interview
Bridging the gap
Khurshid Hadi, Pakistan's bridge chief, shares his love for sports with 'The News on Sunday' and reveals the steps being taken to promote mind sports in the country
By Khalid Hussain
"A high point in my bridge memories is the 2004 World Olympiad held in Istanbul, reaching the last-eight from 72 participating countries, beating a much fancied English team, partnering Kemal Shoaib, whose cool-headedness, calm, intelligence and bridge knowledge is second to none. I don't recall him ever forgetting a convention and remember his tolerance for my many lapses."

We believe in enduring success: Hassan Sardar
'Hockey is in our blood, and it is wrong if somebody says that there is no hockey potential in Pakistan'
By Ghalib Mehmood Bajwa
Though our junior hockey team won two titles last month, and we expect the same kind of performance from our senior side, our main target is to formulate a strong outfit for future. A couple of good performances and victories are not enough, we are trying to make our base strong and effective under a long-term planning, this was stated by Pakistanís chief Selector Hassan Sardar while talking to 'The News on Sunday'.

Pakistan cricket needs a bit of unwinding, a bit of grinding
The PCB chief needs to pick up the shreds and skeletons left in the cupboards by his predecessors and also reinvent methodologies to put restraint and eliminate a few others who have been enacting anti-PCB activities for hiding incompetence and pure self-preservation
By Dr Nauman Niaz
Most of the chairmen of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have been gadflies, often an embarrassment and irritants, even to the likeminded and allies. They challenged unacknowledged assumptions and uncritically accepted positions and allowed us to envision different ways of seeing things. They exploded myths and arrogant policies and challenged power positions that pretended to be based on sound knowledge, honesty and morality.

Difficulties of Pakistan cricket
When Kerry Packer started his league, the participants were denied a place in their home teams. It was Pakistan that sensibly took the lead and invited their errant players to participate in a home series against the Kiwis
By Malik Arshed Gilani'
The columns of this newspaper just a few days ago quoted an official source which stated that the PCB was well aware of a growing threat against the Sri Lankan Team during the visit of that team. I had said so much in my column not so long ago.

Victoria Azarenka: The story so far
By Kamakshi Tandon
Like any mother taking a young child to work, Alla Azarenka was looking for a way to keep her daughter Victoria occupied while she got on with her job at the local tennis club in Minsk, Belarus. So she handed the 7-year-old girl a racquet and told her to try hitting against the wall.

 

 

interview

Bridging the gap

Khurshid Hadi, Pakistan's bridge chief, shares his love for sports with 'The News on Sunday' and reveals the steps being taken to promote mind sports in the country

By Khalid Hussain

"A high point in my bridge memories is the 2004 World Olympiad held in Istanbul, reaching the last-eight from 72 participating countries, beating a much fancied English team, partnering Kemal Shoaib, whose cool-headedness, calm, intelligence and bridge knowledge is second to none. I don't recall him ever forgetting a convention and remember his tolerance for my many lapses."

This is how vividly Khurshid Hadi recalls his fond memories as a bridge player when you sit down with him for a chit-chat on what is his favourite topic -- sports. He has plenty of such memories and loves to share them.

A renowned chartered accountant, Hadi is as sports mad as you can get. At suave parties at home or abroad he would ask his host for a good seat in front of a television set rather than a drink. "There is a football match going on," he would say.

He follows cricket like a fanatic, loves football and can't live without golf. The list goes on.

But his first love is bridge -- a sport with which he has had a life long affair that is still going strong after almost four decades. Hadi's love for sports has been passed on to his children. His son is an avid chess player while two of his daughters are able sportswomen.

Hadi himself is an accomplished bridge player and is now working as the President of the Pakistan Bridge Federation (PBF). Last year he was instrumental in launching an initiative called the Mind Sports Association of Pakistan (MSAP) and is serving as its Chairman.

"I developed a fascination for cards very early in my life," says Hadi. "I learnt the rules of the game as a young boy and then honed by skills living with Zia (Mehmood) in England," he tells 'The News on Sunday'.

Zia Mahmood is Pakistan's most famous bridge player who now plays mostly in Great Britain and the United States. He is a World Bridge Federation and American Contract Bridge League Grand Life Master and one of the world's leading bridge players and personalities. In a nutshell, he is the Sachin Tendulkar of world bridge.

"It was apparent that we had some ability," says Hadi who played with the likes of Masood Saleem, Waheed Bux Qadri and Jan-e-Alam Fazli during his salad days as a bridge exponent. Soon after his return to Pakistan, Hadi joined what became an exciting bridge team known as Incognito in 1972.

