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paralympics cricket Pakistan
cricket: Story of a blighted organisation Shivnarine
Chanderpaul: Lone ranger defies all odds
paralympics On the same day that Haider Ali won his silver medal, Pakistani powerlifter Naveed Ahmed Butt was banned for two years after failing a doping test, the first athlete to test positive during the Beijing Paralympics By Gul Hameed Bhatti Just when we thought
that we were really down in the dumps and there was no Haider Ali is an all-round athlete who participated in the recently concluded Paralympic Games, staged in the Peoples Republic of China capital of Beijing. The stage was the same where, about a month back, the Games of the XXIX Olympiad were held with unprecedented success and fanfare. Haider Ali was competing among a fraternity of 4,200 athletes from as many as 148 nations, with various types of disabilities, and did himself and his country proud by bringing home a medal, Pakistan's first ever at this level. Haider Ali made a jump
of 6.44 metres -- or 21 feet 1-5/10 inches -- to finish second Farhat Chida of Tunisia won the gold medal in this event. Both he and Haider made a best long jump of 6.44 metres which, incidentally, was a new world record in the Games for people with disabilities. Chida, however, made six successful jumps overall and that earned him the first place. The second and fifth jumps made by Haider Ali were rejected. In his last attempt, he equalled Chida's best of 6.44 metres. Both men totalled 1104 points each and shared the world record. With just a little bit of luck, Haider may even have been a gold medallist for Pakistan. In December 2006,
Haider Ali did actually pick up a gold medal in this particular event. The Pakistan contingent's Chef de Mission Imran Jamil Shami, who is also Secretary General of the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of Pakistan, had predicted that Haider would win a medal even before the squad left for Beijing. Haider didn't disappoint his team leader and has now put Pakistan firmly on the Paralympic Games map. Haider wasn't as successful in the other three events that he took part in China. He ran in ninth among nine runners in the 100 metres T38 sprint and managed to finish fifth out of seven in his heat in the 200 metres race. He, however, came perilously close to winning a bronze medal in the discus throw F37/38 final but his points tally of 986 fell just seven short of Dong Xia of China, who compiled 1003 points and took third place that gave him a spot on the victory stand. PAKISTAN ROCKED BY DOPING SCANDAL On the same day that
Haider Ali won his silver medal, Pakistani powerlifter Naveed The urine sample was taken on September 4, two days before the opening ceremony. "In accordance with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) anti-doping code, and after a hearing of the IPC anti-doping committee, the IPC ratified the decision to disqualify Butt from the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games," the statement said, adding that a two-year ban had been imposed. Peter Van de Vliet, the IPC's medical and scientific director, said Butt's accreditation was also being cancelled. A total of 356 tests
had been carried out at the Games, both in and out of Naveed, now 37 years old, is the only Pakistan athlete to have taken part in a previous Paralympic Games edition. He appeared in the up to 82.5kg powerlifting final round at Sydney in 2000 and did reasonably well. He finished 10th out of 17 with a lift of 170kg although Korea's Jong Chul Park who won gold lifted 243kg to earn a world record. After Naveed was disqualified and barred from competition, Pakistan were left with only three contestants. Nasir Butt ended 12th out of 13 in the -60kg powerlifting event while the contingent's lone female, the visually impaired Nadia Hafeez, finished 14th and last in the long jump F13 final. PAKISTAN FIRST APPEARED AT BARCELONA 1992 The Beijing Paralympic
Games were the 13th since the games for the disabled became More than anything else, it is the triumph of human spirit against all odds, where men and women with all sorts of disabilities and deformities are allowed to participate in an international sporting competition together and strive for excellence. In fact, the feats and achievements of a large number of Paralympic athletes are as significant as the ones attained by their able-bodied counterparts. Very little had been known about Pakistan's Paralympic Games participation before Haider Ali won a medal. The Beijing event too really brought these Games to the fore as never before the media has given them the kind of coverage they have recently got. And, much to the surprise of sports fans in this country, Pakistan first took part in the Paralympic Games held in Barcelona, Spain, in the year 1992. Of course, no medals had ever been won before. But including the Beijing event, 16 sportspersons -- including two women -- have represented Pakistan at this level during a period spanning 16 years. Traditionally, there are