeez did not stir the Peshawar crowd and was out for 21 acquired in 51 minutes off 41 balls with three fours and a six. He looked quite good before hanging outside the off stump edging an away going ball away from his body to wicket-keeper Khaled Mashud off skipper Khaled Mahmud.

With Shoaib Akhtar taking another four wickets and Bangladesh being bowled out for 96, Pakistan needed 163 runs to win. Hafeez got his act together and played a masterly knock on a dusted Peshawar wicket on day four of the match. Having survived a death call, a leg before the wicket appeal off the first ball faced when he went across the line, he moved on. He got stuck on 49 and then heaved Mohammad Ashraf Ul over mid-wicket for a huge six to go past his half-century and beating his previous best score of 50. At tea he was not out on 92. At last he edged one to reach the coveted three-figure mark

This year, Hafeez in five matches of EurAsia Cricket Series scored 203 runs at 50.75, his highest being 105 not out. In 12 first-class matches in 2006 he assembled 831 runs at 39.57 with two hundreds and three half-centuries. In 16 List A matches in the last twelve months he has pelted 944 runs with three centuries and seven fifties.

In eight Twenty20 games this season he scored heavily, ending with 222 runs at 37.00. With such consistent performances, he was not picked on the list of probables for the tour of England. Instead he has been asked to prepare for Pakistan As visit to Australia. Isn't it ironic?

In the present scenario, therefore, we must confront the fact that selectors are both orderly and absurd: they are orderly, in the sense that we can understand how systems work and how they fail, and we can often use this rational knowledge to fix them. But they are absurd, in the sense that ill-fate strikes some individuals and not others for no apparent reason-a fact made dramatically clear by several young faces. Kamran Akmal was given an opportunity he took with both hands; now he has overwhelmingly become indispensable. Whereas, Salman Butt continues to rise and fall, such has been the case with people like Yasir Hameed and Mohammad Hafeez. Selectors simply strike. They are seemingly baffled.

Hafeez, a highly gifted batsman was presumably thrown into a world of international cricket that was often cruel. We must live with the absurdity of selectors, especially the absurdity of the sweet, sick conventions. To many people, it seems like common sense that we should try to cure careers of people like Mohammad Hafeez, especially those likely to end before their time. The virtues of rehabilitation of such careers are so obvious that we rarely examine the nature of our desire to progress.

But a desire to make such careers progressive really a rational desire? Surely it is a moral desire. We are a compassionate civilisation -- a civilisation that feels the pain of others, and wants to make it go away. And surely the means of delivering cures-people like Hafeez are rational options.