"At that time there was a bridge circuit with tournaments taking place at Karachi Gymkhana, Karachi Club and then there were the nationals," he recounts.

Hadi's first international experience came when he made the cut for the Pakistan team that featured in the 1974 Asia and Middle East Championship in Manila. "We didn't do really well there but it was a fantastic experience. I knew then that I was in it for good," Hadi recalls.

One of his enduring memories as a bridge player is when he got an invitation to attend the Cavendish Auction -- a bridge event attended by a very, very select guest list -- in New York.

"Bridge is such an equaliser," says Hadi who recalls how Martin Hoffman, a well-known bridge personality but almost a pauper, shouted at Ace Greenberg, the legendary CEO of Bear Sterns. "He called Ace the stupidest man. It was really ironic."

Hadi also remembers how he couldn't even hold his cards while featuring in the quarter-finals of the World Team Olympiad in Istanbul against England when somebody told him that a global audience of 26,000 people is watching the match on the internet thanks to the Bridge Base Online (BBO).

"I was so nervous that it was difficult for me to even hold my cards," he remembers.

In 1977, Hadi went to Dubai and stayed there for several years but there was no gap between him and bridge. He promoted the game there and even helped stage an international tournament that featured top players from Great Britain and South Africa.

He returned to Pakistan in 1987 and remained closely associated with bridge. He served two stints as PBF President and was instrumental in organising an eight-nation international tournament in Karachi, marking the Golden Jubilee celebrations in 1997.

A couple of years back, he returned as the PBF chief with the ambition to take the sport to the next level in Pakistan.

"I have no doubts that bridge has huge potential in Pakistan," he stresses.

"I mean for a country that has a handful of bridge players, we have done really well for ourselves."

Pakistan have reached the finals of the World Team Olympiad on two occasions. They played for the title against hosts United States in 1981 in New York and then again in 1984 in Miami. They have also won several regional titles.

"But most importantly we have produced Zia Mehmood," says Hadi. "Zia is one of the best bridge players ever and we are all proud of him."

But in spite of all these achievements, bride remains a minor sport in Pakistan. There are just around 200 registered bridge players in the country. In contrast there are 2 million in the United States.

It was one reason why Hadi and his team of dedicated officials launched MSAP last year.

Workshops and teaching programmes were launched in educational institutions like IBA, CBM, Indus and Aga Khan University. Habib Bank (HBL) was roped in as the prime sponsor.

The first National Mind Sports Championship was staged last summer that featured events in bridge, chess and scrabble.

"We are slowly getting organised," explains Hadi.

He says that mind sports are a great way to produce good citizens. "Nowadays, the kids are mostly busy with interactive games on the computer," he points out. "I have nothing against such games but the problem is that you play them all alone. Games like bridge and chess, on the other hand, help to improve your social skills and that's something which is very important for a balanced personality."

Another such initiative is the Pakistan Bridge University which is a platform for newcomers.

Hadi laments the lack of finances for games like bridge. "Raising funds is a major issue," he says. "We have several plans but it needs money to implement them."

The writer is Editor Sports of The News, Karachi

khalidhraj@gmail.com

'Hockey is in our blood, and it is wrong if somebody says that there is no hockey potential in Pakistan'

 

By Ghalib Mehmood Bajwa

Though our junior hockey team won two titles last month, and we expect the same kind of performance from our senior side, our main target is to formulate a strong outfit for future. A couple of good performances and victories are not enough, we are trying to make our base strong and effective under a long-term planning, this was stated by Pakistanís chief Selector Hassan Sardar while talking to 'The News on Sunday'.

Remember, Pakistan junior hockey team won a five-nation hockey tournament in Cairo, Egypt defeating the hosts 5-3 in penalty shoot-out in the final in the last week of March 2009. It was Pakistan's second back-to-back junior hockey title in just 15 days. Earlier, in the mid of March, Pakistan juniors also scooped a four-nation tournament when they defeated India in the final match by 3-2 at Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Interestingly, Pakistan won both the finals in extra-time.

Hassan, who was popular in the hockey world for his classic body dodging, said two title victories are definitely a good sign for Pakistan team to be in excellent form before the upcoming Junior World Cup to be played in two months time. "After such a superb performance, the Pakistan boys are in great shape both physically and mentally just ahead of grand Junior World Cup and we are quite hopeful that our youngsters will win the elite World Cup event as well," Hassan hoped.

Answering a query, Hassan, who arguably was the best centre forward Pakistan has ever produced, said, "Hockey is in our blood, and it is wrong if somebody says that there is no hockey potential in Pakistan. There is still great hockey talent in Pakistan. We just need to locate and then groom the potential youngsters properly," he elaborated.