athletes who belong to six different disability groups in the Paralympic Movement: amputee, cerebral palsy, visual impairment, spinal cord injuries, intellectual disability and a group which includes all those that do not fit into the aforementioned groups (les autres). Paralympic athletes are classified according to their type of disability and functional ability. The classification process helps to ensure a certain level of equality and fair competition among the athletes competing in the same category. The disability groups are: Amputee – Athletes with a partial or total loss of at least one limb. Cerebral palsy -- Athletes with a brain-affected disorder resulting in problems with movement and posture. Intellectual disability -- Athletes with an intellectual disability have now become part of the Special Olympics movement, due to the suspension of the International Sports Federation for Persons with an Intellectual Disability (INAS-FID), the international organisation governing sports for athletes with an intellectual disability, from membership in the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Spinal cord injuries -- Athletes with at least a 10 percent loss of function of the lower limbs. Visually impaired -- Athletes who are affected by disorders of vision ranging from partial sight through total blindness. Les autres -- French for "the others". Athletes who are affected by a range of conditions that do fall into the categories mentioned above, e.g. multiple sclerosis, dwarfism. PAKISTAN'S STANDING POOR AT PARALYMPICS There's a vast difference between the standards maintained by Pakistan's Paralympic athletes as compared to the rest of the world, just as is the case at all other sporting levels. For example, Pakistan swimmer Khawar Malik, who ended sixth and last in a first round heat in his men's 50m freestyle B1 event at Barcelona 1992, finished in 1:54.60 minutes. The man who came in first was Israel's Izhar Cohen, who completed the race in a mere 28.44 seconds! The B1 class covers all athletes who will either have no light perception at all in either eye or may have some light perception but an inability to recognise the shape of a hand at any distance or in any direction. Pakistan's two athletes at Barcelona fell in this category. Apart from Khawar Malik, the other one was discus thrower Khalid Mahmood. At the 1996 Games in Atlanta, the lone Pakistan representative was Bahadur Khel, who took part in the mixed 44/55k bicycle LC3 event. LC3 covers athletes who have a disability on at least one leg, and pedal only with the other leg. The class includes athletes with loss of muscle strength in both legs or the limited flexion ability of the knee less than 50 degrees. In powerlifting, athletes with amputations and other (les autres) disabilities can compete together with CP (Cerebral Palsy) athletes, wheelchair athletes, and dwarfs. Competition is divided into different weight classes. The competitor must have the ability to fully extend the arms, with no more than 20-degree loss of full extension in either elbow, to perform an approved lift according to the IPC powerlifting rules. At the 2004 Games in Athens, Pakistan sent nine Paralympic athletes, including one female. They all took part in the athletics track and field events. Although the classification structure in athletics runs from 11 to 58, the Pakistanis at Athens belonged to three of these categories. Classes 11-13 cover the different levels of vision impairment, 32-38 cover the different levels of cerebral palsy and 42-46 cover the different levels of amputations and other disabilities (les autres). Amina Bibi did not start in her women's 200 metres T11 sprint, her particular heat containing four contestants. In the 100m T11 race earlier, she was fourth out of four runners with a time of 24.23 seconds. Spain's Purificacion Santamarta, who finished first, ran in a mere 13.54 seconds. Pakistan took part in as many as 21 events at Athens four years ago. The other athletes at the Games were Mohammad Adeel, Noor Alam, Mohammad Ashfaq, Munawwar Hussain, Nasrullah Khan, Zubair Khan, Mohammad Shafiq and Mohammad Shahzad. None did anything of note, finishing last or thereabouts in their various competitions. PARALYMPICS AS GRAND AS THE 2008 OLYMPIAD Carrying the flag at the opening ceremony for South Africa was Natalie du Toit, who finished 16th in the women's 10 kilometres marathon swim in the 2008 Olympics held in August. Du Toit, who lost her lower left leg in a motor accident, won five golds and one silver in Athens, and was looking for another huge haul in Beijing. She did exactly that at Beijing's Paralympic Games. She took five more gold medals. China's motto for the Paralympics, comparing it with the Olympics, was: "Two Games with Equal Splendour". True enough, the opening and closing ceremonies of both Games were an affair to remember. All the stops were pulled out by the organising committees. Authorities have made Beijing more friendly for disabled people now by, for example, setting up the country's first fleet of easy-access taxis and making famous tourist spots such as the Great Wall accessible to wheelchairs. And huge efforts were made to show that China was treating the Paralympics with as much importance as the Olympics, including keeping anti-pollution measures in place. The Paralympic Games are a multi-sport event for athletes with physical, mental and sensorial disabilities. This includes mobility disabilities, amputees, visual disabilities and those with cerebral palsy. The Paralympic Games -- having started at Rome 1960 -- are held every four years, following the Olympic Games, and are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The Paralympic Games are sometimes confused with the Special Olympics World Games, which are only for people with intellectual disabilities. The events contested at Beijing were: Powerlifting, volleyball sitting, wheelchair rugby, shooting, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair tennis, goalball, boccia, equestrian, football 7-a-side, football 5-a-side, judo, rowing, swimming, cycling, sailing, athletics, archery and table tennis. OSCAR PISTORIUS ONE OF THE GAMES' STARS Several other athletes may have won more medals than him at the 2008 Paralympic Games but "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius quickly created headlines for the right reasons with a thrilling 100 metres victory on the track. As China established a lead at the top of the medals table, the South African star edged Jerome Singleton from the US by just 0.03secs after a sluggish start to take gold. Pistorius crossed the line in 11.17secs in front of a near-full house at the Bird's Nest National Stadium on a wet night. Brian Frasure of the United States took the bronze but the much-anticipated showdown with Marlon Shirley failed to materialise as the American collapsed two-thirds into the race. "It's unbelievable. The 100 metres was something I was definitely a bit worried about," said Pistorius, adding that he had had to fight hard after his slow start on the wet track. "I was just so happy. After the first 30 metres I thought 'well the first 30 is done, it's behind me, I've messed it up and now I can focus on the rest of the race'," added Pistorius, who later also won the 200m and 400m. The 21-year-old is the world record holder in his category in all three sprint events he was competing in at the Paralympics. Nicknamed after the carbon fibre blades he wears, Pistorius staged a high-profile quest to qualify for the Olympics in the 400m event, but eventually fell short. Nevertheless, he is aiming to compete against the able-bodied elite in the London 2012 Games. All his three medals were gold, but Pistorius in spite of ending as one of the Games most outstanding athletes and characters, did not win as many medals as quite a few others. Swimmer Matthew Cowdrey of Australia took eight medals -- five gold and three silver. The highest number for an individual was nine medals. Brazil's Daniel Dias hauled up four gold, four silver and a bronze as he and Cowdrey almost emulated the feats of Michael Phelps of the US in the Olympic Games. Canada's female swimmer Chantal Petitclerc grabbed five gold medals as did Natalie du Toit. As many as 33 men and women claimed at least three gold medals each, among them Kenya's long distance runner Henry Kiprono Kirwa and Morocco's female sprinter Sanaa Benhama. Great Britain's Darren Kenny took four gold and a silver in men's cycling as did the appropriately named swimmer Andre Brasil of Brazil. All four medals won by China's athlete Lixin Zhang were gold while swimmers David Roberts of Great Britain and Enhamed Enhamed of Spain also got four gold each. In the shooting contests, Jonas Jacobsson of Sweden and Great Britain's Lee Pearson, in the equestrian events, picked up three gold medals each. As many as 472 gold medals were won at the Paralympics, as compared to just 302 at the Olympic Games. The biggest achievement of the Chinese is that they have not only staged the most splendorous Olympic Games ever, they have also brought the Paralympic Games into the full view of the sporting world. We now know what Pakistan's contribution in this field has been in the past and we have an instant hero too, in the person of Haider Ali the silver medallist. The
writer is Group Editor Sports of 'The News' gulhbhatti@hotmail.com bhatti.gulhameed@gmail.com cricket 'We have made it clear to the Windies officials that we are interested in hosting the series immediately after the three-match bilateral Pak-WI ODI series in Abu Dhabi in early November' By Ghalib Mehmood Bajwa After the postponement