"During the recent National Hockey Championship, we found some outstanding boys which could prove to be an asset for the future of national hockey."

Hassan Sardar, who started his international career in the early 1980s, while highlighting the role of foreign trainer, said, "PHF has hired the foreign trainer just to improve the fitness level of Pakistan hockey teams both junior and senior. In modern day hockey, only the teams with fewer number of fitness problems could reach the victory podium. So we cannot ignore the role of a quality trainer," he explained.

When his attention was drawn towards Pakistan's coaching problem, Hasan said that present PHF administration has introduced the concept of paid coaches. "In past years, Pakistan used to pay foreign coaches while locals were appointed on honorary basis. But now local coaches are also being paid and this is the right way to appoint somebody," he added. "Logically if somebody is being paid he will react and perform accordingly and show more responsibility."

He said that Pakistan head coach Shahid Ali Khan was a qualified coach and that's why PHF selected him to replace Ayaz Mehmood, who could not join PHF due to his commitments with PIA.

"Sultan Azlan Shah Cup could be called his first test as professional coach. Shahid has been in coaching for the last couple of years. Recently he was performing as an assistant to a German coach in Malaysia for the last two years."

To a point, he said since PHF management consists of former Olympians so we have evolved such a system in which anyone can give an advice to our coach and in any important issue. And since it is a team work, no body is going to feel disturb in this process.

Hassan, who was a part of Pakistan's last Olympic gold medal-winning team at Los Angeles in 1984, while discussing reasons of Pakistan's downfall in hockey, said that lack of back-up pool was one of the major factors behind Pakistan's substandard performance during the last 15 years.

"It was period of early 1980s when star-studded Pakistan triumphed in 1982 World Cup and then 1984 Olympics but unfortunately the then PHF did not prepare proper back-up for retiring stars such as Akhtar Rasool, Manzoor ul Hasan, Samiullah, Kaleemullah, Manzoor Junior, Hanif Khan and myself etc."

"Even many of the stars were forced to announce retirement prematurely," he blamed. "Akhtar Rasool retired after 1982 World Cup victory though he could have been played the Los Angeles Olympics easily. Similarly, the stars like Kaleemullah, Manzoor Junior, Hanif Khan and I were fit enough to represent Pakistan till the 1992 Olympics."

"In short, some ten top class hockey players were shown the door in a period of just five years from 1982-87 but without finding their appropriate replacements. Had those giants of the game not been forced to leave the top level hockey prematurely, the circumstances of the present Pakistan hockey could have been different,î he added. "In this regard I want to mention Brig Atif's role. No doubt he was instrumental in Pakistan's victories in the '80s but at the same time he did not make planning for the great retiring hockey players and that's why Pakistan hockey could not stabilise itself even after such a long period."

"India also committed the same mistake when they won the World Cup in 1975 but immediately after winning the title, their management forced seven players to quit and next year they finished poor 7th in Olympic Games," he informed.

Hassan, who was appointed chief selector in October 2008, while recounting the circumstances of his retirement said, "I was forced to quit hockey in 1987 at the age of 29. At that time I could have represented my country for another 3 to 4 years comfortably."

One can gauge my and other players' (Kaleemullah & Hanif Khan etc) fitness and performance from the fact that we won the National Hockey Championship in 1992. "In 1986, I was dropped and resultantly Pakistan finished 11th in World Cup the same year. Next year I was recalled as captain and we managed to make it to Azlan Shah Cup final and lost the decisive game in extra time against Germany," he continued.

Hassan said every player has to say good-bye to game one day but it does not look appropriate to retire half dozen players in one or two years. We should learn a lesson from past mistakes.

He said after retirement he was offered a selector's role in 2001 which he accepted. "In those 14 years I was also offered roles of national coach and manager but I did not agree because it was a matter of total commitment and at that time I was focusing whole-heartedly on my job with Customs."

To another question, the soft-spoken Hassan said, Pakistan Hockey Federation is performing really well for the betterment of hockey in the country. "It is for the first time in Pakistan history that National Hockey Academies have been introduced in the country. And it is a fact that the said academies are need of the hour."

When asked to predict about the future of hockey which is also a Pakistan's national sport, Hasan was of the view that our beginning is very heartening but the fact is that Pakistan hockey is passing through a rebuilding process.

"As we are all doing hectic efforts and that too in the right direction, so now we can say that Pakistan will regain its lost glory in hockey in the next four to five years.

To a question regarding Pakistan's 8th place in world hockey, Hasan said that during the last 15 years Pakistan could not get a respectable place in world hockey due to various reasons. "Now it is our senior team's turn to raise their level of game and win titles. They must take inspiration from the junior team."