of the ICC Champions Trophy last month, the Pakistan Cricket It may be recalled here that Pakistan cricket team is passing through a big empty period due to security problems after playing the six-nation Asia Cup tournament at home. It's true that there have been some security lapses in Pakistan but at the same time it's also a big fact that the visiting teams have never been a target of these attacks. The Australian, South African and other reluctant cricket boards must keep in notice that Pakistan is not the only country that is combating security challenges. Our neighbours India and Sri Lanka also have the same problems. In recent days, the Indian capital New Delhi was rocked by a series of bomb blasts leaving dozens of casualties. On the other hand, in a stunning development, the Australian cricket board has decided to send its team to India for a four-Test series that leaves Pakistan astonished rather disappointed. Anyhow, any country could become a victim of such bomb blasts and attacks at any time. During recent years, the same bomb explosions have been reported in famous places like Mexico, Istanbul, Belarus, Madrid, Russia, London, Paris and Kosovo etc but it has never been reported that any international sports event was cancelled or any tour was aborted due to security reasons. PCB's Director Media and Public Affairs Mansoor Suhail while talking to 'The News on Sunday' (TNS) last week at his office, said "We have strong reasons behind our insistence for the Champions Trophy tournament. During the last couple of years, Pakistan has hosted West Indies, South Africa, India, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh for Test and ODI rubbers and most recently organised the six-nation Asia Cup event smoothly and that's why we are pressing for hosting the elite Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan," he said. To a query regarding the chances of having the Champions Trophy next year, Mansoor expressed his determination that the elite tournament has been postponed not cancelled and insha-Allah we will host the grand event in a befitting manner in 2009. Mansoor dispelled the impression regarding the status of Champions Trophy saying that there was a huge difference between postponement of an event and cancellation. "Now fortunately we have a democratic system of government in Pakistan and ultimately we will get a better level of security situation in our country in the future. After having an improved level of security across the country, we are quite confident that we would be able to convince the teams who had some reservations in the past," he explained. While elaborating his point, Mansoor further said that if the event had not been put off then Pakistan would not have been in line for hosting the Trophy next year. "In case of a cancellation, the next host country would have been preparing to hold the event," he further said. When asked to highlight the possibilities of arranging top level competitive cricket in the near future, Mansoor said that PCB is committed to arrange some sort of top level cricket for its players in this testing time. "We did a lot of efforts during the last one month or so to keep our cricketers busy against leading teams but unfortunately our cricketers could not get top level cricket after Asia Cup due to one reason or the other," he said in a sad tone. "However, we are quite confident of convincing the West Indies cricket board for a Test rubber," he added. It may be recalled here that Pakistan's last Test match was in India in December 2007 and according to the ICC FTP (Future Tours Programme), their next Test series will be played in January 2009 at home against the same opponents. Pakistan have been deprived of Test cricket in 2008 after Australia postponed their Pakistan tour for Test and ODI series in March because of security concerns. "PCB's Chief Operating Officer (COO) Shafqat Naghmi had very fruitful talks with the Caribbean board officials in Dubai in recent days regarding a short home or away Test series and that's why we are quite hopeful of organising a brief two-Test series against the former World Champions some time in November," he revealed. Initial talks are under way with the West Indies Board on the prospects of arranging a short two-Test match series. "We have made it clear to the Windies officials that we are interested in hosting the series immediately after the three-match bilateral Pak-WI ODI series in Abu Dhabi in early November. However, we are even ready to send our cricket team to West Indies if they did not agree to play the series in Pakistan," he further said. It may be noted here that before contacting the West Indies Board officials in Dubai, Pakistan approached South Africa and Sri Lanka for a tri-series and bilateral ODI rubber respectively so that the gap created by the postponement of the Champions Trophy could be filled but to no avail. After the postponement of the Champions Trophy, Pakistan proposed a tri-series in South Africa but the plan could not materialise after South Africa took the plea that their players were fatigued following a tiring tour of England. Pakistan then tried to arrange a series comprising five ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals in Sri Lanka but received an extremely cold response from electronic media sponsors. There was a visible lack of interest among the broadcasters. Mansoor Suhail while explaining PCB's other constructive programmes, told that a rare Biomechanics Laboratory is being established at the National Cricket Academy, Lahore to put in extensive remedial work to improve the bowling actions of certain youngsters at initial stages. The Lab will start functioning in June 2009. "The PCB is the first cricket board in the world to have this facility," he revealed. "Before Pakistan, three countries -- Australia, England and South Africa -- did have Biomechanics Labs but those are being controlled either by the private sector or their sports ministries," he further said. While explaining other PCB steps for the promotion of the game, Mansoor informed that the PCB was preparing 22 grounds in different cities of four provinces. "These grounds are being laced with all basic facilities to hold first-class and grade-II matches," Mansoor told. Out of these 22, eight grounds -- District Cricket stadiums at Attock, Jhelum, Sanghar, Panjgur, Turbat, Hub Lasbela, Sports Complex ground at Mardan and Gomel University Cricket ground in Dera Ismail Khan -- have been completed. It is expected that the remaining venues will also be ready for first-class matches on September 30 after which the said stadia will be handed over to the respective district governments. To another question, the PCB spokesman informed that a Regional Cricket Academy was also being raised at Multan. "This facility is also expected to play an important role in flourishing the game in the region. The Multan Academy will be completed in June next year with an approximate amount of 42 to 45 million rupees," he further said. About the under-construction stand at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, Mansoor said, "The new stand would have a modern media centre, Long Room with dining facilities, VIP enclosures from where guests can enjoy live matches. Moreover the capacity of the new pavilion will be upped by 5000," he disclosed. "We are also constructing a new pavilion at the Pindi Stadium as per international requirements. There would be 200 media boxes equipped with latest facilities, gymnasium, umpires rooms, dressing rooms and luxury seats etc at the Pindi stadium. This project is expected to be completed with a cost of around 14 crore," he said. The
writer is a staffer at 'The
News' Lahore ghalibmbajwa@hotmail.com Pakistan cricket: Story of a blighted organisation The concept of loyalty in professional sport has long been an anachronism, but the way it is behaving, you'd assume the PCB couldn't care less for the consequences of its actions By Dr Nauman Niaz On the one hand, the early end of Dr Nasim Ashraf's tenure as Pakistan Cricket Board's Chairman changes little within a blighted organisation. It had already been premeditated that his standing down was directly related to President General Pervez Musharraf's resignation. It went exactly like that. He left the PCB after two turbulent years at the helm, and so all that had really changed was that he could not take any part in showing the world that his regime was the best. In the grander scheme of things, however, Nasim's ousting was more than just a final humiliation for a man who had found himself at the sharp end of every one of the game's myriad crises of the recent past. It was an open admission of the hypocrisy, factionalism and naked politicking that had paralysed Pakistan cricket's governing body, at precisely the moment when it was most desperately in need of leadership and progression. This is a perilous period for the country's cricket, for the pace of the chance and redundancy this year has been rampant. Pakistan's controversial entry into the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa with Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq dropped and Shoaib Akhtar returning home having hurled a bat and injuring Mohammad Asif in a dressing room spat was not an iconic beginning. Nevertheless, Misbah-ul-Haq's rejuvenation saw the Twenty20 spree exploding into life with a force that few could ever have contemplated and subsequently the defections of several over the hill and unwanted players' defection to the ICL and a legal transfer of top cricketers to the IPL saw the elite being transfixed by the life-transforming sums of money being dangled in front of their faces. There was, in the opinion of conventionalists complete disfiguring of the integrity and image of the Pakistani game. Again Dr Nasim was in the middle of it. A strong sporting body -- or even a weak entity that actually didn't care for the game it was governing -- did have sufficient voice and authority to declare that cricket was still burgeoning, mushrooming to prosperity. Regrettably, it was contrary to the truth as PCB has become nothing more than a burnt-out train-wreck of an organisation. For years it was run as a personal fiefdom of handpicked men, the staff and those in chair whilst their neighbouring country India transcended to become game's financial powerhouse, to ride roughshod over all corners-rarely more triumphantly than during a successfully organised IPL. Meanwhile, Pakistan clung meekly to the concept that unity, however unilateral, was better than the anarchy