"It is a matter of just a couple of good tournaments and after that Pakistan hockey team can improve their international ranking," he added.

The writer is a staffer at The News, Lahore, ghalibmbajwa@hotmail.com

 

 

Mahindra Singh Dhoni leads the tourists to yet another rare triumph

By Khurram Mahmood

When Indian cricket team landed in New Zealand in February to play two Twenty20, five ODI and three Tests most experts believed that under the captaincy of Mahindra Singh Dhoni, the tourists were favourite to win all of the tour matches.

But the home side won both Twenty20 matches and gave a hope to its spectators for a close contest in ODI and Test matches.

But India regrouped themselves and first won the five match One-day International series convincingly by 3-1 and the Test series by 1-0.

India won the first Test in Hamilton by 10 wickets, with the second Test at McLean Park ending in a draw after India batted during the final two days to save the game.

India were in a winning position in the third Test when New Zealand chasing an impossible target of 617 slump 281-8 but India were two wickets away from a historic series victory when rain stopped play.

India's Test series win in New Zealand came after 41 years. India last won the Test series in New Zealand in 1967-68 under the leadership of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.

The Test series result could have 2-0 in favour of India but late declaration even though the rain was forecast for the final day kept away the tourists from another Test wins.

The credit for the series win goes to everyone especially the senior players like Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Zaheer and Harbhajan.

Under the leadership of Dhoni, India are improving their ICC ranking series by series in both Tert and ODIs.

In September 2007, the then India cricket team captain Rahul Dravid stepped down as skipper after the England tour with the reason that he wanted to concentrate on his batting.

Two important assignments -- against Australia and Pakistan -- were ahead for the Indian team and the BCCI surprisingly selected Dhoni, the inexperienced 26 years old wicket-keeper batsman as their captain.

Before becoming the one-day team captain Dhoni led the Indian cricket team which won the first Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa. After taking this huge responsibility Dhoni immediately showed his leadership qualities, and under his captaincy India won the Twenty20 World Cup and the triangular series in Australia for the first time, beating Australia in consecutive two finals. He also won the one-day home series against Pakistan and the ODI series against Sri Lanka while Anil Kumble lost the Test series against the same opponents.

Former Australian captain and Indian coach Greg Chappell appreciated Dhoni and said that "the Indians are lucky to have a leader like him. He showed his potential as he led an inexperienced team to victory in the ICC World Twenty20 in his debut series as captain."

Meanwhile, during the series against New Zealand Rahul Dravid broke the world record for most (181) field Test catches set by Australian Mark Waugh. By the end of Test his catches tally was 184 in 134 matches.

Indian opener Gautam Gambhir was the highest scorer of the Test series with 445 runs at an average of 89 with the help of two centuries and one fifty. From the home side Jesse Ryder was the top scorer with 327 runs including two hundred and one half-century with the average of 65.40.

In the bowling department, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh took 16 wickets at an average of 21.37 while Chris Martin was the chief wicket-taker for New Zealand with 14 scalps, averaging 32.71.

 

The writer works in 'The News on Sunday' in Karachi khurrams87@yahoo.com

 

Pakistan cricket needs a bit of unwinding, a bit of grinding

The PCB chief needs to pick up the shreds and skeletons left in the cupboards by his predecessors and also reinvent methodologies to put restraint and eliminate a few others who have been enacting anti-PCB activities for hiding incompetence and pure self-preservation

 

By Dr Nauman Niaz

Most of the chairmen of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have been gadflies, often an embarrassment and irritants, even to the likeminded and allies. They challenged unacknowledged assumptions and uncritically accepted positions and allowed us to envision different ways of seeing things. They exploded myths and arrogant policies and challenged power positions that pretended to be based on sound knowledge, honesty and morality.

Some of them even tried to justify failures, best known as proponent of success, challenging our intellect and the differentiation between a failure and success. PCB's backtracking, the policies going to the dogs and economic violence were often termed as overt individual acts, but they included so much more.

I used think that I had been writing on cricket's controversies, now into almost twenty years I am convinced I have been doing the most useless thing, barking, harking and trying to persuade people what was needed to be done; my mentor and the late Omar Kureishi used to say that 'keep barking', they would listen. Now, I am a convert, to me I'll go to my grave still seeing cricket being chastised and molested.