that now threatens to deteriorate further the already dead game. Now, it's on the cards that the world boards and even the ICC would be giving as little credence as possible to the PCB until it is revolutionised and tries to stand on the feet again. The fact that it is Pakistan management that has spread the rot so far and wide is no surprise, but it still beggars belief how their top bosses were permitted to get away with it. Realistically, in spite of tall claims Pakistan's domestic structure is in chaos, they are virtually incapable of raising a Test side as they used to in the 1990s and even in the early 2000s and they are barely competitive at any level of the game. And yet Dr Nasim Ashraf, a thoroughly confused chairman, with President Musharraf in place was arguably the most influential man within the game, all because he was willing to accede slavishly to the BCCI on any and every issue. Thanks to Nasim, a wedge was driven between the favourite and the less wanted cricketers (without putting too fine a point of it), but the man who allowed this to get out of control in recent months, at best described as a compromised and unworthy Chairman of the PCB. He was another chairman who was drunk on his power, which was incredible seeing as he shouldn't even have been in the job in the first place. He was only handed the reins because he was at the right place at the right time and could exploit things happenings within and around his surroundings. According to those who observed and watched him in action in the PCB, he was as reckless as he was power-happy, so prone to gaffes that he was rarely trusted publicly. Today, Dr Nasim is out of the picture resigning for personal reasons, leaving his successor to face the difficulties to bring Pakistan cricket to respectability and a little more closer to sanity not prosperity. Rarely has the PCB moved with such confusion -- on several issues, Shoaib Akhtar's fine, Mohammad Asif's dope case, Mohammad Yousafís altercation with the ICL, banning of the ICL defectors, postponement of the ICC Champions Trophy, illegal and untimely sackings of senior employees like Saleem Altaf and their return via court cases and Supreme Court decisions and the half-cooked development programmes amongst a plethora of other over-ambitious policies. However, the factions within the PCB corridors of power had been gunning for Dr Nasim when charges of financial irregularities and power-abuse within the organisation were often swept under the carpet. Nasim refused to front up to defend criticism and retraction of several decisions with which he fundamentally agreed, and from that moment, his fate was sealed. Tellingly, several Members of PCB's Board of Governors and his cronies were desperate to fill the unfilled international calendar and postponement of ICC Champions Trophy primarily due to security concerns should not be seen as the cause of Dr Nasim's downfall. It looked, had he not resigned yet more power struggles could have tested him to the hilt. In spite of one odd Member of the BOG seeing his exit as honourable, Dr Nasim will not be missed by those who equated his reign with the erosion of PCB's credibility, but his rhetorical commitments most certainly would. His stance throughout eighteen or more months -- from the doping controversy to Younis Khan's mishandling, to the selection of management teams and a horrendous increase in financial liabilities and implementation of a controversial new constitution, was an implacable calm that, superficially at least, gave the impression that there was a modicum of control being exercised at some level of the organisation. Now, the PCB is officially out of control -- and with it the future of the Pakistani game. The concept of loyalty in professional sport has long been an anachronism, but the way it is behaving, you'd assume the PCB couldn't care less for the consequences of its actions. As Dr Nasim resigned, the announcement was treated with overwhelming ambivalence, his stint bordering on embarrassment. As new man prepares to step in, Pakistan cricket is enduring one of its cyclical bouts of introspective gloom. But, even if Pakistan cricket is beginning to look like a lot of fuss about nothing much in particular, at least its principal message is one that will resonate. Because, for all the competing topics of discussion that emerged from rumors regarding who could be the new man running Pakistan's turbulent game, the one that would eventually prove to be of most interest to everyone associated with cricket within the scope and impact of new democracy in the country. Honestly, Pakistan cricket needs someone with a vision, intellectual honesty and a well-balanced, adequately bridled aggression to take on thousands of challenges in the offing. Who could he be -- an aggressor or a well-read thoroughly composed, highly educated professional living in the world of reasons and reasoning? Pakistan cricket now needs a super performer and the one who could take viable decisions and then sticking to it. He mustn't buckle under pressure. In