As one would encourage the PCB to focus much of their attention on motives and intentions. Failures and status quo are often equated with hatred, and sincerity with love. However, PCB and the Pakistan team goes beyond most philosophical analysis by focusing on the violence of the status quo; economic violence, inter-departmental and within the team cultural violence, psychological violence, linguistic violence, and so forth. For the PCB, BCCI is accumulating wealth and power, and they are in great need, but they don't understand, they have done nothing to help alleviate their sufferings, and they must also acknowledge they are complicit in the violence of the status quo.

Ijaz Butt since his appointment as PCB's chairman has been trying to unwind and reverse the wrong-doings of his predecessors; and it seems he would go to the grave uncoiling them. And worst, he had had his share of controversies and incidents, some his own doing and most inherited from the previous regime. Ironically, PCB has had little sympathy for detached theories of knowledge that were not grounded in morality or for theology which pretended to transcend morality. In their approach to morality in general and partiality in particular, these chairmen became known for their inability to reinforce relationship between means and ends. They tried achieving worthy goals by using impure means, and thus they routed the institutional values of the PCB, rejecting utilitarianism.

Although there were short-term desired results, they indefinitely lead to defective ends; they fuelled and became trapped in endless escalating cycles of mutual destruction. When Butt beat his competitors in the race to Lahore's Gadaffi Stadium due to combined factors, sheer weight of his political links and his own credentials, he appeared to be a man with an activist's philosophy, when he often related to the action-oriented results; act to fulfill his duties with an attitude of nonattachment to the results of his actions. Regrettably, he picked people with egocentricities and one-tracked minds, experimenting with ways to intervene delicately to weaken endless cycles of disruption and mutual destruction, but in the middle, these aged-men forgot to realise their main goals, so it looked.

Although Butt's emphasis on intentions and his strong-presence often allowed us to relate him to people like the towering Arif Ali Khan Abbasi and an unforgettable A H Kardar or a more determined Air Marshal Nur Khan, he doesn't seem in their league, yet. They had one thing in common, they were doers and hated status quo and picked people suited, not only to their but cricket's interest but Butt seems lost in the middle of the sea. In spite of early jitters, one feels, he still could be the man to become a 'pragmatic idealist'. Time has come, rather it's running out, he should now focus on implementing decisions and policies and the results. He has tried acting with good intentions and according to moral duty, but there has been slips between the cup and the lips, and seems not succeeding in resisting hegemonic PCB politics. He needs to rediscover methods to eliminate the dark ends and alleviate problems and Pakistan cricket's long-standing suffering. He also needs to overcome prejudice, evaluating his position as a failed experiment in truth?

Second, Butt regardless of the presence of his old friends Yawar Saeed, Intikhab Alam etcetera, is required to oppose any abstract, formalistic, universal, de-contextualised approach which is then applied to particular situations. He needs to contextualise his analysis independently and shouldn't be experimenting with an open-ended truth reflecting imperfect understanding.

Pakistan cricket's renewal would only come through pragmatism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, relativism, anti-essentialism and postmodernism. Now is the time how Butt deals with the inadequate dichotomy of universal, absolute essentialism versus particular, relative anti-essentialism? Butt needs to pick up the shreds and skeletons left in the cupboards by his predecessors and also reinvent methodologies to put restraint and eliminate a few others who have been enacting anti-PCB activities for hiding incompetence and pure self-preservation. Then, he should move at a faster pace, not at the speed at which things have happened so far, avoiding a kind of facile relativism, understanding absolute universals, such as proliferating financial mechanisms, truth and the sanctity of purpose. Cricket in Pakistan has to emerge as an institution otherwise it would be over; the death knell. He needs to comprehend the absolute, serving as a regulative ideal, but at most having glimpses of truth that may well still be relative.

Personal biases have to go, and Butt would be required to be tolerant of criticism, and take people on board who have mindsets, knowledge-base and skills which he doesn't have, and he should realise that the movement towards greater truth is an action-oriented, cooperative, mutually reinforcing effort. This philosophical approach towards development, success, truth and institution-building approach would involve dialogue, recognition of integral self-other relations, and embracing an open-ended process that resists the domination of false attempts at philosophical, cultural, economic, or political aspects of our national game.

Nonetheless, Butt has an onerous task in hand. Pakistan cricket could have won, not the matches with flashing regularity but an award for 'the most unpredictable team' in the world, and PCB, a 'roll of honour' for the most 'cynical' of all boards. Had such an award been formulated, it wouldn't have gone to any other nation rather it would have perpetually rested with Pakistan. Nothing that people take notice of-nothing is convincing, plausible or credible. And that is putting it compassionately. The truth is that the people know in their bones that everyone deceives and betrays them and not just through their teeth. They fully identify that the truth is never shared because it would implicate the person sharing it in a jiffy. It seems, either the people are tricked or the tricksters win, almost always.

He needs to find prophets amongst his workers and then convincing the world by their spiel. On the contrary, people like Nasim Ashraf and co hollered for miracles to be performed right before them otherwise they weren't buying the sales pitch. But sometimes even that wasn't enough and people had forgotten the miracles even as the prophets were wrapping up their props. In the end, they were booed off. Butt needs to do the needful, oblige and pull out all the stops.

Butt should work his way to success. Success has been an elusive since the beginning of time. People have tried to determine that which would make them feel as though they have achieved success. Some have defined success themselves, while others have been content to have others, or societies at large, define success for them. Success seldom sticks with the powerful-that's what the silver-haired PCB chief needs to determine. Power, whether self-accentuated or simply untitled influence, could be a good thing. If you achieve power that is good, as long as you are good with it.

Butt now needs to perform miracles otherwise his chances of being booed off would be pretty high-that is if he isn't removed not because of his failings but due to some of his brain-washed and brain-dead colleagues.

He should realise that Pakistan cricket is caving in from all sides and sinking into oblivion, and the same people now in positions of power, with Butt gone would be studying their manicures and making a sympathetic clicking sounds over the maimed chairman.

 

The writer is the Member of the Royal College of Physicians (UK) and Official Historian of Pakistan Cricket. naumanniaz@hotmail.com

 

Difficulties of Pakistan cricket

When Kerry Packer started his league, the participants were denied a place in their home teams. It was Pakistan that sensibly took the lead and invited their errant players to participate in a home series against the Kiwis

 

By Malik Arshed Gilani'

The columns of this newspaper just a few days ago quoted an official source which stated that the PCB was well aware of a growing threat against the Sri Lankan Team during the visit of that team. I had said so much in my column not so long ago.

I had also suggested that it could be considered criminal negligence if under such conditions the manager of the visiting team had his arm twisted to insist that the Test Match be held in Lahore. If that were not bad enough the reality is that the security that had been promised to the visitors and had been carefully defined in writing between the PCB and the authorities in Lahore was not being followed.

The attack took place on the third day and thus there is ample reason to state that the PCB's concerned Officials; the one responsible for administration and the other in charge of international cricket operations; should have been monitoring security and should have realised its serious shortcomings. Either or both of them should have taken recorded corrective by advising the authorities of the serious shortage of security as promised. We must ask the question "Was this done"? Did they at least inform the Chairman of the PCB? One has to conclude that if they have been doing their jobs; they would have ensured that the teams did not even leave the hotel on the fateful day before adequate security was provided.

A little bird tells me that even the police had advised them that the security was inadequate! I risk the criticism of being harsh and pointing fingers, however we are looking at a situation where our country and cricket are being vilified and this could have been avoided if the people directly responsible had done their jobs. Let me repeat categorically the end user was the PCB and this body should have done its best to ensure Security. This did not happen and it appears that in the smoke of looking for terrorists the in house responsibility is being pushed under the carpet. This will add to the doubts that a number of ICC countries already carry and will put off any chance of international cricket in Pakistan for a very long time.

Even now if the PCB takes the right approach and pinpoints the in house culprits it might encourage the world to accept that at least the PCB has taken corrective action. If of course we conveniently get involved with the forthcoming UAE tour it will only prove to the ICC and the world that we are keen to push matters under the carpet? We already have the head of ICC stating to the press, entirely needlessly, that international cricket will not return to Pakistan for some time to come.

The ICL league is still being treated as the pariah of cricket. I can understand this from the BCCI's point of view; it's a highly principled matter of money! But for the life of me I cannot quite understand the ICC, and the PCB. On the one hand the ICC is accommodating a purely India specific money making tournament with most of the players being from India and not all Test Players at that and on the other side Pakistan is preventing itself from selecting its best team because of another similar Indian Tournament.

I remember with much nostalgia when the PCB was a world leader; I recall that when Kerry Packer started his league the participants were denied a place in their home teams. It was Pakistan that sensibly took the lead and invited their errant players to participate in a home series against the Kiwis. Nobody used the MCC or ICC as an excuse. One recalls that the rest of the world including Australia followed suit. It is sad to note that we have travelled a very long distance downwards from that point in time.

It seems that security is playing its role even in Dubai, a seemingly very secure location. I am confused as to why the Australians would find one five-star hotel in Dubai less secure than another? In any case I would have thought the ICC would have been the body that would approve or disapprove a hotel from the point of security of the teams as they also monitor such requirements.