cricket management it may well be an insufficient feature in such a determination. Few who have observed and seen succession of chairmen in recent times may disagree with this judgment. We need someone, on balance, who should dominate in all situations and in diverse circumstances. There should be no structural weakness, no structural flaw. Perfect adaptability is expected. The ability to answer all challenges and to place policies from a position of authority is the hallmark of a great man-manager or an organisational head. Opposition and friends alike should always feel the psychological power of such a man, a kind of charisma in office that lessens the spirit of defeatism in their ranks. All these distinctive features should now be in the next man in power, and not brief in summation. There had been such men like AH Kardar, who was not just a great implementer but also had a reputation within the Pakistani society that extended beyond the boundary and connected the philosophical discourses that continued to engage students and academics seeking an understanding of the project of Pakistani nation building and the post 1960s dispensation. Subjective judgments often underpin much of what academics say about the relationships of individuals to society. It is always difficult to escape the line of reasoning that seeks to ascertain whether individuals did the best they could for their time. Each individual has its mission which it can fulfill or betray. Now we need a newer generation of sports management experts or at least well-versed with the modern demands of semi-corporate culture and to fulfill what is expected of him by the society. Under the given situation it is going to be a story of a turbulent and an unrewarding journey to excellence that has to have a place within the classrooms of academics and experts. It may well contain important principles of political and moral philosophy speaking metaphorically to the tensions, paradoxes and contradictions of social consciousness. Now is the time, it has to be a man ready to legitimise unique and revolutionary actions, a unilateral declaration of cricket's freedom.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul: Lone ranger defies all odds All that made-up hype and cosmetic frenzy failed to stop Chanderpaul – a highly unconventional, non-glamorous and to some odiously-styled batting champion – from taking the 2008 Cricketer of the Year Award By Syed Ahsan Ali The departure of Brian
Lara raised the expectations of world cricket that Ramnaresh Unfortunately, Sarwan is still far from fulfilling that dream. But the vacuum created due to the retirement of one of the finest batting talents gave the simmering ability of Shivnarine Chanderpaul an impetus to reach its boiling point. The rock-solid left-hander has been looming in the monstrous shadow of his skipper Lara over the years but never came close to outshine him ever just because it was too Herculean a task. Otherwise he possibly has done everything in his powers to share the load of Lara and keeping up the pace with his contemporaries. The world of cricket has been hit ferociously by glitz and glamour in the last year or so especially after the introduction of Twenty20 format. We saw switch-hits, cheerleaders, players' bidding process, and multi-million dollar deals as if we were in the race course to witness galloping horses, where money pushes everything towards the back seat. But all that made-up hype and cosmetic frenzy failed to stop Chanderpaul -- a highly unconventional, non-glamorous and to some odiously-styled batting champion -- from taking the highest individual honour of 2008 Cricketer of the Year Award and clinching the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy. It came as a surprise to many mainly due to the 180 degree focus-shift of international cricket towards Twenty20 which made us all oblivious to the fact that Test cricket still holds the centre-stage regardless of what modern cricket pundits like Lalit Modi and Allen Stanford think. Chanderpaul won the prestigious Sobers Trophy by overshadowing nominees like Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene, South African skipper Graeme Smith and his teammate Dale Steyn. The stocky Chanderpaul was short-listed last year as well but failed to lift the top award. The basic credential to win a coveted prize like the Sobers Trophy can only be possible if you do exceptionally well in both forms of the game. And this committed, silent-looking southpaw has done remarkably well in both Tests and ODIs. From August 9, 2007 to August 12, 2008 which was the period in consideration for the ICC Awards, Chanderpaul put up 819 runs in eight Tests with a staggering average of 91, laced with three hundreds and six half-centuries. In 13 ODIs during the said period, his aggregate was 598 runs with an excellent average of 74.75, courtesy one century and five fifties. Jayawardene and Smith have better aggregates at the end of the year and obviously have had more wins for their teams but looking at their respective teams