This series promises to be a real test for the Pakistan team. The Australians will be coming back from a very successful and hard fought tour to South Africa, they may well relax somewhat but they are unlikely to treat us lightly. Their young bowlers bowl a line and length that will be hard to match. Our front line batsmen will thus be tied down and the depth in our batting does not compare with the Aussies. Our fielding when compared to the other side comes off second best and in fitness very few teams can match the Australians. All this may seem to imply that we are beaten before we start, but it is in these conditions that the Pakistanis shine. It is not for nothing that we were the team that was feared and the one the world wanted to beat.

I firmly believe we have a great player leading the side. We have some world class bowlers and batsmen who will be raring to prove their mettle as they have been deprived of international cricket. I believe we have a combination that should do well. The usual unpredictability of our side may well provide us some very pleasant surprises. I hope and believe that our players will not let us down and put up their best efforts.

In cricket, that is all that any person can ask of the team that he supports. One does wish that we had a better supporting arm, i.e. Manager, Coach et al, that were younger and provided a neutral onlooker more confidence but here again I hope the edge, if any, will be overcome by good leadership on the field. One will force oneself to watch the matches in Dubai at the commercial, unofficial ground that is being christened by Pakistan just like it did a television channel some years ago; one can only hope that the commercial terms are not as disadvantageous as they were on the previous occasion. The matches in Abu Dhabi should be less painful to watch, they will still not be at home but at least the ground is an official location. It also is a lovely venue.

I would like to join all the vast number of loyal cricket lovers of Pakistan in wishing our team all good fortune in the forthcoming matches. I am sure we will all be praying for the success of our boys even though they will not have the advantage of a home crowd.

May God bless them all?

 

malikgilani2002@yahoo.com

 

Victoria Azarenka: The story so far

 

By Kamakshi Tandon

Like any mother taking a young child to work, Alla Azarenka was looking for a way to keep her daughter Victoria occupied while she got on with her job at the local tennis club in Minsk, Belarus. So she handed the 7-year-old girl a racquet and told her to try hitting against the wall.

As it turns out, little Vika had a knack for pounding the ball. It wasn't long before a coach at the club suggested she try playing on a real court.

"No, no -- I'm scared," Victoria Azarenka, now 19, recalls saying.

But curiosity soon trumped fear, and she consented to take part in a group lesson.

Suddenly, Allaís problem was not keeping her daughter busy at the tennis club, but convincing her to come home.

"I started practicing and I started loving the sport, and I wouldn't leave the courts till 11 pm," Azarenka said.

Even at this early stage, those shots were being struck with a purpose. Two of the country's most famous tennis players, former French Open finalist and 18-time Grand Slam women's doubles champ Natasha Zvereva and former men's doubles No. 1 Max Mirnyi were often to be spotted at the club, and Azarenka even served as a ball girl during their Fed Cup and Davis Cup matches in Belarus. After watching them in person and on television, the prodigy began dreaming of her own tennis career.

"I think since from the beginning, I really did want to play all the time and really did want to play professional," she said. "I saw it on TV. And I saw a lot of players from Belarus when I started, like Zvereva and Mirnyi. We started at the same tennis club and I saw how they play and really wanted [to be like them]."

A decade after being awed by Mirnyi at the National Tennis Center in Minsk, Azarenka found herself standing alongside him at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., hoisting the 2007 US Open mixed doubles trophy. This weekend, she captured the women's singles crown at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami on the same day Mirnyi won the men's doubles.

The road in between has been a long one, landmarked by setbacks and triumphs but ultimately paved with steady, painstaking progress.

Getting world-class training was a challenge in Belarus, so Azarenka went to Marbella, Spain, in her early teens. Things didn't quite click there either, for she was dissatisfied about the type of coaching and practice partners available.

It was the parents of a fellow Minsk junior, Sasha Khabibulina, who finally hit on the right formula. Sasha's father is Russian NHL hockey legend Nikolai Khabibulin, currently the goalie for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Khabibulin's Belarusian wife, also named Victoria, traveled with Sasha and had seen Azarenka playing at junior tournaments.

The family offered to take Azarenka with them to the United States and fund her training. Azarenka began working with Sasha's occasional coach, Antonio Van Grichen, a partnership that continues to this day. She also relocated to the Khabibulinsí home in Scottsdale, Arizona.

"For sure it's not easy to move to a different country," Van Grichen said Saturday. "But the main thing is the Khabibulins embraced her like family, so she felt way more comfortable and way more at home, and her mom would come and visit her. So for her it was a little bit easier."

Having found a "second family" and put down some roots in Arizona, Azarenka began to blossom on the women's circuit, cracking the Top 100 in 2006. In 2007, she reached the Top 30; in 2008, the Top 20; and then, in March, the Top 10.

Each rung climbed brought new challenges as well as new opportunities. Her results in 2007 indicated that she had the shots to become a top player, but she had blown big leads in both her first two WTA Tour finals, in Estoril on clay and in Tashkent on hard court, and finished the season with two critical realizations, "The top players, they never break down at the important moments," she said. "Physical toughness is very important in tennis."

To beef up her fitness, Azarenka worked with famed trainer Pat Etcheberry ahead of the 2008 season, but knee surgery and other assorted injuries interrupted her momentum during the year. Two more losses in tournament finals also raised questions about the quick-tempered teenager's mental toughness.

When it came time to get ready for this season, Azarenka and Van Grichen spent weeks working on all aspects of her game at the Saddlebrook resort in Florida.

A trainer, Mark Wellington, was hired to improve her fitness and movement as well as manage her conditioning on the road. It's had a huge impact, Azarenka told TENNIS.com at Indian Wells. "My body changed, I move differently, just these little things that you have to prevent for injuries," she said. "Before I would practice tennis, then I would jog or something. Now I do some pre-hab exercises for my shoulder so my shoulder is good, for my back, all this kind of stuffócool down, stretching. All these little things that in the long term make a difference.

On the court, Van Grichen emphasized drills aimed at "maximizing her strengths" -- the two-handed backhand and a steadily improving serve. "It was finding patterns of shots to use her strengths," he said. "You can see the difference on court. She goes and does it automatically during matches.

"The goal is to improve all parts of her game [but] now the holes, the gaps are not as obvious. She's actually getting to be a very complete player."

Mental strategy was also regularly discussed. "I'm not a psychologist but because I know her very well, [we talked] just to reinforce stuff that she needs to do, that she needs to be aware of," said Van Grichen.

All told, the regimen produced immediate results. Azarenka won her first event of the season in Brisbane, shaking the never-won-a-title monkey off her back. "After that, the next final I played, I was completely different.î

Though a virus forced her to retire up a set against Serena Williams in the fourth round of the Australian Open in January, she bounced back quickly with a title at Memphis the next month. The past four weeks have been the most fruitful of her career so far, with a semifinal at Indian Wells and her first top-tier title at Miami.

In their rematch in Miami, Williams was the player who was ailing (she had a bum leg), and Azarenka won easily. She had exorcised another ghost in the semifinals by defeating Kuznetsova (Azarenka had lost a 6-1, 5-2 lead to the Russian at the same tournament a year earlier). Azarenkaís newfound mettle was on display in Indian Wells, as well, as she rebounded from a set down to upset top seed Dinara Safina in a fearsome hitting contest.

Not that she's gone from fiery to flinty overnight. Azarenka has come unglued in several close matches this year, including against Jarmila Gajdosova and Lucie Safarova in Brisbane, Sabine Liscki in Memphis, Shahar Peer in Indian Wells and Anna Chakvetadze in Miami. Her combustible behavior at times includes screaming at the umpire, barking at fans, berating her opponent, or a mixture of all three.

But there has been one big change: now, she's still managing to come away with the win.

"There's a few differences this year, and for me the most important is the mental difference," said Van Grichen. "These matches, even though she's still sometimes being a little bit negative, she's still able to push herself up and motivate herself. And in important points, she really grabs those situations. Compared to last yearóshe was up and down in these situations, and sometimes she would lose the match because of that."

Still, Azarenka's outbursts, coupled with her loud grunts during play, have not endeared her to some fans. She makes no direct apologies for her on-court temperament. "Now I handle it much better. I'm still a little bit aggressive sometimes, but that's the way I play," she said. "I go on the court to win no matter what. And outside the court, I'm completely different person.î

She is described as cheerful and talkative off the court, and her closest friends on the tour include Tatiana Poutchek, Chakvetadze, Elena Vesnina, Igor Kunitsyn and Ernests Gulbis.

She's also familiar with the rest of her rising young generationófellow under-21s like Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki, who grew up with her in juniors and are now flirting with the Top 10.

Thanks to her recent performances, Azarenka is now head of the pack at No. 8 in the rankings, with Radwanska No. 11 and Wozniacki No. 12.

The newest member of the Top 10 says she enjoys the friendly rivalry between her contemporaries.

"Me, Radwanska, Caroline, everybody, we played juniors together, and it's kind of again the same thing but on the tour," said Azarenka. "It's good because for me, competition is the healthy thing.

"As long as somebody's playing good and having good results, it's a motivation for me to do well. So good luck to all these girls, hopefully they can do better, and I'll just keep trying to work harder and maybe be better than them."

So far, she's succeeding.

 



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