and players at their disposal it all came in lot better scenarios. Whereas in Chanderpaul's case, it all happened in tumultuous situations and mostly when his team ended most games as losing pack. This award is more for bravery and determination than for success and results. His all three centuries came against top teams of South Africa and Australia, and at times he had to do it all alone. His ton against the Proteas was a memorable knock mainly because it was a match-winning one and secondly because it was posted at the heart of South African cricket, Port Elizabeth. Chanderpaul gave his young and relatively inexperienced spirited bowlers a chance to put pressure on the mighty South African batting line-up by posting 1st innings total of 408. Luckily, his team-mates responded by floundering opponents for a paltry 195. After that the hosts found wanting till the very last ball of the match. Against the Australians too, he was the only reason to keep the champions in the field for a longer period of time. It was his prowess that forced a draw in the second Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua when no one on either side was expecting that to happen. His not out first innings effort of 107 teased the Australians immensely. Then in the second innings, when the West Indies needed 372 to win a match, he and Sarwan put up a gallant fight against Brett Lee and teammates to squeeze a draw. We all know how dangerous the Aussies become once they sense victory but Chanderpaul and Sarwan both defended ball after ball to save their team from the humiliation of clean sweep in a series which was considered a lost cause long before the start of a series. As it is said that there is no short-cuts to success, so it is proven by Chanderpaul's story. His shoot to the top of the world stature came through hard and painstakingly painful moments. He dealt with Lara's aura, acrimonious politicking in country's cricket system that forced him to give up leadership role, faces highly hopeless situation around him when after delivering his best he ends up on losing side due to the failings of others. But he does it all in his usual calm and quiet manner as if it does not affect him at all. During the last year, when he was asked about his current purple patch in an interview, he said with noticeable humility, "It is a result of hard work and dedication to my game. I have spent countless hours in the nets, practicing, exercising and keeping fit, working to fine-tune my skills." Cricket needs characters like Chanderpaul in an age where cricket is engulfed in too much physicality. A cricketer in the age of macho cricketers whose head-gear looks looser on his head, whose bat seems heavier in his somewhat lean-looking forearms but, in spite of carrying all such frailties, he is making a difference. Hopefully, travails of this lone ranger will bear some fruit for West Indies cricket in the near future.
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immediate hope for a revival in Pakistan sports, came the pleasant
surprise with a Pakistan athlete winning a silver medal in an
international competition of great magnitude and that too on the world
stage. Haider Ali proved earlier this month that there was life after
the Olympic Games after all, what if the honour for our country was
attained by a sportsperson afflicted with a form of cerebral palsy!
in the men's long jump F37/38 final on Tuesday, September 9, at
Beijing's National Stadium which is now more popularly known as the
Bird's Nest. Haider could even have earned the gold medal, but he had to
be content with a silver in the end.
This happened in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia in the KL'06 FESPIC Games.
FESPIC, formerly spelled out as the 'Far East and South Pacific Games
Federation for the disabled', holds Asia's competition for disabled
sportspeople.
Ahmed Butt was banned for two years after failing a doping test, the
first athlete to test positive during the Beijing Paralympics. Naveed
tested positive for the steroid methandienone metabolites.
competition, according to IPC figures until the end of the previous day.
At the Athens Games in 2004, 680 doping tests were conducted, resulting
in 10 anti-doping rule violations, according to the IPC.
part of the Olympics curriculum back in 1960 at Rome in Italy. The
tradition since then has been to hold the Paralympic Games soon after
the Olympic Games end at the same venue. Initially, scoffed at by some
as a 'freak show', the Paralympic Games have gained a respected stature
now as an event of considerable importance.
Board (PCB) management is making its best efforts to arrange some top
level cricketing activities for the national cricket team. These days
the PCB high-ups are in touch with West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for
a short Test series to fill the gap created by the postponement of the
elite Champions Trophy event.
Sarwan will fit into the role of the next great West Indian batting
giant nicely to take the dwindling Caribbean cricket to a new level.